taheya

Wow Anisteph what an absolute gem you have found- he is such a fantastic and incredibly gifted dancer, I cannot wait to do a workshop with him.

taheya

I think I have asked Anisteph this before but didnt get a response!!!!
I have just read the rest of this thread and dont you think that this feminine essence debate is incredibly tedious?! Why do male dancers have to be critiqued about their feminine essence? Cant male dancers just be judged and have their own style without the feminine/masculine card being thrown in? Tito and Khaled are both incredibly talented. Khaled Mahmoud is a master of egyptian dance and his performances I have seen of both Raks Sharqi, baladi and Khaleegi have all been inspirational and fantastic. I dont mean to offend anybody here but we dont judge female dancers on their gender essence so why should we with men?

Moon

I loves those videos. What a great dancer! In the first video it looks like he just got up and danced, no flashy costume or anything to take the attention away from the dancing And it looked so elegant and strong too.

I think he just responds to the music with regard to movement, essence etc. More soft and flowy in the raqs sharqi video and more strong in the more folkloric videos. Fifi Abdo does the same thing, I guess.

Aniseteph

1. Liberace is here, put down your beverages first....
   
2. I am a POTATO!
   
3. And Carlos Acosta is a ballet dancer, lots of clips on YouTube and I'll spare everyone 10 mins worth of my favourite ballet ever...

(That is a weird post: Liberace, a potato and Carlos Acosta. Answer to trivia question or punchline for a joke I don't want to think about? )

Tarik Sultan

The top wasn't so bad but he definitely should have shaved his legs! Okay, you are a potato. Always wondered. Okay I guess I have to go check out Carlos.

Tarik Sultan

The first video he just spontaneously got up to dance in his street clothes.

All the clips taken together are Sharki. The first one and the others that I added. They were all Sharki. You have to see him in the context of a full routine to understand this. The flow of energy and expression changes. It ebbs back and forth. It depends on the music and how he's feeling in the moment. There are times when he is more energetic and dynamic and times when he is feeling more loose. It is a natural thing. They don't get all hung up on trying to put things in neat little boxed with perfectly lettered labels as we do here. The dance is all part of a whole. So if I ask Tito are you doing Sharki and he says yes, I don't need to further ask him well was it Baladi when your energy was stronger and Sharki when your energy was more gentle. WHO THE F**K CARES?! Was it a good dance? Was it entertaining? Is it a good example of Egyptians dance? Yes, YEs and YES. That's all that counts. And by the way, you are dead on with your observations of Fifi Abdo. She is the perfect example of what you described.

Tarik Sultan

It's a right pain in the ass, (no pun intended). Even more tedious than talking about it, (and not being understood, deliberately or otherwise), is having to live it. Unfortunately this issue never goes away for male dancers, no matter what kind of dance we are doing, Ballet, Jazz, Ballroom. People are always watching us, judging us, wondering or assuming, "IS HE OR ISN'T HE". The more I am able to forget about this the better I can dance. I think that's why so many men in this dance are afraid to be gracefull and fluid in the dance. Because gentle energy in a man is perceived as weakness=feminine=gay=not a real man.

Anyone dealing with men in this or any other dance has to be aware of this fact and have the wisdom to acknowledge it and help their student, friend get past it. This is why the language we use is so important. It sucks to have this mental baggage to deal with, but that's the world. We can't change things over night so we have to change the way we react to things. Perfect film to watch about this BILLY ELLIOT.

Aisha Azar

Dear Suheir,
One can be graceful and still masculine. But, there is a way in which some people move that taps into that feminine energy that IS a strong element in belly dance. Tito does that and some others do not. The energy of takhtib is definitely different from the energy in raqs sharghi, and it IS a more masculine energy. Even the basic posture, in authentic takhtib anyway, is carried far differently than in sharghi. The feeling is completely different in every way. But the dance is graceful and beautiful and intrinsically masculine.( Now, what we see on stage sometimes does NOT portray that, I agree.) This does not mean women can't do the dance, but they should honor that masculine essence if they do, just as men should honor the feminine essence in sharghi. Tito does does that, consciously or not.
Regards,
A'isha

Aisha Azar

Dear Taheya,
If one understands that feminine essence is a huge part of what the dance is, then it can not be left out of the equation. Ir is part of what MAKES the dance what it is! It would be like denying Chi as the cornerstone of Chinese medicine. And, actually, I DO judge women on their gender essence as part of the dance. Women often have feminine essence as a part of their dance more naturally than men because it is a side of our person that we are allowed to indulge in without the society around us freaking out. On the other hand, there are masculine energies within us that we had better hold in check or we get labeled "bitch", or worse. There are female dancers that I do not care for because they miss the mark entirely on that. I disagree that Khaled Mahmoud is a master of Egyptian dance, but I think he does a fabulous Khaliji. I was in fact, rather surprised to see his belly dance so lacking because I saw his Khaliji first.
I occasionally find some subject or other tedious and I simply don't read the posts. People are free to talk about what is interest to them here and the subject of feminine energy obviously interests enough people so that they keep talking about it. Some people understand and take it seriously as a real element in dance, as real as the movement, music and costuming and cultural elements of the dance. In the case of raqs sharghi, it is a very obvious cultural element and one reason, perhaps why Tito has trouble getting work outside the tourist centers and belly dance events and the million other places he is showing up all over the world, in spite of the fact that we hear how he is not working! To my knowledge, he has recently been in Canada, the U.S. and Egypt. He sounds pretty busy to me. He isn't hired in a couple of clubs, but then, neither are some darn good Egyptian dancers because their show are not as flashy as Esmahan's or Soraya's. that, also, is the nature of the work. I can't work in clubs any more because I am 55. I have learned to create new venues, open to both sexes, where age is not the most important factor. I don't hear anyone yelling prejudice about that, but it is the reality of the situation. I guess I could get all up in arms about age discrimination, but why not simply bring it to the attention of the group and then put that energy to good use by creating shows that include older dancers along with men, and even when it is appropriate, children? ( I am including a Saidi dance in our next college performance in which there will be children!) Prejudices of all kinds are out there and it does no good to act like men are the only ones who have to deal with it. What they go through is no worse than the frustrations that female dancers have dealt with all along. I refuse to get more upset just because Tito can't dance in a few venues. Welcome to the realities of the dance world!!
Regards,
A'isha

Tarik Sultan

I for one am not getting upset JUST because men are discriminated against. I am disgusted at discrimination of all types regardless of who it is directed at. To acknowledge the fact that men are discriminated in the dance is not to turn a blind eye to what women have to go through. Even within the allowable parameters of being able to dance they face discrimination in other ways and I think it sucks. It is the reality, it does happen, it is wrong. So no one is saying that we should pay more attention or have more concern just because it is happening to men. The constructive thing to do is not sit in the corner sulking but to do something about it. So yes, Tito is banned from performing in Cairo. Is he upset about it? I'm sure he is, but instead of sulking, he's made the most of what was available to him and he has done very well no doubt. However, this would not have been possible 20 yrs ago.

To acknowledge that certain groups have a hard time of it does not diminish the fact that other groups also suffer. This is not about a pity contest to see who has suffered the most. The way you express this idea leads one to believe, or me at least, that you feel we guys are trying to say we deserve more attention than women and that simply isn't the case at all. Am I discriminated against? Damn skippy I am. Do I believe that I deserve more consideration pitty than women? No. I just think my situation sucks and is unfair, but it does not keep me from seeing and being disturbed and angry with the unfair treatment that female dancers in particular and WOMEN IN GENERAL have to deal with in this and just about every other society in the world. I don't need you to fix it for me, give me more pitty than anyone else, just acknowledge it and say, yeah, that does happen and you know what IT SUCKS! That's all. What pisses the hell out of me about you, is that your attitude seems to be "oh come on, you're not discriminated against, you got just as much as anyone else does. Like I said, I don't need your pitty, I don't need you to fix it, but I sure as hell don't need you or anyone else to patronize me and treat me or any other guy like we're just complaining about nothing.