Outi

Thanks!

I've been just reading Shira's review. I saw parts of the video last summer, when Shira was here in Cairo. We (including other dancers as well) had nice time watching different videos. Review just brought all back. I have been laughing so much. It was just like Shira wrote about. The "skips" leaps were quite original. She obviously wanted to include some gymnastic elements, but lacked the grace.

sedoniaraqs

I remember hearing about some of Shira's video nights. I'm trying to remember what she called them -- excremental video parties or something like that?

Sedonia

charity

this is a question for sedonia. how would you rate jillina as egyptian style? and how far from egyptian would you rate jamila salimpour's tribal style? is it much of a departure? she, as far as i know does not claim egyptian style simply tribal style with lebanese and egyptian influence.

charity

deletion

Aziyade

Isn't Estelle the transvestite?

Aziyade

I know this was meant for Sedonia, but I want to reiterate:

JAMILA SALIMPOUR DOES NOT HAVE A TRIBAL STYLE.

Tribal style dance was created later. There WAS NO TRIBAL STYLE at the time Jamila was dancing with Bal Anat.

Jamila always just danced "bellydance" -- and she considered her "ethnic" stuff the folkloric dance, while the other stuff was "bellydance."

Jamila Salimpour's "style" is essentially American Cabaret style with folkloric elements or elements borrowed from region-specific dances.

Jamila no longer dances, although she teaches at Suhaila's school. You can learn Jamila's FORMAT from Suhaila, her daughter.

SUHAILA does not dance tribal style.

Suhaila calls what she does "bellydance." She danced professionally in Lebanon so a lot of her influence is from jazz dance and the dance scene in Lebanon at the time she was there.

I've seen her dance to a lot of different music and a lot of different ways -- she's just really her own style, like Amani of Lebanon.

sedoniaraqs

I think Jillina uses alot of Egyptian technique but also quite a bit of jazz technique; her overall dance style I would call American belly dance. But as you already know, everyone has their own lines they draw and terms they use. I claim nothing special about mine.

But, no way would I call Jillina an Egyptian style dancer; the cultural feeling is not Egyptian. Compare her to Shareen el Safy or Sahra Kent or Cassandra, well-known American dancers who *do* dance in the Egyptian style very well.

I really am not familiar with Jamila Salimpour's style.

Sedonia

charity

well the tribal style with lebanese and egyptian influence was a quote from a promotional clip for one of suhaila's iinstructional dvds. ok ok it was a youtube clip but it was a promo for it.

i love the jamila archive's. i guess that would be the difference that i have noticed in suhaila's dancing. sometimes it is more to my taste when she sticks to her mom's stuff, other times it is too much jazz for ME.

so what do you think of sohaila? i like her better than jillina.

sedoniaraqs

Are you talking about Sohaila from the San Diego area, or Suhaila Salimpour?

I think Sohaila is closer to Egyptian than Jillina. But, in the videos I have seen of Sohaila, she lacks that upper body dynamic that I was talking about in the gestures and posture thread.

Sedonia

Aziyade

Me too! I got to take a class with Rashid last month, who teaches at the Suhaila school and does that old-school kind of dance. It was GREAT! I wish that would make a comeback.

Wasn't Sohaila one of Jillina's students? Personally I'm unimpressed with her. She lacks ... grace, for one thing.

Sedonia, have you seen the 1st performance on the video version of Jillina's Drum Solo instructional video? While I would not argue with you on your assessment of the Egyptianness of Jillina, that performance is much closer to Egyptian style than anything I've seen her do on video since then. Of course that video is practically ancient by now