Hello, lisaha-ga!
There is so much information about belly dancing that it was very
difficult to narrow down a selection of references. I have compiled
some of the most relevant and comprehensive articles so that you can
form a broad overview of the subject. As you read through each
reference, you can pick and choose where you want to go next, as many
of the sites contain further links to more information.
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HISTORY OF BELLY DANCING
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The following links should provide a good overview of the diversity of
information regarding this unique dance form.
An excerpt from "Some General Information On Middle Eastern Dance."
http://www.sahnobar.com/moreinfo/geninfo.htm
"The term "belly dance" (an erroneous Westernism arising from the
equally erroneous eighteenth century French term, "danse du ventre,"
literally, "dance of the stomach") is often carelessly applied to
anyone affecting a cabaret-style bra and belt, regardless of training
or talent. Although incorrect, what this term refers to is the modern
Raks Sharki (literally, "dance of the East") of Egypt, and its many
counterparts. This is the contemporary form of Oriental dance, which
in itself has many variations, ranging from country of origin (be it
Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon or others) to period in (recent) history. Like
any other dance form, the modern Oriental dance is constantly
evolving, and each dancer brings her own interpretation to it.
Although there is no single "correct" form of this dance, there is a
body of knowledge and technique that has until recently only been
passed down from dancer to dancer (that is, there is no generally
accepted body of written reference works chronicling the dance), and
there certainly is good and bad technique and execution."
"The modern Raks Sharki and its relatives have grown out of the folk
dance traditions of the countries they are found in, combined with the
influence of the Western world. The large-scale commercialization of
the dance as a cabaret (nightclub-style) entertainment is without
argument a Western phenomenon -- Egypt, the most well-known home of
the modern cabaret dance, is also one of the most "Westernized" of the
Arabic nations -- although the dance itself remains intrinsically
Eastern. The well-known (and stereotyped) cabaret costume -- bra and
belt -- only appeared after Western contact with the Middle East and
north Africa. Hollywood took this image and made it the universal
rule; it boomeranged back to the Middle East where it is still de
rigueur (with variations) for professional entertainers. Recent years
have seen a resurgence of interest in "ethnic" dances of many
countries, both in terms of preserving "authentic" dances as well as
incorporating ethnic elements into modern dance. Any "authentic"
ethnic or folk dance will be unavoidably changed when taken out of its
cultural context and put into a format for presentation to an audience
which most likely does not have the societal references of the dance's
originating culture; this should be kept in mind when viewing any such
presentation. However, this interest serves the vital role of
preserving at least some of the essence of these folk traditions, in a
world where old ways are rapidly fading before the advance of modern
civilization."
"Origins of Oriental Dance."
(This provides a very comprehensive overview - see all sections)
http://www.bdancer.com/history/
A multitude of articles can be found on the Shira.net site.
See "About Middle Eastern Dance: Its History, Cultural Context, Styles
http://www.shira.net/about.htm
See "DEFINING THE DANCE," by Jen Al-Amira
http://www.bdancer.com/defining.html
"Belly Dance Time Line."
http://www.learn-to-belly-dance.com/history.html
Belly Dance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belly_dance
Development of Middle East Dance
http://www.danceir.com/Belly%20Dance%20History.htm
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STYLES OF BELLY DANCING
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Read "What is the belly dance?"
http://www.learn-to-belly-dance.com/styles.html
Scroll down to "Belly Dance Styles" and see descriptions of each.
Some styles include:
Modern Egyptian Dance
Turkish Style
Harem Dance
Shake Dance and Shimmy Dance
Bauch Tanz (Belly dance in Germany)
American Tribal Belly Dance
Folkloric Belly Dance
Nightclub/Cabaret Style
American Classic Style
Ancient Egyptian Pharaonic Style
Goddess Belly Dance
Gothic Fantasy Belly Dance
Male Belly Dance
Fantasy Belly Dance
Fusion Belly Dance
American Gypsy Style
"A Primer on Middle Eastern Dance Styles," by Soher Azar
http://www.bdancer.com/styles.html
"The Many Styles of Belly Dance."
http://www.joyofbellydancing.com/bdstyle.htm
"Styles Of Belly Dance In The United States, Part 1
http://www.shira.net/styles.htm
"A Comparison and Contrast of American and Egyptian Belly Dance," By
A?isha Azar. http://www.orientaldancer.net/guest-stories/comparison-contrast.shtml
"THE ZAR REVISITED," By Me'ira - The Joyful Dancer
http://www.bdancer.com/zarrevis.html
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MOVES
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"How to Do Certain Moves."
http://www.shira.net/howtomove.htm
"Bellydance Movement Vocabulary."
http://www.venusbellydance.com/vocabulary.htm
Belly Dance Movements
http://www.business-with-turkey.com/tourist-guide/belly_dance_movements.shtml
Scroll down to links for Belly Dance Instruction on the Web
http://www.joyofbellydancing.com/how2bd.htm
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MALE BELLY DANCING
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From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belly_dance#Male_belly_dancing
"There is much debate over where and when men became part of the belly
dance world. Many believe that men have no place in this art form,
which is frequently and erroneously mistaken to be historically
female. However, dancers such as Morocco (Carolina Varga-Dinicu),
Tariq Sultan, and Jasmin Jahal have produced ample evidence to the
contrary, including male eunuchs guarding the Ottoman Sultan's harems
often being dressed up to dance for the palace women."
"Masculine Belly Dance," By Stefan
http://www.bdancer.com/Masculine.html
"Male Belly Dance in Turkey," by Jasmin Jahal, February 2002
http://www.jasminjahal.com/articles/02_02_male_belly_d.html
Excerpt:
"In Muslim countries, the harem was that part of a house set apart for
the women of the family. It was a place in which non-family males were
not allowed. Eunuchs guarded the Sultans' harems, which were quite
large, including several hundred women who were wives and concubines.
There, female dancers and musicians entertained the women living in
the harem. Belly dance was performed by women for women. The rakkase
is the female dancer of the Ottoman era. Becoming a rakkase or a
singer was strictly forbidden for Muslim women. Even non-Muslim
rakkase had to wear headscarves and very conservative dresses.
Although forbidden by religion, the government tolerated music and
dancing. Yet, female dancers hardly ever appeared in public. With the
absence of females in social and entertainment life, Ottoman men would
watch male belly dancers, generally known as rakkas, to satisfy their
need to see something aesthetic. The male dancers had more freedom
when compared with rakkase. They could be either Muslim or non-Muslim.
Historians say that there were two different kinds of rakkas: kocek
and tavsan oglan. The tavsan oglan (which means "rabbit boy") wore a
charming hat and tight pants. The koceks often wore women's clothes
and allowed their long, curly hair to flow freely. Koceks and tavsan
oglans performed for wedding celebrations (the custom included men and
women to celebrate separately), feasts, festivals, and also in the
presence of the sultans. The tradition of rakkas is a reflection of
the solitary existence of the Ottoman male. The dancing boys were
organized into different companies of entertainers called kol. By the
mid 1600's, they were said to be about 3000 of these dancers in twelve
companies."
Read further....
"Male belly-dancers dazzle Istanbul."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/726807.stm
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MUSIC
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"Middle Eastern Music--An Introduction," by Shira
http://www.shira.net/musicintro.htm
"An Introduction to Middle Eastern Music Rhythms," by Arabella
http://www.shira.net/arabella/me-rhythms.htm
"Language of Song & Dance," by Shira
http://www.shira.net/languagedance.htm
"Why Is Arabic Music So Confusing?" by Arabella
http://www.shira.net/arabella/arabicmusic.htm
"Middle Eastern Music: Translated Song Lyrics," by Shira
http://www.shira.net/lyrics.htm
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TEACHER CERTIFICATION AND INSTRUCTION
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While it does not appear that belly dance instructors "must" be
certified in order to teach, there are some organizations that offer
certification and there is a growing trend toward developing some
uniformity in teaching methods.
The National Association for Teacher Certification in Middle Eastern Dance
http://www.medancecertification.org/
"The National Association for Teacher Certification in Middle Eastern
Dance is a national organization whose purpose is to certify dancers
to teach accredited courses in Middle Eastern Dance in colleges and
universities. Recognizing the artistic diversity in our dance
community, our goal is to insure that the high standards of Middle
Eastern Dance as taught in the United States today are carried on into
college classrooms."
About Certification
http://www.medancecertification.org/certification.html
Certifying Teachers
http://www.medancecertification.org/aboutus.html
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Black Sheep Belly Dance - Kajira's Instructor Certification Program
http://www.blacksheepbellydance.com/classes/icp.html
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The Suhaila Salimpour Technique - Certification Workshops
http://www.suhailaschool.com/certificationframes/CERTIFICATIONFRAMES.htm
You might be interested in the following article about attending a workshop
http://www.suhaila.com/Pages/Articles/WeeklongReview.htm
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Delilah's Annua Belly Dance Retreats - Hawaii
http://www.delilahs-belly-dance-retreat.com/fusion.htm
This year was the first Instructor Training program
http://www.delilahs-belly-dance-retreat.com/intensive.htm
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Keti Sharif's A-Z Certification Courses
http://www.ketisharif.com/a-zcourses.html
About A-Z belly dance
http://www.ketisharif.com/a-z.html
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Shadia Dahlal Dance Conservatory
http://www.shadia.com/why.html
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Washington Area Mid-East Dance Association
http://www.wameda.org/teachers.html
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BELLY DANCING ASSOCIATIONS AND FORUMS
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The International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance has a discussion
forum and will soon have a newsletter.
http://www.bellydance.org
Discussion forum
http://www.bellydance.org/forum/index.php
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Middle East Dance Association
http://www.meda.bc.ca/
"M.E.D.A. is open to all enthusiasts of Middle Eastern dance. The
M.E.D.A. membership is made up of teachers, students, professional and
amateur performers, musicians and audience members. There are no
pre-requisites as to dance ability or level of experience needed to
become a member. All you require is an interest in the dance and a
desire to have fun!
http://www.meda.bc.ca/join.html
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The Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association
http://devel.mecda.org/index.php
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Middle Eastern Arts International
http://www.middleeastarts.org/
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B.O.C.A.
http://www.bellydancersofcolor.com/
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Oriental Dancer Forum
http://www.orientaldancer.net/forums/
Oriental Dancer Chat
http://www.orientaldancer.net/forums/chat/
Belly Dance News
http://www.orientaldancer.net/belly-dance-news/
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Middle Eastern Dance Web Ring
http://l.webring.com/hub?ring=bellydance
"A Web Ring for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dancers and dance
resources. This relates to all forms of the dance from Morocco to
India, and from as far north as Armenia to the southernmost tip of the
Arabian peninsula. Performers, students, teachers, musicians, and
vendors are all welcome in the Ring."
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More Associations
http://www.homestead.com/selket/associations.html
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Selket Message Board
http://members5.boardhost.com/selket/
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INSTRUCTORS
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The Oriental Dancer site maintains a listing of instructors by state
and by country. There is no way to vouch for their level of ability,
but many of the individuals have websites which will allow you to find
out about their experience.
http://www.orientaldancer.net/belly-dance-instructors/
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Shira.net Teacher and Performer Directory
http://www.shira.net/directory.htm#Listing
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BellyDancersOnline list of Dancers and Instructors
http://bellydancersonline.com/Dancerlist/dancerlist.html
http://bellydancersonline.com/Instructors/instructors.html
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Zaghareet Teacher Directory
http://zaghareet.freeservers.com/dancer.html
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JOURNALS/MAGAZINES
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Zaghareet - An American Belly Dance Magazine
http://zaghareet.freeservers.com/magazine.html
The Chronicles
http://www.isisandthestardancers.com/CHRONICLES/Chronicles.htm
The Gilded Serpant E-zine
http://www.gildedserpent.com/
The Hip Circle E-zine
http://www.thehipcircle.com/
Jareeda
http://www.jareeda.com/
The Newsletter of the Middle Eastern Dance Association
http://www.meda.bc.ca/sahda.html
Belly Dancer Magazine
http://www.zainahart.com/bdmag/index.htm
Bennu Online
http://www.asamed.citymax.com/catalog/item/1271107/745501.htm
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Additional Sites
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Yasmina's Joy of Belly Dancing
http://www.joyofbellydancing.com/bdhistory2.html
Belly Dance Technical Forum
http://learn-to-belly-dance.com/forum.html
Belly Dance Articles and Photos
http://learn-to-belly-dance.com/articles.html
"Belly Dancing as the Dance of Childbirth," by Barbara Brandt and Gigi
Groth Devitt. http://www.thegoddessdancing.com/dance_of_childbirth.htm
Some more Links:
http://learn-to-belly-dance.com/links.html
http://www.dancescape.com/links/dance-belly-dancing.html
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I hope the information I have compiled provides you with a
comprehensive overview about the art of belly dancing!
Sincerely
umiat
Search Strategy
belly dancing
history of belly dancing
male belly dancing
male eunuchs and belly dancing
styles of belly dancing
belly dancing music
musical styles for belly dance
belly dance instructors +certification
National Association for Teacher Certification of Middle Eastern Dance
Belly Dance Associations or organizations |
