General Information | Anne White's Classes | Class Information

What is Raqs Sharqi?



Famous Egyptian dancer Fifi Abdou.
This image depicts a contemporary archetypal belly dancer

This page is a collaboration between my esteemed colleague Dr Siouxsie Cooper and myself . Siouxsie has a PhD in this dance form.

Clicking on these subtitles will take you to the relevant sections below

What is Raqs Sharqi

History and a description that holds valid even today

More modern influences

Form

Movements

Culture and Arabic Art forms



What is Egyptian dance? What is Raqs Sharqi?

Roots- Raqs Sharqi the term we use
Sharqi is Arabic for Eastern or Oriental
Raqs
is Arabic meaning dance
Raqs is used and recognised all over North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia .

The term Belly Dance originates from the 19 th Century in France, “La Danse du Ventre”: coined by a well-known events impresario, (Sol Bloom) he had brought several dancers, musicians and singers from Morocco as an exhibit and evening entertainment during the great exhibitions of the late 1890s.

The initial selling title ie sales pitch - included words like the folk, dance tradition and the Orient. It would seem there was little trade and the impresario was determined not to lose any more money.

Using the word “Ventre” (belly) was directly inspired by the illusion of this part of the dancers moving anatomy. In the context of Victorian 19 th century bourgeois values and the impropriety suggested by this title, at a time when showing an ankle was scandalous, the interest in the dancers and in particular their bellies guaranteed ticket sales. See image below of ladies garments at the time.

It became one of the most successful and sold out events during the great exhibition. It was transferred to Chicago and made an appearance in London 's Crystal Palace . This is often considered the moment when many Western women and actresses took up the art form as a method of popular entertainment with travelling vaudeville shows throughout the States. Vintage photo below of vaudeville dancers taken by Addison Scurlock (1883-1964) an early photographer who was a photographer and documented the trends of the time (in relation to black Americans).

 

 

History it's possible origins or ancestry
The earliest written references to this dance form were made by the Roman Poet Martial who referred to the dances of the Girls of Gades Cadiz) and his description ties closely with this art form.

 

 

This source below was part of my Teaching Training with Suraya Hilal (circa 1990) where we examined the Tenth Centry work of Arab Poet, Historian and Astronomer Al Masudi

The Required Qualities of Dancers
from the Oration of the Geographer Ibn Khurdadhba (d. 911)
in front of the Caliph al-Mu‘tamid (d. 892)
[As reported in The Meadows of Gold of al-Mas‘udi (d. ca 957)]

The Dancer needs certain qualities in his/her natural disposition, in his/her physical constitution and character, and in his/her performance.

1 - Natural Disposition : What he/she needs is grace and charm, good innate sense of rhythm, and to joyfully seek creativity in his/her dance.

2 - Physical Dispositions : What he/she needs is a long neck and long side burns, coquetry and flirtation, good nature, ability to sway the sides of the body, narrowness of waist, sprightliness and agility, good body proportions, floating girdles, circular shape of bottom of dress (while turning), good breath control and rest, patience in enduring the process to reach a long goal, graciousness of feet, suppleness of fingers and mastery over fingers movements in the various types of dances such as the camel and horse dances, suppleness of joints, speed of motion during turns, suppleness of sides of the body.

3 - Performance : What he/she needs is the knowledge and mastery over a large repertoire of all types of dances, turning around well while feet are in control during the rotation, left foot motion must be similar to right foot motion. The setting of the feet on the ground and the raising of the feet off the ground is done in two ways: one follows the iqa‘ and the other one lags behind it. What is better and more perfect, is the one which follows the iqa‘ because it relates to love and beauty; as for the one that lags behind, what is better and more perfect, is that in which the foot leaves the ground with the iqa‘ , but touches the ground lagging behind it.

Translated by George Dimitri Sawa

 

For centuries the dance has experienced a mixture of Royal patronage in the courts and then been condemned and vilified in turn, with some dancers (Ghawazee see below) even being decapitated by Mohamed Ali in 1815. . If you open this link look at Chapter 5.

 

Mohamed Ali ordered the Ghawazee to leave the cities and go to Upper Egypt or face the penalty of disobeying. This was influenced by the dancers "close association" with colonial troops which was frowned upon. Dancers that remained were decapitated and hundreds of their heads were thrown into the river Nile. Edwina Nearing has thoroughly researched the Ghawazee and the research she has produced is highly reccommended.

 

Like any research especially one which involves lengthy historical referencing, debate and analysis I will refrain from going to deeply into this area of discussion about the roots of this dance, partly due to the transient nature of any art form, which over time will have changed in form, presentation, purpose and relationship to the audience.

There is plenty of information on the internet available and I recommend you research widely

notably Shira
The Gilded Serpent
The Best of Habibi


and begin to formulate your own ideas and discuss your findings.

Further articles will be presented to show the developments from these early roots in the west to the modern day .... at some future date

 

Modern day

Suraya Hilal pioneered Raqs Sharqi in 1980s UK. She left an enormous legacy with her Theatre Work on the western Stage . This is her in the 1980s


UK

In the UK Raqs Sharqi has grown steadily with most cities, towns and villages sporting at least one Belly Dance class. One of the key reasons for this popularity is it's well known status as a solo women's dance. It has been the well spring of other dance genres too as there have been many modern innovations. Again this will be presented at a later date where we explore the history of the UK dance scene and touch upon the American equivalent too...

You might like to read this published article:
What draws British women to learn bellydance?

 

 

Randa Kamel is an Egyptian major icon of the international stage today

Middle East
It is found throughout the Middle East and men and women participate in social dance whereas the more popular and well known images of the nightclub dancers are dominated by female only performers. According to some recent debate and research there were as many men as women making a living and performing in Egypt .

 

Middle Eastern History and it's influence on current Raqs Sharqi dance forms
When the British arrived and colonialised this region they banned all male performers but stopped short of ridding the city of the female performance artists. This was partly due to the high amount of revenue generated by these artists and the taxes they contributed.

 

One of the most dominant forms of Raqs Sharqi practiced in classes throughout the UK is the Egyptian style. This can be attributed to our close colonial links and also the fact that Egypt politically and artistically represents the Hollywood of the Middle East . The Golden Age of Films in Egypt influenced many of the aspects of this dance and the music too, that are so familiar to us today. Iconic artists from this period are still highly prized today and whilst others have merged since then many of the old composers and musicians cadre of works since then have been unequalled.

 

Samia Gamal a famous dancer of the Golden Age

Some of the best artists and musicians reside in Cairo and the volume of work produced through the Media, Music Studios and Nightclubs is arguably the best in the Middle East . Therefore the Egyptian form is the most highly prized and commonly practiced in the UK .

 

 

 

Form
There are many ways to describe dance and as with any other dance genre very little is written down and recorded through the written word. This is known as a dance lexicon for instance Ballet has a dance lexicon written and divided through stances, groupings of forms, dynamics and presentations. Raqs Sharqi is not so formalised and It's inherent improvisational quality and personal interpretative qualities does not easily lend it to standardisation and categorisation.

 

One interesting way of thinking about this dance is the Egyptian culture and its relationship to music. If you ever have the luck and opportunity to travel to Egypt you will notice the amount of music widely and publicly listened to in cafes, shops, outside houses, at restaurants and alike. Taxis are a good example and if you get into conversation with your driver you will notice the love and attention people pay to their music. Like the most of Africa music is rhythmic first and melodic second. In Europe the music is based on harmony and melody. Knowing the difference can aid a students understanding of the music and its innate relationship with the dance.

 

Movements
It is best described through the structuring and relationship of the body to the music for instance Rhythm is expressed in the feet and joints of the body, whereas Melody is expressed through the upper body, torso and arm movements. There is always the debate of which comes first fortunately for us they are both interdependent. Interesting to note here is the use of gravity as opposed to the tendency in Ballet, which works against gravity. Of course this has changed since the developments produced by Martha Graham and the advent of contemporary dance styles and genres.

 

 

Rhythm is the central focus of most Egyptian music and the dancer needs to stay in time or develop a counter rhythmic relationship to the dance. A common technique is to step the beat or use the knees in an understated bounce to release the rhythm in the dancer's body. Arms create framing and narrative through gesture patterns and geometric shapes against the poise, gait and stretch of the entire body.

 

 

Together we build up the sense of a dancing body, the qualities that are commonly found in the Middle East dance form are the internal, torso undulations, the focus on the isolation of one part of the body either the pelvis or the ribcage. They then work in opposite movement, which eventually creates the illusion of the abdominal movement, like the camel or pulse.

 

There is also a strong emphasis on hip movements by contrast to European dance styles is a very striking difference. When comparing this dance against Latino Dance or other African dance the differences are not so easily described.

 

See my article Concepts of Movements that has been published to better understand this lovely art form

 

Mosaic Magazine Issue 32 Concepts of Movements in Raqs Sharqi
This article might help those who have a visual or intellectual approach to their learning or are trained in "body work" eg Yoga/Pilates teachers
Read it here

 



Culture
Another useful illustration of the movement vocabulary and styling found in Middle East Dance is making a reference to Arabic calligraphy and considering the similarities found between both their unique line sinuous form and flowing design.

 

The calligraphy is drawn and many calligraphers like the dancers take years to perfect their art. Inside the aesthetics of the written and the performed emphasis is placed on the repetition and slow incremental change in design, the languorous slow build of interest with moments of change, transformation and detailing.

 

All of this can be sourced in both the Arabic musical form and geometric design found in many Islamic buildings. There is a meditative quality found within this repetitive cycle suggesting an internal dialogue between viewer and the artist.

Islamic architecture Alhambra Granda

 

 

In Western traditions we have a similar aesthetic derived from the Greek myth Odysseus commonly known as Ulysses. The reasoning of this narrative form is that the meaning is derived from the journey not the end point or result. From this perspective it is easy to comprehend the way the dance becomes a journey, the energy built over a period of time and then released in little eruptions, which then simmer down and build up all over again.

 

Formal presentation and performances of this dance can be choreographed or improvised, but the idea is to portray a dance that emotes feelings into the observers and takes them on the same journey. Tarab is the Arabic word which closely describes this union between performer, audience and musician. These moments of ecstatic oneness; a moment that only lasts seconds but can be repeated again and again, are almost spiritual in connection.

 

The word Tarab is difficult to describe and translate into English but across cultures they are similar understandings through language and ritualised practice of dance that describe this embodied moment of audience-performer-musician union. Duende in Flamenco is another example as is Taqsu from Balinese Masked dance traditions.

The legendary singer Oum Kolthoum is associated with Tarab

 

What is useful about this word and these traditions is the acknowledgement placed on the participation and the role of a dancer when performing this art form. Again this differs from Judeo Christian dance practice although recent research has discovered the use of dance and embodied action in church and religious occasions as a focal point for worship.

 

I am not going to develop this line of thought but it is interesting to note the cross over between cultures. Another example could be Morris Dancing and its similarities with North African social dances and the stick dance configuration performed every year at the national Folk dance festival in Sidmouth, Devon .

 

A key element to the dance and arguably a reason for its lasting appeal is the interpretation allowed by the dancer when dancing. There are no strict codes or conventions to follow and most dancers use a strong improvisatory method. This is not to say it does not have its forms, vocabulary and language. The idea behind the improvisation is the level of emotional connection and interpretation dancers are allowed to use. Again this differs from dancer to dancer and as part of this individualist drive to the art form the hidden worlds of the dancer, her own life, loves and losses are part of the ingredients that makes this dance.

 

As mentioned before the internal movement vocabulary used, the torso and hip and ribcage isolation primes a very personal and internalised dancers body, which can be used as an instrument. Many commentators describe this dance as acoustic, like an acoustic guitar the dancer's body is without amplification or extras, which makes for a bold, stripped down acoustic set.

 

The dancer's body possesses a soft undulating flowing language with a very turbulent internal dialogue between dancer and music. With this in mind and the permission to improvise the dances emotional qualities and content is usually very high and exceptional compared with other dance genres.

 

As you can see Egyptian dance is very special and there are many aspects and reasons to love this dance. Many people including myself enjoy all of the above and more when dancing, teaching and performing. My main area of teaching is based in the Raqs Sharqi lexicon of Sha'abi, Baladi and Sharqi.


I am indebted to Siouxsie Cooper with whom I have spent many a long night discussing aspects of this dance. This article was prompted by such discussions and it was rewarding to collaborate with her in producing it.

The fabulous Siouxsie and her Shamadan



............................................................................................................................

Disclaimer
Planet Egypt is not responsible for the content of external
websites or services listed above.