History
Male Arabic Dancers
Male Arabic Dancers
From what I have learned up to this point, throughout the Arabic world, men were historically seen performing dance while impersonating women (cross dressing) at times when women were not allowed to dance in public. Today, this is still commonly seen, and of the Middle Eastern countries, it is most tolerated in Turkey. However, not all male dancers impersonate women. Arabic men have also performed folkloric dances, like the Tahtib or stick dance, and have danced informally at parties and family gatherings and still do today. Particularly in the Western societies, men have taken to cabaret style dancing, the style usually seen performed by women, sometimes cross dressing and sometimes not. In 1959 soloist, choreographer, and director, Mahmoud Reda, started the first Egyptian folkloric dance company, The Reda Band. His efforts helped shape the dance we know and love today, Oriental Dance (Raks Sharki) or belly dance. Today, Tito is famous in Cairo, Egypt, performing for tourists at major hotels, performing oriental raqs sharki (belly dance) and folkloric dances. He is particularly loved and respected by fellow belly dancers throughout Western countries for his performances and instruction.
Video Examples:
Tito of Cairo
Amir Thaleb
Tito performs Tahtib, stick dance
Tito performs Raqs Sharki / belly dance
Mahmoud Reda (Fast forward to 3:00 on the counter for his performance.)
Mohamed Shahin
Brief History of Belly Dance
A Brief History of Belly Dance: Belly Dance Origins by Mellilah
Seen as an ancient dance form, belly dance evolved through various ancient dance traditions throughout North African and the Middle East.
Baladi means “country” or “folk” and refers to a particular style and costuming. Primarily in the US, baladi is also used to represent a specific rhythm, the masmoudi sagheer. Prior to the twentieth century, when performed, baladi was performed primarily for weddings, outdoor festivals, coffee houses and private residences. The baladi style was performed in small spaces and was improvisational, utilizing movements of the shoulders and hips. Traditional instruments accompanied Baladi dancers, including drums, wind or string instruments, and tambourines, and their costumes consisted of an optional headscarf, a floor length dress, and hip scarf.
Although today belly dance is practiced all over the globe, the Golden Era of belly dance rests in the mid-twentieth century in Egypt. In 1926, Badia Masabny, Lebanese dancer and actress, opened “Casino Badia,” a nightclub in Cairo that was modeled after the cabarets in Europe. Casino Badia featured Eastern as well as Western entertainment, which both European and Middle Eastern audiences found appealing. Similar nightclubs emerged in Beirut, Algiers and throughout Cairo. It is at this time, that the evolution of baladi to raqs sharki, the sophisticated art form that we know today, began.
Baladi was transformed into a refined art form, utilizing more sophisticated movements, veils, and encompassing a larger stage area, as well as embracing ballet inspired arms, posture, and foot placement, on the balls of the feet. Dancers wore bedlahs, two-pieced, sequined costumes, inspired by Hollywood, and for the first time, dancers reached celebrity status and gained prestige. Products of this period are famous dancers Tahia Carioca and Samia Gamal.
The translation of Arabic term “raqs sharki” is “dance of the East” or “oriental dance.” It has been said that French travelers referred to raqs sharki as danse du ventre (dance of the belly), as what they witnessed was bizarre to them. The terms belly dance or raqs sharki are widely used today.
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