Fusion belly dance - how many are there??? - Page 8

Suheir · 06-28-2007, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amulya

Ha ha that is the perfect comment LOL

Found another fusion: Chinese Fusion Bellydance

see for yourself:
YouTube - Tribal Fest 7 performance -Chinese Fusion Bellydance

I didn't watch it all to be honest, but from what I have seen this has nothing to do with belly dance.

I just found it puzzling. You're right, nothing whatsoever to do with belly dance!

gisela · 06-28-2007, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suheir

I just found it puzzling. You're right, nothing whatsoever to do with belly dance!

I saw it a few days ago and thought the same as you. In some places they do some hip figure 8's so I guess that's what makes them say it's fusion bd but hmmm...
I don't think they move their hips at all like that in pure chinese dance. I'm no expert in their style but it would be interesting to see how much this would differ from a chinese non-fusion dance.

Aisha Azar · 06-28-2007, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by da Sage

Dear A'isha,

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you say "it has belly dance overtones of some sort".

If you are referring to the zombie dance video, I didn't even pick up on the common-to-many-styles-dance-moves-that-are-frequently-associated-with-bellydance the first time I watched it. Which is why I mentioned that that particular studio welcomes non-bellydance styles at their haflas. When the previous poster said it looked like a bellydance parody to her, I watched the video again. I stated that it didn't look like a parody to me, it just looked like a dance that used some of the same vocabulary as bellydance.

If you are referring to the local show (which I saw, and you didn't...and therefore your opinion is uninformed as to the particulars of the show), the performance pieces ranged from 0% to 98% bellydance. I think that no one on this forum has an informed opinion on the local show, except myself and Tikvah, because we're the only ones who saw it. It was an experimental, dance-centered (but not dance-exclusive) variety show.

Yet you are the one insisting that the local show was a bellydance show ("under the auspices of presenting a belly dance show"), and that we need to "realize the necessity of telling your audience what you are doing" (right...next time we'll make the keyboardist stand up to announce that he is NOT BELLYDANCING...he is PERFORMING A GOTHIC SONG instead...because since he's also a bellydancer, he needs to INFORM THE AUDIENCE THAT HE'S NOT BELLYDANCING RIGHT NOW).

I'm only bothering to reply to you, because I want to avoid any appearance of agreeing with you. It seems that you want this giant no-dancer's-land all around the tiny definition you've made of "bellydance", and even if we call it something besides bellydance, we're "uneducated" or "bad dancers" for choosing to explore that space. I disagree that all those dance ideas should be off-limits. I disagree with your definition of bellydance. And I think that hashing our differences into minutia (as I've seen happen so often with you and other members of this forum) would be a waste of time.

Dear da Sage,
Who said I was referring to your show in the first place? If you read my first post, it in no way says anything at all about your show. You are right, I did not see the show and I am not stupid enough to critique something I did not see. However, since you were discussing the show HERE, that could lead the members of the forum, including myself, to believe that you , yourself, do think it is in some way connected with belly dance. That and the fact that you felt it necessary to say that some 98 percent of the performers were belly dancers. Mixed message there, so go ahead and get mad at me if you want, but regardless of whether or not YOUR show was advertised as belly dance, many such acts do show up under the belly dance umbrella.
Clearly there are many, many things out there today that are referred to as belly dance which are not. the dance at this point needs defending and definition. I at least am willing to take a stand and give meaning to it while so many others will just talk in quiet so as not to ruin their chances of having a good turn-out at their next workshop.
You decide whether or not you are uneducated and bad belly dancer, not me. I do not recall pointing any fingers in any specific direction. I DO recall you opening this conversation with an insult directed at what you like to call the "can't touch this" philosophy that you are so sick and tired of. Most of us who are what many other refer to as "purists" do not feel in any way insulted by any form of dance done well. What is difficult is the misleading labeling. Yeah, that insults the dance and it insults me.
A'isha Azar,

janaki · 06-28-2007, 02:58 PM

In my opinion we need "Purists" like(what ever people like to call it) like A'isha to keep this dance form the way it should be. There are so many fusion dances out there, sometimes it feels like people are making mockery out of bellydancing. There is so much to explore, learn in create and also fuse within middleeastern dances. Why look else where!!!

There are very few good fusion dances out there. I firmly believe that to do a good fusion you must have thorough knowledge, skill, understanding and experience in all dance forms involved. Otherwise for me it is nothing more than a gimmick!!!!

Cheers
Janaki

Tikvah · 06-28-2007, 03:26 PM

I can see both the purist's side of things, and the experimental/fusion side of things....but I'm just reminded of something that a director of a ballet troupe told me (I was writing a review of one of their performances when they performed at my alma mater....and I'm paraphrasing). "Ballet is a dying art. If we don't fuse with other styles and make it more exciting, more palatable to new audiences, the art form will suffer and die. We do what we do to preserve both the pure art and to push the boundaries of what ballet is"

There is value both in preserving whatever "real" bellydance is, and value in pushing the boundaries and fusing. To maintain "pure" forms, we need to keep pushing the envelope, otherwise the original art form will surely perish.

Suheir · 06-28-2007, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tikvah

I can see both the purist's side of things, and the experimental/fusion side of things....but I'm just reminded of something that a director of a ballet troupe told me (I was writing a review of one of their performances when they performed at my alma mater....and I'm paraphrasing). "Ballet is a dying art. If we don't fuse with other styles and make it more exciting, more palatable to new audiences, the art form will suffer and die. We do what we do to preserve both the pure art and to push the boundaries of what ballet is"

There is value both in preserving whatever "real" bellydance is, and value in pushing the boundaries and fusing. To maintain "pure" forms, we need to keep pushing the envelope, otherwise the original art form will surely perish.

I've just been thinking about ballet - traditional ballets such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake are performed in London year after year and the directors don't feel any need to start dressing the swans as zombies, for instance, yet the audiences keep flocking to these productions...

da Sage · 06-28-2007, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suheir

I've just been thinking about ballet - traditional ballets such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake are performed in London year after year and the directors don't feel any need to start dressing the swans as zombies, for instance, yet the audiences keep flocking to these productions...

And here in Minneapolis, the audience flocks to a Nutcracker production where the Prince and Sugar Plum Fairy are dressed as Ken and (cross-)dressed as Barbie.

Tikvah · 06-28-2007, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by da Sage

And here in Minneapolis, the audience flocks to a Nutcracker production where the Prince and Sugar Plum Fairy are dressed as Ken and (cross-)dressed as Barbie.

LOL...I want to see that :-D

Suheir · 06-28-2007, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by da Sage

And here in Minneapolis, the audience flocks to a Nutcracker production where the Prince and Sugar Plum Fairy are dressed as Ken and (cross-)dressed as Barbie.

HAHAHAHAHAHA! That's hilarious!

Aisha Azar · 06-28-2007, 05:28 PM

Dear Group,
I have repeatedly stated that I see nothing wrong with fusion, and do support fusion artists. This is something that is constantly overlooked/ ignored when people point a finger at me and shout the word "purist" as if it were a dirty little mouthful. (BTW, Janaki, thanks for understanding my point of view. It means a lot more than I can say!!)
In the past few years I or my dance company have sponsored the following people
Ne Kajira Janan- American Oriental, Dance Theatre
Mohammed and Dina Hamideh- Palestinian Debke
Jennet- Turkish belly dance, Turkish Rom, Tunisian Folkloric
Salome- American Oriental
DaVid- Egyptian Belly dance
Hasani- American Oriental

Next sponsorship is for Mark Balahadia- Lebanese Assaya and Belly Dance

As anyone who cares to take a look can see, I am supportive of good dancers, regardless of style, if they are honest and have integrity in what they say the are presenting. It is when the public and new dancers are led to believe that something is belly dance that is not that I get upset. I also do not like bad dance, no matter what. I can guarantee anyone presenting the Nutcracker in terms of the pun and play on words that this can imply when doing the cross-dressing Ken thing, would definitely not lead the public to believe they were presenting the traditional ballet. This is clear from the moment one gets the advertising, I bet. Unfortunately, those who claim to be presenting "belly dance" are starting out at a disadvantage because they need to be extra careful not to play into the misinformation that is already out there. It is the job of dancers to give honest information about what is being seen.
Regards,
A'isha

06-28-2007, 05:28 PM	#80 (permalink)
Aisha Azar V.I.P. Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Pacific Northwest USA Posts: 4,516	Fusions, etc. Dear Group, I have repeatedly stated that I see nothing wrong with fusion, and do support fusion artists. This is something that is constantly overlooked/ ignored when people point a finger at me and shout the word "purist" as if it were a dirty little mouthful. (BTW, Janaki, thanks for understanding my point of view. It means a lot more than I can say!!) In the past few years I or my dance company have sponsored the following people Ne Kajira Janan- American Oriental, Dance Theatre Mohammed and Dina Hamideh- Palestinian Debke Jennet- Turkish belly dance, Turkish Rom, Tunisian Folkloric Salome- American Oriental DaVid- Egyptian Belly dance Hasani- American Oriental Next sponsorship is for Mark Balahadia- Lebanese Assaya and Belly Dance As anyone who cares to take a look can see, I am supportive of good dancers, regardless of style, if they are honest and have integrity in what they say the are presenting. It is when the public and new dancers are led to believe that something is belly dance that is not that I get upset. I also do not like bad dance, no matter what. I can guarantee anyone presenting the Nutcracker in terms of the pun and play on words that this can imply when doing the cross-dressing Ken thing, would definitely not lead the public to believe they were presenting the traditional ballet. This is clear from the moment one gets the advertising, I bet. Unfortunately, those who claim to be presenting "belly dance" are starting out at a disadvantage because they need to be extra careful not to play into the misinformation that is already out there. It is the job of dancers to give honest information about what is being seen. Regards, A'isha

06-28-2007, 02:58 PM	#74 (permalink)
janaki V.I.P. Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: hong kong Posts: 1,211	In my opinion we need "Purists" like(what ever people like to call it) like A'isha to keep this dance form the way it should be. There are so many fusion dances out there, sometimes it feels like people are making mockery out of bellydancing. There is so much to explore, learn in create and also fuse within middleeastern dances. Why look else where!!! There are very few good fusion dances out there. I firmly believe that to do a good fusion you must have thorough knowledge, skill, understanding and experience in all dance forms involved. Otherwise for me it is nothing more than a gimmick!!!! Cheers Janaki

06-28-2007, 03:26 PM	#75 (permalink)
Tikvah Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 101	I can see both the purist's side of things, and the experimental/fusion side of things....but I'm just reminded of something that a director of a ballet troupe told me (I was writing a review of one of their performances when they performed at my alma mater....and I'm paraphrasing). "Ballet is a dying art. If we don't fuse with other styles and make it more exciting, more palatable to new audiences, the art form will suffer and die. We do what we do to preserve both the pure art and to push the boundaries of what ballet is" There is value both in preserving whatever "real" bellydance is, and value in pushing the boundaries and fusing. To maintain "pure" forms, we need to keep pushing the envelope, otherwise the original art form will surely perish.