Quote:
Originally Posted by jenc
Just rewatched clip to look for feminine essence. didn't see anything of that, but saw a definate masculine essence.............(sigh!!). Seriously, I saw a man displaying complete confidence in his self and in his body. If this means that he is in touch with his feminine side, or that he is in touch with a tenderness that is inherent in true masculinity, isn't this intrinsically the same thing.
I didn't like the Khaled. I've tried looking at it to see if I would like it done by a woman and I'm not sure. How can I say his arms are too graceful???? I THINK I would say that it's a little too balletic for me, I prefer a little more direct energy, but I admit I could be justifying myself
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Well as I've said in the past on several occasions, its a matter of semantics. People have different ways of describing the same concepts and what is language anyway except a set of verbal symbols that represent thoughts and feelings. It's like verbal hieroglyphics. Not to pick up the hatchet I killed the cow with again, but I've described masculine and feminine energies as not necessarily being linked to manliness or womanliness.
I prefer the Chinese concept of Yin and Yang. Both men and women have Yin and Yang energies. We need it to be balanced individuals. A man cannot be an emotionally healthy individual if he's only operating from the aggressive energies alone. It has to be balance with the nurturing loving type of energy as well. On the other hand, women have to be balanced with their assertive energies as well, even in traditional gender roles. For example to raise children you need the nurturing loving energy but it must be balanced with the assertive energy in order to instill discipline to advocate for those children or to protect them.
When I look at Raks Baladi and Oriental dance as a whole I see a blending of these energies. It is bold and assertive but at the same time loving and gentle. I think it represents the blending of our two sides rather than one or the other dominating. Many traditional men's folk dances don't have this balance to them. They either reflect traditional men's gender roles or martial skills, or they focus only on the aggressive side only. For example Tahktyb or many types of Debkahs. Now in real life people will move back and forth between dances and energies without thought. So in Egypt a guy will start doing a Raks al Assaya with a really aggressive energy, and then as soon as the music changes, tie scarf around his hips and express a more gentle playful energy. Or a guy might be doing a really vigorous Debkah then brake away from the line and do a Baladi while the line dances around him.
I think we tend to over analyze things and attempt to put things in neat little boxes. The problem is in real life, things don't come in neat little boxes. It's more like the edges are smooshed and the contents from one overlap and mingle with the contents of the other to a degree. And I think you've described Tito perfectly in these terms.
So if people want to call that feminine energy, fine. The only thing that I have tried to point out is that it's not the same thing as being womanly, but unfortunately in the minds of most people expressing "feminine energy" and being womanly are two different things. Perhaps if I hadn't encountered so many people in the past who used the term "feminine" to mean womanly or to insinuate effeminicy, (sp?) in men who do this dance or cast aspersions on their sexuality and thus an excuse to exclude men from the dance, I wouldn't mind.