Wulpsie

Good morning
I need some help please..... What is a Milaya lef. We have Hadia coming out to SA in Jan for workshops and teachers course. Her one workshop is entitled Milaya lef and was told for advanced students only as it is very tricky.Nobody can tell me what it is? I have searched the net but cannot get a description. Appreciate any help I can get

Salome

I'm not the expert on this subject but I've picked up a bit here and there. It is not a kind of folk/social dance. The malaya lef dance is a kind of tableaux created by Mahmoud Reda of, essentially, Alexandrian women being pretty cheeky and flirty when they are out about town, in the market and such.

The malaya itself is 'real' and it's a type of modesty garment/cover up that women wear when going out in public. Typically a black, dense, plain piece of fabric that drapes over the body concealing it. Though the stage version usually has some sparklie, spanglies edging it.

The costume is slip on heels, a very ruffly, tight dress usually showing some leg, little pom pom scarf worn on the head but some hair still showing. The dancer often chews gum vigorously, dances simply, as you would in a kind of social dance setting rather than staged. The malaya is basically used to conceal and reveal in a fun, upbeat, casual, saucy kind of a way. The dancer will arrange it and rearrange it to show off her stuff.

One of our forum members Outi performs this in Cairo, maybe she will come along and offer more illumination :0

Kashmir

In addition to what Salome said, it depicts the bint il beled from Alexandria (or Cairo) in the traditional costume of the time - the milaya over "normal" clothes ie a dress, mandil, bur’a and shoes. These days the dress is often over the top with ruffles and asymmetry - that is very new. Reda's original dress was a plain dress, mid calf with a pattern of roses printed on the fabric.

That said - there is older footage of women in milayas who appear in the old Egyptian movies - but they don't dance as such in them.

There are many different interpretations - even within Egypt. I was introduced to milaya by Raqia in 1996. Her version is very sassy, even sexy with the emphasis on attitude and the torso.

Next time I saw milaya it was with Denise Enan (who grew up seeing women wearing them every day, using them as baskets for carrying food or kids as well as modesty and warmth). Her version was cheekier, lighter with a lot of manipulation - without doing the "flying veil" thing - open, unwrap, wrap, stole etc.

Aida Nour is from Alexandria and loves milaya - but I confess hers is my least favourite style - lots of flying veil, swishing etc in which the prop becomes more important than the dance - and with the least personality in the dancer. (Note, I said "the least" - not none!).

None include chewing gum. Nor is it "low class" as in prostitutes. More, working class.

I'm not sure which version Hadia favours - but all require you to be able to dance on automatic until you have mastered manipulating the milaya. If you are having to think about basic dancing at the same time you'll flounder.

Assuming you don't have your own milayas, I'd take a heavy veil ie not silk or 3m of fabric with some give in it. I've handed out lengths of panne velvet in class and these seem to work quite well for practice.

Wulpsie

Thank you for your help. It sounds quite interesting. I am used to working with veils of all shapes and sizes (Good arm exercise). Thinking of giving the workshop a go and see what it is like.only problem is that I am not in the flush of youth!!
(Chewing gum is a personal hate of mine... if i had my way it would be banned from the planet!)

Kashmir

Give it a go - but it isn't a veil workshop by any means Don't think of the milaya as a veil or you'll end up losing the essence. First thing you'l probably learn is how to wrap the milaya around your body. Then how to unwrap and wrap while dancing - not so much arm strength required as co-ordination. Attitude is important - you're strong , safe and within your own neighbourhood, so you can push the boundries. Age is not an issue.
Enjoy.

Aniseteph

Try Googling it as melaya lef or leff. Also searching for melaya leff on YouTube gets quite a selection.

I've been to a couple of not-so-advanced workshops and it was great fun And yeah, who cares about age?

Salome

Thanks Kashmir,

I was hoping someone would show up and be a bit more illuminating than me interesting note about the original dress as the tight, ruffled number is the only thing I've seen.

gypsy8522

The ruffled dress isn't a new thing, this style was popular long before the Reda troupe was formed.

Wulpsie

Thanks ladies for all the info.
I had gone onto you tube but had the wrong spelling .
Went on now with the correct spelling and a host of dances came up. They were all pretty similiar in what they were doing. The dresses ranged from "fanny pelmets" to ankle length with ruffles. Some wore shoes, some slip ons and others barefoot? Some had curlers in hair othes had a scarf on. It was very interesing and I have learnt quite a bit with all your help. many thanks

Kashmir

Was it? Whereabouts? Do you have photos of it being worn in Egypt prior to the 1960s? My comment actually related to the ruffled dress for milaya lef - which as a theatre dance was created by Reda. Initially the dress was not ruffled when it was staged.