Those different styles of BD.
- Thread starter lizaj
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Meera
New member
(Morroco doesn't have a style of bellydancing.)
But seriously. I've been told there isn't a native style of dance in Morocco so you will see a mixture of imported styles there just like other countries.
Oh okay thank you
I was wondering since so many Morrocan places have belly dancers and it looked a lot like Egyptian style to me. 
Kashmir
New member
Morroco does not have a indigneous form of dance that would normally be labelled "belly dance". Schikhatt has similarities but is quite different and has a different function. If you see "belly dance" in Morocco it would most likely be similar to the Arabic style (rather than American) but maybe with some local touches.
Kashmir
New member
As the closest source - and the supplier of films for decades - that isn't surprising. (Morocco contrary to what sme sites say were never part of the Ottoman Empire so are unlikely t o have picked up Turkish style - like alone anything "Tribal".Oh okay thank you
Ayana
New member
Ayana
New member
Morocco has many different native dance styles, especcially in the South. Most of them are tribal group dances like Hassada, Houara, Qalaat Mgouna (dance of the bees) and the dance of the Aït Bouguemaz. A very special dance is the well known guedra in the fare South. A good place to check is Ouarzazate but the country offers many festivals.Oh okay thank you
btw thanks to tribal bellydance
Meera
New member
Ayana
New member
(Morroco doesn't have a style of bellydancing.)
But seriously. I've been told there isn't a native style of dance in Morocco so you will see a mixture of imported styles there just like other countries.
I'm afraid that you receive wrong information Ariadne. Morocco is one of the countries that has many different native styles of dance, commonly called chaabi or folk dances. If you go to the Atlas region, you'll be amazed that every tribe has it's own style of dance and music, very different from the other countries.
Afrit
New member
Yes, but they are solo improvised torso dance. Most are group dances. These would fall under a folk umbrella but most people would not see them as a type of belly dance which is usually limited to styles in the raqs sharqi family.
Aniseteph
New member
I think Ariadne was saying there's no native BELLY DANCE style in Morocco, which as Afrit says is usually a more restricted term.
Every time I see one of those pharaonic dances I think "walk like an Egyp-shunnnnn" and think about the cops in the donut shop going way-ay-ay-ah etc etc. :dance:
Ariadne
Well-known member
Exactly. There are plenty of Bellydancers that do a folk piece as part of their sets but it's still a bellydancer doing folkdance (not bellydance).
With that said I would still love to learn more about the native dances of Morocco. I'm probably not the only one either.
AyaKara
New member
Is it possible to learn all of the styles of dance over one's lifetime and still effectively differentiate between them in movement if one trains & practices well enough? (Besides the fundamentals, of course ) I have one Egyptian/ ME teacher and one ATS, but in the future I really want to get involved with Gothic Tribal (which is Tribal Fusion, really).
But, in the end, I would love to be as well-trained as can be in all of the styles so I can ultimately improve my technique! Are there people that have done this?
) I have one Egyptian/ ME teacher and one ATS, but in the future I really want to get involved with Gothic Tribal (which is Tribal Fusion, really).But, in the end, I would love to be as well-trained as can be in all of the styles so I can ultimately improve my technique! Are there people that have done this?
Kashmir
New member
I don't think so. In 21 years I still have lots to learn about Egyptian styles and folk (with more money and time I could have probably have finished it) - but I know very little of Lebanese styles or Turkish or Amercian - let alone starting new dance forms such as ATS (which at least has a smaller vocab and less history and culture to learn).
Learning a style isn't just the movements. It is knowing what movements are appropriate to what music. How costuming is used. What attitudes to adopt. What the songs are about. The history of a style, so you can say I'm going to do XYZ as it was orginally done in the 60s even though I know A modified it in the 80s and many people now dance that interpretation. Not that you say that - but you need to know it.
AyaKara
New member
Interesting. If that's the case, then how do Fusion dancers work? Do they receive extensive training in two BD-styles and a few other forms of dance?
Afrit
New member
They should - and the good ones do - but too often "fusion" is a label for "I'm really trained as western theatre dancer but I like to throw in a few hip drops and to cover the gap I'll call myself fusion".
Ayana
New member
Sorry, been away for a while, but regarding your answer:
Indeed, that's entirely true, on the other hand, the thread was about "native style of dance in Morocco". So I guess that's covered.
Kashmir
New member
Depends. Fusion in theory could be a mix of BD styles - or a mix of BD and non-BD music, or a mix of BD with something else - like jazz or flamenco. To have a chance to be good fusion the dancer should really know both styles. But as Afrit say - that is not always so.
Afrit
New member
I thought the question was about Morrocan belly dance - quite a different fish.
AyaKara
New member
That's very interesting what you two have said, Kashmir & Afrit . . . I'll keep that in mind! See, one of my goals is to do Gothic Tribal one day, but I feel that the only two dance styles that I will be combining are Egyptian or Cabaret & ATS! It wouldn't feel like a 'real' fusion to me because they're the same dance, just different styles :lol: