Quote:
Originally Posted by adiemus
This info is great!! I had a very selfish reason for asking the question - because I want to semi-choreograph a dance (my first!!) with a veil, and would love to use some music that is arabic but not necessarily old-style (Natacha Atlas, or there are some lovely ones by Hossam Ramzy in collaboration with Phil Thornton. My reasoning being that if veil isn't necessarily 'traditional' then it should be more appropriate to use slightly more 'fusion' music than you would for other style dances. Of course, as a baby dancer any dance I do will be very, very simple...!
So... if veil isn't necessarily 'authentic' why oh why has it become so mainstream? Is it simply the relationship between mystery and dance? is it the gracefulness? is it a girly thing? (I'm waiting for Zorba to pounce NOW!)
|
Great questions, Adiemus, but let's keep in mind when we're talking about "authentic" belly dance we're talking about something that sprang mostly from a fusion of North African and Western traditions in the early 20th century.
The early Cairo cabarets had dancers and musicians from various backgrounds and a well-heeled European clientele they were looking to attract. They blended together something that was "ethnic" and yet not really folkloric. Even the bands that played for the dancers were a mixture of Western and traditional ME instruments, and traditional music was also arranged and played to appeal to Westerners, as well.
Raqs sharqi went off into Turkish, Greek and American styles with various evolutions that gave each style a different accent -- and dancers from all the countries have contributed novelties along the way, such as veils, the candelabra on the head, the sword balancing thing, high heels, etc. The cane dance originally came from dances that men traditionally did, the zills are used or not according to personal whim.
Not every dancer in every style uses the same props, wears the same type of costume or moves in exactly the same way. There's a room for variety and personal expression in every style, so much so that it can be hard, if not impossible, to distinguish one from the other. Some of the styles like to use veils more than others, but even within them there are dancers who use 'em more than others.
So when we're talkin' "authentic" belly dance we're referring to something that was developed for the stage from a variety of folk traditions with Western influence thrown in. It has always incorporated costumes and props from a variety of Eastern and Western traditions. And each style has room for individuality.
Unless you're looking to represent something in a specific style, such as the Egyptian which doesn't use a lot of veils, or from one of the older folkloric traditions, you're still well within "authentic" boundaries.