Great belly dance article

[alonewiththemoon]

Article on the history and then-current state of Egyptian belly dance from a 1971 magazine called Saudi Aramco World, which was an English-language publication mailed out for free by the Saudi government (I think maybe it still is) to explain and highlight Arabic culture to the rest of the world.  My favorite bits:

...
"In those days they thought I was sexy because I danced with my mouth slightly open," recalls Miss Carioca. "Truth was, I suffered from asthma and had difficulty breathing, so I kept my mouth open for extra air."  [I can identify!]
...
What qualities should a good belly dancer have? "Dignity," says Miss Carioca with unquestioned authority. "She must express life, death, happiness, sorrow, love and anger, but above all she must have dignity." Miss Carioca concedes that a belly dancer must also be sexy, "but it must not be vulgar or blatant." Miss Gamal, whose approach to the art is perhaps more cerebral than that of her contemporaries, basically agrees. "Belly dancing is essentially an expression of femininity," she says. "It must, among other things, suggest sex, but it must do so delicately, hinting rather than asserting, and it must always be in good taste. It is definitely not just a matter of exposing the flesh." Miss Zaki is somewhat less articulate. Flashing that sweet smile, she expresses her feeling for the dance simply as a mood to which the music lends rhythm. Miss Fouad's opinion is that sex is in the ears of the beholder. "When the music becomes sinuous, then the dancer seems sexy; when it's not, she is not," declares Miss Fouad, intimating that there is no need for the dancer to worry about it.
...

I like that last bit from Nagwa Fouad, there being no need for the dancer to worry about it.  Just be true to what you are doing.  What other people see is up to them.

Reading this was like a little time tunnel, those great stars whose words you don't often hear offering advice and opinions from the past.  I'm all dreamy-eyed now...

Comments

[talesinsdaughtr.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting that article.

[nepenthedreams]

This is funny - I just watched the Bellydancers of Cairo last night and it had almost all of the same people. You've seen that right?

[alonewiththemoon]

I own it :-)

bellydance article

[dancer.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of you last night. I was at Barnes and Noble and found a European Dance magagine (I think it was just titled "Dance") that has an article on middle eastern dance at the moment. It looked interesting - focusing on traditional and newer forms, influences on and from. I wanted to let you know! :)

Re: bellydance article

[alonewiththemoon]

We've got a Barnes and Noble on campus here, I'll take a look! THanks!