Dance
[quote=Kharmine;58733]One thing essential to a superior belly dance performance, IMHO, is great theater, and Rhea certainly presents that, Maria![/Q
Great theatre is a quality that certainly marks western offshoots of belly dance and is one of the differences between eastern and western dance. I have an article on my website in which this element is a part of the discussion. In authentic ethnic belly dance, the dance is usually as large as life itself and in western fusions it seems to follow the line if most western theatre and dance, and is somewhat larger than life, full of extra drams, etc. In the the Middle east we might say belly dance is a slice of life; in American stylings. it becomes a fantasy of sorts, if that makes sense. Arabs tend to be more emotionally demonstrative, and westerners have been sort of taught to hold their feelings in check and let them out only in "make believe". This is one way in which culture is reflected in the realities of the dance.
Regards,
A'isha
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