THE ART OF Bellydance.doc

THE     A R T     O F Bellydance

RelK' dance grew oui ihe traditions o! eastern musie. Ahhough modern belly dancers us-e musie which is western-mtluenced to varymg degrees, thc rhythmic mfluences oi near and middlc eastern musie created a musie form that is fundamentaHy dillerent irom that which deveioped in the west. As musician Isbaą ibn Ifarahim (767-850 A.D.) said, "Hę wbo mak&t a mittake l> ótilL our frimd; hę #hf>a$k to, or Mirtem d mcinth/ l< Jlill fur frunie); bul hę who aolate,! a rhylhm t ma \carcj can na lonqei" be oitr frtent). " Gurt Sachs c x plam s that the difference lies in the total absence of harmony in eastern musie.

Western musie c a me to depend upon ihe natural sense of tension and relaxation, a regular rhythm of m and out, and melodies which built upon a progressietn of cbords. Eastern musie, however, relies on the rhythm s which fead the melocly and lend vuricty to the patterns. Whereas the even flow of western musie relies on changes m tempo for variety, the eastern musician hardly meiitions standard tempos of musie. In adriition, eastern musie typicalty begins with an arrhythimc, or free rhythm introduetion kno\vn as "taqsim" (or division). Voral musie in the east is allowed complete freedom from standard tempo or rhythm when not aeeompanied by a rhythm instrument. Moreover, Sachs adds, western rhythrns aro mult:p]u:alive or divisivc whereas casiern rhythms arę additwe. This rneans stmply that western rhythms break clown evenlv into so that a -4/4 is twiee as long as a 2/4, By contrast, Eastern. rhythms arę a series ot smaller paitcrns strung together and eannot be cvcnly divided as m the foliowing examples: 3+2+2=7, 2+2+2+3-9, A .3+3-10.

Oriental dance is uniquely designcd for rhc female body, with an emphasis on abdommal muscles, hip moves, and chest moves. If is firm and eartliA-, \\ith bare feet connected to the ground. It is a dance charactenzed by smooUi, ilowing, complex, and sensual morcrnents ol the torso, alternated with shaking and shimrny t>Fpe moves.

Eastern dariccs arę considered to be different because ihey arę "muscle dances", as opposed to the Hkiropean "step" dances. In traditional beliv dancing the knec is never iilted higher than ihe hip, (not including ancient "phyrnc" or leaping clanees which \vere also considered fcrtihly dances). Le\'el changes do allow for dancing while sittmg on ihe floor.

The speetators pay the dancer directly m the form oi coms or cash thrown on the floor or placed on ihe dancer's body. There is no other dance form m which this oceurs. rl'oday, dancers stiil wear coslumes decorated with "dowry" coins. In Egypt at the time ofthe (ourdi dynasty (approx. 2680-2660 BC), dancers were presented \\-ith gold necklaccs m payment. By the 19th cen tury, when the custom of tipping was known as "nukoot", a dancer would go into a backbcnd to receive the money, which would be motslened and placed on ihe dancer's upturned tace. There is no other kmd of professional dancer who receives money directly from her audience.

Although belly dance developed trom the dances ot the people, or folk dance, belly dance tends Lo
evolve into a dance for professional dancers and trramed soloisrs. In contrast with folk dances, which
tend to be simpler moves for large groups oi people, One-iital dance evolved toward morę sophisticated
rnoves requiring some training, and to its pertormance by solo dancers m a total l y unprovisational style
or ensembles of 2-3 dancers \vith choreography. This report will show the progressioti m several cultures
of a danee which began in temples, passed on to the secular m an erotic form, ancl evolved into a class
of professional dancers. Thus, as histonans would say, it progresses Irom the rehgious sphere to the
reahn ol dance as spectacle or entertainment. And, at the same time, vanous fonns of eastern dance
contmue to be used in a medicinal or rehgious sense m the various tranee dances lound throughout
the middle east today.              {>\i,]fe'ira