lizaj

I begin to wonder if part of my disatisfaction with Raqs B stage show was the big stage effect.
Are soloists and smaller groups lost on the stage of a biggish theatre?
Is the place for belly dance a more intimate and a more realxed space:
Cabaret set up, smaller Arts theatres, parties, festival,audience in the round?
I wonder.
This dance relies so much on connection with emotion and a dancer's audience and is this just too difficult in a large setting with multi tiered seating?
Does trying to be spectacular deprive the dance of too much. Does being too slick?
Some of our favourite dancers rely not just on many varied styles and takes on a dance but on their dance "personaliity". Can this be lost.

Did I miss subtelties and nuances in the dark depths of a theatre, I might not in a ballroom ,night club,intimate theatre or restaurant?
How many dancers can adapt to that larger venue?
At the beginnings and middle of the 20th century, comedians,singers and acrobats managed it but is it an alien environment for our dancers.

Suheir

Certainly, there's a huge difference in atmosphere between a stage and a club setting for all manner of performers, but a soloist can fill a huge stage on their own if they have the skill and personality.

Surely the Raqs B stage show was specifically designed for the big stage, though?

jenc

Yes but a soloist on a really big stage will adapt their moves bigger steps etc to fill the stage. Does this alter the dance. I have't seen the BDSS live, and on dvd you don't get a sense of the stage, but I would certainly say that on Paris dvd and other clips, I have seen examples of BD/showgirl fusion which must at least in part be generated by the environment

lizaj

Jen and Suheir,
The Raqs B show wasn't as showy, maybe this was a response to the vibes from over here ( and the US) to "just .... bellydance, will ya!"
So indeed it may be that you respond to the less pzazz, more starightforward dance and the venue swallows it.
I suppose I was in the position of being right up in the cheap seats so maybe someone down at the front was better entertained in the circumstances.
One person who stood out as filling the stage was Fathiem with a neon costume and a lot of nice veil work and travelling..and she's a tiny lady!

I suppose I was disgruntled with seeing the Bellynesion again which no way had the verve and colour and punch of Kharis in her Tahitian ( or cadbury parrot as she called it) mode. Again the drum call and answer and same drum solo and the tribal girls seemed to lack the oomph and wow factor from the past. I think it's a lot to expect a duo (however good they may be and they are!) to repeat the impact of those first tribal acts with RB and Sharon. Especially for those of us yards and yards away!

No it didn't seem to have the sparkle of the last show I saw and in the first half, there were probably acts best suited to a more intimate venue.

Aisha Azar

Dear Gang,
I have seen professional, great quality dancers from the Middle East and Egypt on the big stage and they seem to handle it just fine. Mouna Said, Fifi, Suheir Zaki, etc, all danced in venues both large and small, and they did not "adapt" their dance styles to do so, nearly as I can tell. Instead, they used space effectively and they also know how to make authentic movement so that the inherent qualities of the dance show through no matter the venue. In other words, movement did not become larger because of the venue, but the things that make the dance what it is, the essence and spirit carried out over the physical space of the venue, if that makes sense. Native dancers seem so much more aware of the importance of that spirit than do so many western dancers. I have heard Jillina and others say that is why the show looks the way it does, but I disagree with their premise of bigger movement on the larger stage from the core of that philosophy.
For myself, I believe that the concert stage is not the best venue for viewing the dance for several reasons. The concert stage sets a "formal" atmosphere for a dance that is not a formal dance. The psychological message is not the same in a theatre setting as it is in a hotel convention room or a nice quality lounge. My dance company does our twice yearly performances in a place that is a moderate quality bar, but the owner works with us to make it nice and homey, and the atmosphere is very intimate, with clear stage borders, but the audience is right there with us. It sets up that nice feeling of social intimacy between the dancers and our audience. The theatre stage, even when intimate, creates a boundary between the audience and the performers that should not exist when performing belly dance because the dance is in good part about that very human connection. Another consideration is that when the dance is on stage, you really might not see the very intricate and subtle workings of the body, though you should definitely get the essence and feel of the dance regardless of the size of the theatre. The dance is about close up and personal!
Regards,
A'isha