Quote:
Originally Posted by adiemus
Don't get me wrong Kharmine, we do have some great dancers and wonderful teachers - but the variety of live performers and workshops is pretty limited. I guess it makes us appreciate what we do have.
And thinking about what A'isha said about 'theatricality' - yes! that's what the difference is, finally got to put my finger on it. The Egyptian dancers seem to be just breathing the dance, they stop for a moment or two to walk around, laugh, interact with the audience, their movements are natural; while there are a lot of vids I've watched where the dance is a 'performance' with all that it entails, almost as if Every Movement Must Count.
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Yep, I know what you mean. I suspect the difference is between what one grows up with and what one has been introduced to much later. There's a feeling of being "comfortable within one's own skin" that can be lacking with American dancers who are brought up with such an overwhelming feeling of physical self-consciousness.
Little Egyptian girls may be encouraged to dance very naturally from a young age (although they may be get discouraged later in life by more conservative families), while a lot of American girls would be strongly dissuaded from even trying anything like
that and usually only get introduced to dancing in formal classes. That's a definite cultural difference that can result in a different "accent."