For our folk dance arch, here's a bit about tanoura, starting with a playlist created by Shems. It's a little like Hula in that there is a religious version and then a very different version that is for tourists and entertainment. Here's some background on the religious affiliations, namely the "whirling dervishes" who are practitioners of Sufism.
You can see religious ceremonies performed for the public too, of course we shouldn't bellydance to this music, I do sometimes use Sufi flute taxeem for stretching and winding down after class. Notice how their hands are one up and one down. This symbolizes a unity of Heaven and Earth, which we do in our dance posture too (heart to Heaven, hips to the Earth). The cummerbund in a religious ceremony would be embroidered with a prayer, in performances for the public they would be blank or have a colorful mosaic.
The Tanoura is a bright and colorful tourist attraction: But you still see their passion. They also spin on their heels, another option for us besides the standard of spinning on the ball of your foot. It causes less “wandering” as you spin.
You can see religious ceremonies performed for the public too, of course we shouldn't bellydance to this music, I do sometimes use Sufi flute taxeem for stretching and winding down after class. Notice how their hands are one up and one down. This symbolizes a unity of Heaven and Earth, which we do in our dance posture too (heart to Heaven, hips to the Earth). The cummerbund in a religious ceremony would be embroidered with a prayer, in performances for the public they would be blank or have a colorful mosaic.
The Tanoura is a bright and colorful tourist attraction: But you still see their passion. They also spin on their heels, another option for us besides the standard of spinning on the ball of your foot. It causes less “wandering” as you spin.
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