Took my visiting friends for a belly dancing show at a restaurant on the 7th Floor of Semi Ramis Hotel in Damascus to expose and educate them on some form of Syrian or Arab culture. The restaurant that evening was full of foreign tourists as well as local Syrians who came for the show. It was a memorable experience for us all especially coming from Asia. Though there are some establishments in Malaysia that offers occasional belly dancing shows, it is of totally different especially with the accompaniment of live music from traditional instruments. The show only started at 11.00 pm with a singer and followed by the belly dancer only 30 minutes later. The show ended only at about 12.30 midnight.
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Did you know the correct name for belly dancing is actually "Oriental Dance"? The Arabic name for it is raqs sharqi, which means "dance of the East/Orient", and the Turkish name is Oryantal.
Based on information gathered from various blogs, I shared the following:
True historical data on belly dance is fragmentary -- there is relatively little documentation on women's work and activities throughout the age of literacy. Current theories on the history of belly dance are a confusing mixture of speculative extrapolation and personal bias which is then often presented as historical fact. It is hard to say when "belly dancing" started and where. Despite the lack of accurate historical information, a few points can be agreed upon. Belly dancing as it is known today is very old. It retains its connection to fertility and eroticism by being an indispensable feature at weddings in many Middle Eastern countries, performing the multifold purpose of getting the bride and groom (who may have just met) in the mood, making a blessing of fertility on the couple, and providing entertainment for the guests. Today belly dance is enjoyed variously for its artistry, ethnicity, beauty, healthy eroticism and fun!
The movement vocabulary of belly dance is a conglomeration of styles from many regions-Lebanon, North Africa, Egypt, the Arabian Gulf, Turkey - as a result of cultural exchange historically through trade and shifting national boundaries. While Middle Easterners make the distinction between "city dance" (stage, cabaret) and "country dance" (regional folk dances), Westerners use the umbrella term of "belly dance" to refer to a broad range of styles united in the use of certain isolation movements, the most prominent and pervasive of which are the isolations of the hips. In addition, isolations of the chest, shoulders, head, hands as well as serpentine and undulating movements of the torso are often found. Another common trademark is a varying degree of flirtation and coquetry. The rhythms and instrumentation used from area to area often have some commonalties despite great regional variations but in all there is an emphasis on percussion.
Across borders and cultures, "belly dance" is recognized as a dance style of its own. There are several points that make oriental dance different from other dance forms and reveal its diverse heritage. It has traditional associations with both religious and erotic elements. This ambiguity has caused belly dance to be disdained, scorned, and loved by many. Its apparent origins are the fertility cults of the ancient world.
Many experts say belly dancing is the oldest form of dance, having roots in all ancient cultures from the orient to India to the mid-East. Probably the greatest misconception about belly dancing is that it is intended to entertain men. Throughout history, this ritualized expression has usually been performed for other women, generally during fertility rites or parties preparing a young woman for marriage. In most cases, the presence of men is not permitted.
In the word of a belly dancer, Nadia Gamal in an interview with Scoop Magazine:
“I am NOT a belly dancer. I have never been one, and never will be. What I do is not what Hollywood vulgarly calls ‘belly dance’, but it is art. I have traveled the world to prove that my dance is not a dance of the belly but a refined, artistic dance full of tradition, of dreaming and beauty. Oriental dance is primarily an expressive dance, in that resides the beauty”
Based on information gathered from various blogs, I shared the following:
True historical data on belly dance is fragmentary -- there is relatively little documentation on women's work and activities throughout the age of literacy. Current theories on the history of belly dance are a confusing mixture of speculative extrapolation and personal bias which is then often presented as historical fact. It is hard to say when "belly dancing" started and where. Despite the lack of accurate historical information, a few points can be agreed upon. Belly dancing as it is known today is very old. It retains its connection to fertility and eroticism by being an indispensable feature at weddings in many Middle Eastern countries, performing the multifold purpose of getting the bride and groom (who may have just met) in the mood, making a blessing of fertility on the couple, and providing entertainment for the guests. Today belly dance is enjoyed variously for its artistry, ethnicity, beauty, healthy eroticism and fun!
The movement vocabulary of belly dance is a conglomeration of styles from many regions-Lebanon, North Africa, Egypt, the Arabian Gulf, Turkey - as a result of cultural exchange historically through trade and shifting national boundaries. While Middle Easterners make the distinction between "city dance" (stage, cabaret) and "country dance" (regional folk dances), Westerners use the umbrella term of "belly dance" to refer to a broad range of styles united in the use of certain isolation movements, the most prominent and pervasive of which are the isolations of the hips. In addition, isolations of the chest, shoulders, head, hands as well as serpentine and undulating movements of the torso are often found. Another common trademark is a varying degree of flirtation and coquetry. The rhythms and instrumentation used from area to area often have some commonalties despite great regional variations but in all there is an emphasis on percussion.
Across borders and cultures, "belly dance" is recognized as a dance style of its own. There are several points that make oriental dance different from other dance forms and reveal its diverse heritage. It has traditional associations with both religious and erotic elements. This ambiguity has caused belly dance to be disdained, scorned, and loved by many. Its apparent origins are the fertility cults of the ancient world.
Many experts say belly dancing is the oldest form of dance, having roots in all ancient cultures from the orient to India to the mid-East. Probably the greatest misconception about belly dancing is that it is intended to entertain men. Throughout history, this ritualized expression has usually been performed for other women, generally during fertility rites or parties preparing a young woman for marriage. In most cases, the presence of men is not permitted.
In the word of a belly dancer, Nadia Gamal in an interview with Scoop Magazine:
“I am NOT a belly dancer. I have never been one, and never will be. What I do is not what Hollywood vulgarly calls ‘belly dance’, but it is art. I have traveled the world to prove that my dance is not a dance of the belly but a refined, artistic dance full of tradition, of dreaming and beauty. Oriental dance is primarily an expressive dance, in that resides the beauty”
Another picture ..... the beauty of belly dancing!!
