Instrument of the Week
This week's instrument was the clarinet, more popular in Greek and Turkish than Egyptian/Arabic music, but a lovely instrument to dance to. Since I'm sure you all know what a clarinet looks like, here's a Greek dancer and a Turkish dancer performing to it, one dancing to a composed song and one to a takeem.
This week's instrument was the clarinet, more popular in Greek and Turkish than Egyptian/Arabic music, but a lovely instrument to dance to. Since I'm sure you all know what a clarinet looks like, here's a Greek dancer and a Turkish dancer performing to it, one dancing to a composed song and one to a takeem.
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Prop of the Week
This week it's time to talk about "s" words. I mean swords. While there are Middle Eastern dance traditions that use a sword, they are not used the way bellydancers use them. My understanding is that West Coast dancers learned jug dances from Tunisian patrons in the 60s/70s and then used that concept to dance with a sword (my source here is the DVD "American Bellydance Legends"). The balancing and posing method of dancing with swords in firmly a fantasy element, although it may have been inspired by real traditions it is pretty removed from them. Here's some info from Shira.net about some inspirations for sword dances, and some advice from Princess Farhana about picking out a sword.
This week it's time to talk about "s" words. I mean swords. While there are Middle Eastern dance traditions that use a sword, they are not used the way bellydancers use them. My understanding is that West Coast dancers learned jug dances from Tunisian patrons in the 60s/70s and then used that concept to dance with a sword (my source here is the DVD "American Bellydance Legends"). The balancing and posing method of dancing with swords in firmly a fantasy element, although it may have been inspired by real traditions it is pretty removed from them. Here's some info from Shira.net about some inspirations for sword dances, and some advice from Princess Farhana about picking out a sword.
| A first generation Am Cab dancer using it in her set | A modern dancer, continuing the Am Cab tradition. | A Brazilian dancer, sword props have spread all over, |
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| Tava uses funky music for her sword piece | Mariyah, doing a theatrical number | West Coast dancers continuing to innovate with sword |
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| Yasmina performs a sword dance inspired by Gulf style dances. | Giselle was a Latin American dancer who had a career in Lebanon |
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| Sword is also a popular prop for ITS, which grew from those same west coast experiments. | Dancers continue to find new and amazing ways to use swords, | and sword innovations can pay homage to the circus roots of early American dancers. |
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Here's a small sample of traditional ways of dancing with a sword. You'll notice these are all men.
| Lebanese entertainers evoke a Bedouin style. | A Saudi dance with swords is well known. | The Beja live between Egypt's Eastern Desert and Sudan |
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Song of the Week
Hebena (Habina, Habeena, etc) is a Farid al-Atrache song from 1975. Here is the translation and the playlist.
Hebena (Habina, Habeena, etc) is a Farid al-Atrache song from 1975. Here is the translation and the playlist.
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