Madam Mozuna's Bargain Basement Belly Dance
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MADAM MOZUNA’S BARGAIN BASEMENT BELLY DANCE COMPANION BY MADAM SHIBAR MOZUNA (Images by CarlMillerPhotos.com) (Shibar in a Baladi Dress) “Dance in the Middle East celebrates war and peace, birth and other passages of life; affirms the solidarity of the family, the tribe, the people; even effects oneness with God, or the All in the Muslim dhikr and hadra ceremonies. The line between spectator and participant often disappears; dancers, musicians and audience are interchangeable when the call of the blood breaks down social barriers. In the ancient Middle East, and among the Arabs before Islam, the blood was the life, and the blood has its rhythm, and the quam - 'The People', the Arab Tribe - dances the dahiyya to the rhythm of the blood." Edwina Nearing We humans have been dancing for a very long time. Dance is one of the most ancient forms of expression known. Its history stretches so far back in time that for all practical purposes its origins are now lost to us. This leaves only tantalizing glimpses of ancient dance captured in friezes and ancient documents scattered throughout the world. Belly Dance, better known in the Middle East as Orientale Dance or Raks al Sharqi, is one of the oldest documented dance styles in existence. Briefly defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as “A dance in which the performer makes sinuous hip and abdominal movements.” Men, women and children have enjoyed Orientale Dance throughout the centuries and over vast geographic regions. It’s danced casually in the home, at public celebrations or as professional public entertainment. A wonderful story by Leylay Haddad, a famous modern Tunisian performer, describes a scene familiar throughout the Middle East, music and dance as a casual, yet special community activity. “My Uncle is a wonderful oud player. It isn’t his profession, but he has played for many years. Sometimes in the evening, out of the blue, if he feels like it, he picks up his oud. And he can play for hours and hours. The neighbors come in, one person brings another, and so from five people we become twenty-five! And those who can sing, they sing, and then people start getting up to dance and so, out of nothing, there is a feast! Because, all of a sudden, the mood is here, the people are here, one song leads to another, and it becomes a magic night!” 1 The countries traditionally associated with “Belly Dance” are Algeria, Arabia, Armenia, Crete, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia & the Arabian Gulf region, Syria, Turkey, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates . It also has a history in India, Spain , and Southern Europe , England as well as proliferating throughout the last century in the United States . Currently Belly Dance is enjoyed in practically every country in the world! There are many varying theories concerning the origins of what we now call Belly Dance. Some theorize that it originated in Ancient Temples and is a remnant of a mythical matriarchal religion. Others insist that given the Egyptian tradition of Belly Dancers as a fertility symbol at weddings that it must be a pre-marital guide to sex, or possibly considering it’s abdominal contortions and contractions, a guide to giving birth. Although it’s true that many ancient cultures did in fact use dance in religious ceremonies, there were probably not many half-naked dancing girls languishing in the Harem or orgiastic Amazonian tribal dancers. Very strong views are often held on the origins of Belly Dance with a large faction steadfastly arguing that Egypt was the true progenitor of what has become modern Belly Dance. A study of ancient Egyptian tomb paintings reveals many banquet scenes and celebrations which depict dancers looking suspiciously like they’re Belly Dancing and as early as the 1 st century AD there are Roman descriptions of Egyptian dancers which appear to exactly match the style of the modern day Egyptian Ghawazii. Thus the debate rages on fueled by documentaries, anthropological books, manuscripts, articles in periodicals and even International Conferences. (Shibar performing modern theatricalized skirt dance – Photo by Rachel Simpson) The simple fact is that people have been “Belly Dancing” in the area of the Middle East for different reasons, in many different ways for a very, very long time. Throw in a couple thousand years of cross-pollination and it may be difficult to claim one true source or origin. Scholars are still debating the historical evidence, with many different countries claiming to be the true homeland of Belly Dance. Try to beware the supposed history “experts” who 2 know the origins of everything and are too sure of themselves . “ The mere study of ancient cultures does not make one an authority .” This is an ever evolving art form which has been influenced by vastly different geographic regions as well as various pop cultures. (Whether it’s the pop culture of the 17 th century Ottoman Empire or 21 st century American). Be on guard particularly as far as ancient dance is concerned. In this area we are simply making our best guess, some a more educated guess than others, and therein lies my point - beware the pseudo-intellectual. They generally learn just enough to support their own point of view, which they then vehemently espouse. This warning includes myself as well, so if there is information contained in the following material with which you disagree I whole heartedly encourage you to research it further and write about it as well. This way we will all continue to remain well informed and can act accordingly. (Shibar in American Cabaret) 3 Beginner Belly Dance Class with Shibar Mozuna Week 1 Arm postures Ribcage circles Hip Circles Traveling in a circle Basic Hip lifts Hip Thrusts Basic Shimmies Week#2 Snake Arms Undulations Rib Drops Basic Egyptian The “M” The Twist Week 3 Veil Week 4 The incredible Figure 8 and Traveling Moves Week 5 Zazarena Choreography Week 6 Review www.mozuna.com Shibar’s web-site for more information on Belly Dance www.thebellydanceshop.com The Belly Dance Shop! Run By Lee Ann Ertezuk the Belly Dance Shop is a wonderful source for costuming. Importing heavily from Turkey, Lee Ann is a Belly Dancer herself so she knows what dancers like and she’s a sweet as the day is long so make sure you give her a call when you’re ready to buy! Open to the public Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11am-5:30pm, and Saturdays from 10am-5pm, or call for appt. Ph. – 704 - 491-7019 [email protected] 4 Beginner class 1 PRACTICE HIP THRUSTS Practice big, little, and medium sized movement Hip Slides HANDS/ARMS Practice with a Mirror Basic Hip Thrust Single Hip thrust to the side Temple Arms Practice without a Mirror w/Aladdin Arm (Thrust to the Hands in attitude of prayer, right or left) w/ arms held held over head, w/elbows Practice fast out and engaged back Practice Slow Double Hip Thrust Temple Arms Traveling Hip Thrust w/Palms together Practice on the Left side Traveling Hip Thrusts The Triangle Temple Arms Practice on the Right side W/arm movement w/back of hands together Practice Temple Arms CIRCLES Temple Arms variations- w/crossed palms -Palms together Hip circles -Back of hands together Up, Up, Up Temple Arms -Hands crossed w/palms Down, Down, Down w/Head slides together (clockwise & counter- clockwise) Temple Arms w/ arm held out and w/Head circles engaged out Temple Arm REMEMBER Hip circles traveling in a RIBCAGE If it hurts don’t do it! circle Ribcage slides To practice at least 30 LIFTS AND DROPS minutes twice a week (not Ribcage circles counting class) Hip Lifts & Drops (clockwise & counter- w/arms 1up, 1down in clockwise) Warm up, Warm down opposition to hips Ribcage lifts & drops Keep your head up 1 lift up 1drop to middle Basic Shoulder Shimmy Bend your knees 1 drop down Basic Chest Shimmy Breathe and relax, never Singles, doubles, triples-fast, stressful and rigid slow, w/pause-mix it up! Try Belly Dance moves to Up, Up, Up your favorite non-Middle Down, Down, Down Eastern music Traveling in a circle Enjoy dancing; don’t forget Basic Hip Shimmy you want to have fun! Grapevine Step 5 DANCE NOTES In our mundane lives we tend to regard our bodies as an assortment of tools. Our legs transport us while our backs carry the weight of the world. We use our arms to lift and hold things and with our hands we manipulate our environment. In our dancing lives we must not only utilize this mechinized mind set but transend it. Throughout the course of a day our entire body is used to communicate our wants and needs, both physical and emotional. We smile and nod in approval, or frown and shake our heads in negation. To dance one must draw upon all the body’s mechanical as well as expressive abilities, to create a living, moving, constantly evolving piece of art. Hip Isolation To achieve the isolation necessary for “up & down” hip shimmies make sure the ribcage isn’t held too tightly, a common mistake with beginners. This constriction of the ribcage actually pulls the ribcage down towards the hips! To avoid this the ribcage must be isolated as well and relaxed. To help achieve that posture practice hip moves with a book balanced on your head. Test yourself by watching yourself shimmy in front of a mirror and if your shoulders move you need to practice with a book on your head.