khanjar

I found this video featuring Wesley Gomes and another chap called Gregory, dancing in the open air as part of a dance troupe. Apart from the assing about, I like it, what do others think ?

YouTube - Male Belly Dancing Wesley Gomes

All appear to be having fun

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masrawy

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da Sage

I think Wesley needs to learn about a little something called personal space. IMO, it's not cool to try to intimidate the audience, although I know performers who think doing this sort of thing is hilarious. When he smiled, it really changed the tone of the interaction.

khanjar

It was to this that I called ''assing around'', for I do not like it either and it was the only thing I found distasteful in the video. Other than that what the ''gang'' of dancers were doing was more a free for all, and reminded me of those videos that Tarik posts, the social dance, people dancing for fun ,themselves and enjoying it. The audience, well, the impression I got, aside from the assing around by one person, were largely of no interest to the dancers.

Interesting also, there was two males dancing in that lot, the first time I have seen that.

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Samira bint Aya

[quote=khanjar;82381] Other than that what the ''gang'' of dancers were doing was more a free for all, and reminded me of those videos that Tarik posts, the social dance, people dancing for fun ,themselves and enjoying it. [quote]

Personally, I did not find that this was a “social dance” like in Tarik’s videos at all.

To me this was more like, a group of students enjoying the occasional opportunity to practice what they have been learning, in full gear, and to give their guests a taste of “belly dance”.

Belly dance, the way we learn it here (in the West) is oriented towards being a performance art. Perhaps that is why all the members of the troupe were so absorbed within themselves, and their moves.

I feel teat social dancing is something quite different.

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Eve

I assume this was at the end of a performance where the troupe goes out and interacts - what a difference a smile makes.

lizaj

Sorry I found it pretty tedious.
Not an entertainment more a participant event with the tabla and those zills...oh dear my bete noire..clattering away.
yes the time when you get your audience up to bop as best you and they can!

Zorba

Yes. This is the end of a Renn Faire performance.

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khanjar

Yes, a participant event, that is what I saw and brought me to post it here. Also, that is why I mentioned social dance, as that is what it appeared to me, people who can dance in a middle Eastern style and seem to be doing so regardless of the audience, they were doing it for themselves.

You see, I am coming to dance for the reason of having fun, and what I saw in that video is much of what I seek, the ability to have dance fun with others, for myself and those whom I may come to dance with, their fun, that to me, being a social dance. Socialising via dance.

I do understand various peoples thought to pick holes in the video, but if everyone was honest, there is no perfect dancer or dancer enviroment, holes can be picked with everything. And why do we seem to seek a perfection, when in reality there can be no such thing as humans are not perfect, to be perfect, we might become more like an automaton devoid of the things that make us human. I like the foibles of human kind, the imperfection, it is a situation which we can if we desire improve, but perfect I do not wish to see. I wish to see human and a humans best attempt to interpret the things they do in the best way they can, their best is more than acceptable to me.

If one looks at the video, most were out or to the side of the camera, the focus being upon the lone male doing his thing and his unsavoury antics with those assembled to watch. He was out on his own, whereas the other male was doing his thing with the others. There one can see two different dance characters, perhaps an extrovert and a not so extrovert person. My interest was with the later, he who danced with the others, the females, thus indicating to me that this dance can be performed effectively by both sexes, the two, male and female, their movement different, compliment each other.

Forgive me, if I appear wrong to many, but I do feel there is a lot of what can be described as a snobbery about dance, I understand the professional/amateur difference, but what one has to remember about professional, is that one does what they do for a living, it is no indication that they are the best that can be or better than an amateur, as is with the rest of us, in a job, we can be good or bad depending on ourselves and our interaction with our enviroment.

I mentioned Tarik's videos of men dancing in a middle eastern style in one of the country's of origin, they, the males dancing were doing so for themselves, not an audience. Now they may not be technically correct in the eyes of a 'professional', but so what, they were dancing for themselves and the fun of it, a reflection of the music they hear and the atmosphere they absorb. That to me is the attraction, the letting go and the expression of art through dance as a natural human ability.

What happened inthe video, was perhaps aimed at entertainment, but the dancers became caught up in their dance enjoyment and it reverted to a self interest, their enjoyment regardless of who is watching. That to me is good, if it is that, then it displays to me regardless of nationality and upbringing, the learning of a certain choreography become a natural expression of dance anywhere in the world, by any nationality.

Maybe it is a chicken and egg scenario, what came first, social dance or performance for a viewing other.

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lizaj

Kanjar I wasn't knocking your choice.Only in that I don't like his "dance attitude" ( and neither did you)
I went with the heading of your thread and thought you were asking about men being part of troupes and that his was an example of that. There are examples of men in tribal troupes in the US and I am sure our American posters can give examples. John Compton and I think Jim Boz also danced in a troupe.
We have a male dancer here in Liverpool who often participates in our showcases usually in a duet. I'll post a photo on the gallery.He's a great dancer.
I'm not ar$ed about the amateur/pro divide myself as here in the UK it hardly signifies and as far as tribal, doesn't signify at all. Most good dancers here after all need a day job to survive. And those pro full time belly dancers have to sell costumes, holidays, teacher train etc to survive.
We'll have dancers here in the Uk who rearely earn a penny but showcase themselves on an "amateur" stage and are as good as you get.