Caroline_afifi

Is this the British Baba Karam??

Suheir

You've got a point there!

jenc

cathy

I totally agree that culture informs gender constructs and that this shows up in dance! I hope to see Tito live. I love his smile.

I saw Jim Boz live maybe a year ago and that time Jim's energy was vast, he was a real crowd-pleaser, and to me he seemed very extroverted onstage; I did not see much "interiority" but a) I'm not up on his discourse on masculinity and b) I think maybe that not only do these things vary by culture, anatomy, dance, and individual, but also by the occasion and mood of the performer and audience!

I guess you are implying that "interiority" is a female trait, at least in this dance? Is it related to certain emotions, would you say?

Cathy

Tarik Sultan

By interior quality I take it you mean the more tender emotions? I think I'd agree with you there. Dina is the queen of emotions when she dances, but I don't think it is necessarily a female thing per say. Of course I find that both in the West and the East, females are regarded as being more emotional than men. However, I also find that in the EAst men are allowed to be in touch with and express their emotions in a way that Western men are not, even in the expression of affection between males.

It really is hard to say because Tito is only one man and there aren't enough male dancers in Egypt yet. You do see it with male singers though, so I wouldn't say it's not acceptable for males to do so. It's just that since its so recent to see a male in Egypt doing Oriental, we haven't seen anyone do it in the context of a dance yet. Then again, maybe he does on occasion. All we have of him is the odd video clips and live show. I personally haven't done it, but its due to the fact that I haven't found a song I like and it isn't appropriate for most of the contexts within which I dance.

I like your insight about cultures having different expressions of gender. This is the point that I keep trying to express with the context of male dance both professional and social. Most westerners and even some Easterners assume that any movements of the hips and fluid hand and arm movements are "female", or "feminine" and when they see men dancing this way, they assume they are imitating women. This is not the case at all. It's like you say, different cultures have different rules about what is and what is not acceptable behavior. So in Africa and the Middle East it is acceptable and ordinary for men to move their hips even in a very sensual way where as in the West, unless a guy is being overtly sexual in the presence of a female dance partner, it isn't. This is why people have to keep flexible minds and realize that the rules change slightly from culture to culture. There is no wrong or right, just differences.

When I first went to Egypt in 1988 I was shocked to realize that wearing gold chains, (unless you're a christian), was considered feminine. That was the time of Mr. T when guys were wearing tons and tons of oversized gold chains. I also realized I had to leave my earrings at home. I thought with my gold chain and 3 earrings I was just too cute, people in Egypt thought a guy with 3 earrings was just TOOO CUTE!

jenc

Actually having watched your dance on clips, I don't get the same vibes I get with Tito. I would still have said I didn't get the feminine essence that Ai'sha sees in men doing sharki, but I didn't get the masculine vibes I get from Tito.

Ac

Tarik Sultan

That's a pretty accurate assessment I'd say. Our energies a very different, but then again, men do not all have the same vibe. I'm not what you would call an aggressive rigged jock type at all. Tito on the other hand has come up the hard way. He's from a poor neighborhood from a rough part of town and judging from all the scares on his face, he's no stranger to having to slug it out. I guess you could say as far as guys go, I'm the brainy type while he's the branny type if that makes sense.

Caroline_afifi

Where did my post go where I talked about this before??

I have still yet to see men taking on great songs by male singers. That is not about pigeon holeing, but the 'obvious' to me.

What often bothers me is all the pizazz in mens dancing, it does look a bit too much like showmanship sometimes. I am open to offers to any clips that challenge this! I did see the Hungarian male dancer but this clip was not for me at all. I am taking about songs specifically and emotional expression.
please...

Tarik Sultan

Now when you say pizzaz, exactly what do you mean? Do you mean too much props, or do you mean just the general energy level?

jenc

I was going to say before I rushed off to the emergency dentist OUCH!!!

A'isha says that
I would have said that was Tito being masculine. A lot of guys draw all the energies from that area, and Tito strikes me as definately knowing where his balls are.