Cultural Sensitivity and She Said What?!

This post was inspired by a recent incident at a wedding I was performing at. I had been hired to do an approximately 20 minute set, during which the bride and groom had requested an audience participation section. Specifically, they'd requested I pull up a couple of the groomsmen up to dance with me for one song.

Fast forward, day of the show, I'm working my way through my performance, and upon arriving at the song I'd selected for the audience participation portion, I make my way over to a table where there were four groomsmen and their respective dates sitting. I grab one man and gently lead him to standing. I reach for another, when the woman sitting next to him clamps her hand down on his forearm and whispers something furtively in his ear. Upon this, the man gets a slightly awkward, indecisive look on his face. Not entirely sure what just happened, I smile and say come join us, beckoning him to stand. At this, the woman turns around to me with an angry stare and tension in her jaw and says, "I say no, and I'm the wife!"

Insert sound of record scratching. Sudden desire to slap my palm against my forehead.

Wait, what!?

I have so many thoughts go through my head in quick succession.

Lady, have you been watching the show so far? 

You realize this is a belly dance performance, right?

Do you think I'm up here performing some type of adult or "inappropriate" entertainment? 

What type of unfounded bias is this heated reaction coming from? 

As well, as maybe a few other more personal comments that are better left unsaid.

But I think perhaps the reaction that stood out the most for me was the level of cultural insensitivity and quick judgment encapsulated in that statement. Because when it came down to it, the one thing I really wanted to say was a brief oration on the history of belly dance, including it's significant cultural and historical roots. Roots that her comment denied, discredited, and disapproved of in one short demeaning reaction.

In that moment, I had to hold back from launching into a lecture in the middle of my performance. Instead I bit my tongue, smiled, and moved onto the next groomsman, and concluded a lovely show. But if I had said something, this is what I would have said:

Where does your intense, uninformed, and unfounded level of judgment come from?

Let me give you some background info that might make you feel differently.  

Belly dance, or raqs sharqi in Arabic, is a traditional dance of many Middle Eastern countries, especially common in Egypt and Turkey.  While raqs sharqi has been theatricalized and stylized for stage performance, it has roots in raqs beledi, literally meaning dance of the people. Raqs beledi is a dance characterized by grounded footwork and hip and chest isolations performed by men, women, and children in their homes and during celebratory events. Both raqs beledi and raqs sharqi are performed to music that is intricate and beautiful, based on a complex musical system of maqams. It encompasses unique rhythms that tie back to various cultural regions and people of Egypt, such as the sai'idi rhythm originating from along the Nile valley. It is a dance that has overlapping components of dance vocabulary with traditional folkloric dances, such as ghawazee, raqs asaya, and shamadan.

Ultimately, it has heritage that goes back years beyond American dance and performing arts. Don't be deceived to think that Hollywood is the only epicenter of dance stars. Belly dancers, such as Samia Gamal, Tahiya Carioca, and Nagwa Fouad were big movie stars in Arabic cinema. The dancer and choreographer, Mahmoud Reda achieved fame and acclaim on par with America's beloved Gene Kelly. And while, yes, the sparkly two-piece costume is not traditional prior to the twentieth-century, I would like to point out that it covers more of a dancer's body that your average ballet costume. But for those not familiar with a belly dancer, it somehow feels easy to look down upon, to consider low-class, while ballet is "classical" and "refined". Let me say, it's time to recalibrate that narrative.

In short, my take away is this: before you judge someone else's culture, before you dismiss something  you aren't familiar because it's foreign to you, take the time to be informed. Take the time to pause and consider how many layers of history, culture, and tradition you might be disparaging with your initial assumption. Cultural sensitivity, inclusivity, and respect should always be the first and last stop as we engage with each other.

Photo Credit: Samia Gamal, source unknown

Folkloric Dance Regions of Egypt

Egypt, the birth place of what is commonly known as modern day belly dance. A land of rich cultural traditions and heritages. Many of the movements in modern day belly dance can be traced back to having roots in various Egyptian folkloric dances. In this month's post, I want to take a summary look at what those eight regions are and the some of the main dance forms originating there.

The six main regions of folkloric dance in Egypt are Cairo, the Delta, Nubia, Siwa, the Suez Canal, Sa'id, the Eastern Desert, and the Western Desert.

Cairo
Many famous dancers have called Cairo home, including Badia Masabni and both of the Egyptian National Dance Companies, Firqit Reda (Mahmoud Reda's troupe) and Al Kowmeyya al Funun al Shaabiya. As the home of Egyptian cinema and media, Cairo can really be attributed as the locale in Egyptian that took raqs baladi ("dance of the people") and created theatrical folkloric dance, as well as raqs sharqi, or modern day belly dance.

The Delta
The Delta is the area including and surrounding Alexandria in the north. It's an area that encompasses a diverse population, and thus draws dance influences from diverse sources, including rural fellahin ("farmer") and Ghawazee. Two famous Ghawazee groups hail from this area: Sumbati Ghawazee, who are famous for floorwork with Shamadans and being able to balance a chair in their teeth, and the Ghawazee of Tanta. Also due to this area's proximity to Greece, there is some inclusion of Greek dance forms. Raqs sharqi from this region is typically bouncier and more energetic.

Nubia
Nubia is the area bordering Sudan. The basic step of this dance is to the right foot in front stepping down on the best, the ball of the left foot in back stepping on the "and" of the beat, while the arms move loosely and symmetrically. Men will lean forward, while women stand up straight. Hip work is not traditional.

Siwa
Siwa is an oasis located in the far west of the country. Siwa people are of Berber heritage. Traditionally a very private people, if you check out Tamalyn Dallal's book, 40 Days and 1,001 Nights, you will definitely get a more in-depth picture.  Dance in this region is only performed in public by males, in which the backside of the dancer makes circles, punctuated by a down hip accent.

Suez Canal
While originally an area populated by Bedouins, with the building of the canal, international dances were brought in and influenced the traditional dances of this region. Dance from this region is typically bouncy and performed in a "turned-out" position, almost as in ballet. Musical instruments from this area include the traditional Simsimeya, but then evolved to include a European style of hand-spoons and a variety of drums.

Sa'idi
Sa'id is the area running along the Nile in the middle of Egypt. The most popular and well-known public dance of the Sa'idi people is raqs assaya ("stick dance"), which has been widely incorporated into belly dance. In this dance, the dancer carries a "stick" (a cane) and performs the well-known basic footwork of stepping to the side on one and lifting the opposite foot and knee up and slightly across the standing leg on two. Raqs assaya has a basis in Tahtib, which is a style of martial arts performed by men in which they fight with sticks. Other styles of dance from this region include Kafafa and versions of raqs beledi.

Eastern Desert
The Eastern Desert is populated by the Beja people. In Beja dances, the men carry a sword, while the women do not. The inclusion of what belly dancers refer to as "camels" is a common movement, as well as frequently tilting the head backwards so that the face is parallel to the sky.

Western Desert
The Western Desert region is predominately comprised of people of the Awlad Ali bedouin tribe. Once a nomadic people, they are presently mostly settled, however still living in tents. The famous Haggalah dance is from this region, which is performed by a female dancer and incorporates frequently use of the Haggalah style of hip shimmy.

P.S. Want to really dive deep into folkloric dance in Egypt? Then consider signing up for Sahra C. Kent's Journey Through Egypt courses. Another option is that there's two days left (until October 10th) to purchase the online learning Bellydance Bundle that over 27 dancers / teachers / contributors have come together to offer.