I'm here today with a stern reminder that slut-shaming has no place in belly dance. I've been seeing a lot of posts lately by some of my colleagues and predecessors, singling out dancers in Cairo for comment and judgment on their revealing choices of costuming. Here are a number of reasons why this is not okay: 1. The female body in movement always has been and always will be controversial under patriarchy. Particularly the types of movements we do. You might think you are setting yourself apart from dancers wearing more revealing costumes by wearing more conservative costumes, and certainly there will be some people who will be more accepting of your role as a dancer if you do so, but there will always be people who will consider you a sex worker and/or place you at the bottom rung of society simply for being a woman who chooses to belly dance in public, especially if you are getting paid to do so. This is a fact that needs to be understood, leading to point #2 2. Slut-shaming other women is NEVER going to elevate you, it is never going to help you succeed, it is never going to "elevate the art form" and it is never going to make you look good. All this does is drag all of us down, including yourself. It drags the art form and women as a whole down, much more than a revealing costume ever could. See point #1 as to why. For the simple fact that you choose to belly dance in public, you are automatically placed on the same side of the spectrum as the strippers and sex workers you vilify, by a good chunk of the general public, both here AND in the Middle East. You can't "elevate" yourself out of that, certainly not by publicly shaming someone else for wearing just a few inches less than you would. Leading to point #3 3. You shaming another dancer for wearing a skimpy costume or doing moves that in your view are "too sexual" is the exact equivalent of some conservative person pointing you out and shaming *you* for one of your performances, saying your costume is too skimpy because you are showing your belly or legs, and that your dancing is sexual because you are moving your hips. How would it feel if someone did that to you? If you wouldn't like it if it was done to you, then stop doing it to other dancers. In fact, it's much worse when it's a dancer doing it to another, because we should know better, since we all can and do fall victim to these types of attacks. 4. Stating that "costumes were so much more tasteful/classy back in the 50's/60's/70's/80's" is rosy colored glass nostalgia plain and simple. Since the dawn of raqs sharqi we have always performed in revealing costumes. Bra/belt sets with sheer skirts and high slits on curvy female bodies were as scandalous back then as the mini skirts and bodysuit styles are today, and here in the US in particular, the orientalist image of the sexy, seductive, half-naked harem dancer has always been played up since the dance was brought here, by event producers, club owners, dancers and musicians alike so don't even get me started on that. In fact, if anything, the stereotypes I am constantly battling against as a dancer here come from that history, which many of the dancers now bashing younger dancers in Cairo took advantage of long before I or any of those dancers were born. My audiences here in the US have no clue what dancers in Cairo are wearing today. But their expectations have been set by, and their biases come from the decades of Orientalist stereotyping and portrayal of belly dance that was homegrown right here in the US. Which leads me to point #5 5. As non-Arab/non-MENAHT dancers it is absolutely not our job to "elevate" any Arab or MENAHT dance or art form. This smacks of white saviorism and it is not our role to play. We are guests to this art form and we are very lucky that it has been spread to our corners of the world, that we have the exposure to it and freedom to take part in it. We can enjoy learning and performing this dance but this dance is not ours to elevate or to save. Arabs and folks from other MENAHT regions do not need our saving, or our meddling--not in their art forms nor in their politics or anything else. If you are not MENAHT and you think it's your job to uplift, elevate, or save belly dance, know that this attitude is rooted in colonial/imperialist thinking. Please sit with this. This dance is not ours to save. Take as much time as you need with this. It's perfectly okay to enjoy something without laying claim to it, and those of us who are citizens of colonialist/imperialist countries, particularly those of us who are descendants of colonizers themselves really need to sit with this one and examine our deep-rooted colonialist biases and thinking. 6. If you are not performing in Cairo today you have no idea of the current social contexts or the power of current trends or the pressures to look a certain way and wear certain type of costumes. You have no idea of the strength and courage it takes to be a dancer in a society that is that conservative and patriarchal, in the current political environment. You have no idea what these dancers are sacrificing and risking every day to perform this art, how much they are ostracized and vilified for doing what they do. Especially the ones who are native Egyptians. They do not need your voice added to the choir of judgment they already deal with 24/7. It's very easy to judge the costuming choice of a working dancer in Cairo from the comfort of an American home when you can go to your 9-5 job or get a retirement check that pays your bills, but to actually be out there hustling this ruthless industry in the heart of its homeland is a whole other ballgame. So maybe refrain from judging something you will never understand since you are not living a reality that is anything like it right now. I'll close out this little lecture by stating that it's perfectly valid to have your own opinions and tastes. It's OK if something isn't for you. But if you don't like revealing costumes, just don't wear them. Make more conservative choices in your own style. You can be the change you want to see in the world, without bashing your colleagues and successors in the process. It is never okay to single out and point out another dancer's choice in costume and invite the whole world to jump in and criticize her. That's slut-shaming, it's a form of bullying, it's low, it's mean, it's unnecessary and it does us all a disservice. Let's be better than that. Let's do better than that. -Yamê Was This Post Helpful?Was this post helpful or insightful? If so, hit "like" below and leave a comment with your thoughts on this topic!
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What is mahraganat music & dance? Today our guest author Aasiyah explains the origin and cultural context of this musical genre that is taking the belly dance world by storm. Recently there has been quite a bit of discussion in the belly dance world regarding mahraganat- the music, the dance associated with the music, its incorporation into belly dance performances, and costuming. Even though the music genre is incredibly popular, both in Egypt and abroad, there is still a good deal of confusion and misunderstanding of what is mahraganat. First, a vocabulary lesson: mahraganat (مهرجانات) translates to ‘festivals’, plural. Mahragan (مهرجان) translates to ‘festival’, singular. The style of music is named as such because of its origins. The music itself can be labeled as either mahraganat or mahragan; the words are used interchangeably. So, what are the origins of this music genre? I wrote and published an article in 2018 breaking down the history of mahraganat. Briefly, mahraganat is a type of music that originated from the lower socio-economic classes of Cairo. The genre began as an underground music movement when pioneering producers DJ Figo and Ala Fifty created loud, exciting music using predominantly synthesizers and autotune in the underground clubs of the Egyptian ghettos. 2012 concert featuring some of the original pioneers of Mahraganat: MC Amin, Saddat & Fifty From the Underground to the Vernacular The genre quickly moved from the underground clubs to sha3bi street weddings and into the broader Egyptian population when it became a soundtrack to the 2011 revolution. Mahraganat is a type of sha3bi music in the sense that it is a popular genre of music. However, just like sha3bi music is not pop music, mahraganat is not technically sha3bi music. The language/word choice, vocal usage, and composition are unique to mahragan. And even though mahraganat may sample some aspects of western hip hop and rap, it is neither of those things. Since the mid-2010s, the music genre has, for lack of a better term, blown up. Mahraganat is no longer reserved for underground parties or sha3bi weddings, or even for Egyptians as a matter of fact. The music is played in both high-end weddings, exclusive night clubs, cabarets, and tuk-tuks alike. The average Egyptian, the wealthy, the poor, the foreigner, all dance to this music. It is is played in clubs and restaurants in the west and has even attracted international musical collaborations such as Ya Habibi by Mohammed Ramadan (Egypt) and Gims (France). Multinational corporations like Orange™ and Vodafone use mahraganat artists in their branding. Mahraganat goes international: Ya Habibi by Mohamed Ramadan (Egypt) and Gims (France) Mahraganat & sha3bi in commercial branding: Oka w Ortega & Ahmed Sheba Orange™ commercial Popular Mahraganat Artists Like any other genre of music, the music within mahraganat varies. Artists like Hassan Shakoosh and Omar Kamal (Bint el Giran and Lghbatita) perform a style of mahraganat that is lighter in feeling and content.
Mohamed Ramadan, actor turned singer, used to predominantly perform mahraganat (Mafia) but has started to move into rap (Enta Gad3).
One artist who has made incredible moves on the Egyptian music scene, Wegz (Dorak Gai), performs trap (a type of hip hop that originated in the Southern US during the early ‘90s) not mahraganat. However, Wegz recently teamed up with Hassan Shakoosh to create Salka, mostly mahraganat with a trap flair.
Some mahragan songs have more of a sha3bi feel, some are mahraganat through and through but are still dance-show performable (Mahragan Enty M3lma and Ekhwaty) while others are straight party songs (ElSheyaka Ayza Mnena Eh). Mahraganat Dance All this information is well and good, but this is a belly dance blog, so let's discuss mahraganat in terms of dance and dance performances. The dancing performed to mahraganat at street parties incorporates hip hop and break dance movements with the raqs baladi with which we are all familiar. It is often incredibly athletic (sometimes ridiculously so) can be aggressive, and usually features matwah and machetes. Mahragan dancing at a Cairo street party Belly Dancing & Mahraganat This isn’t to say that you can’t or shouldn’t perform to mahraganat. It’s a fun music meant for dancing. And because this music is so popular in Egypt, it is expected for working dancers in the Egyptian entertainment scene to perform it in their sets. However, mahraganat music does not generally serve raqs sharqi movement since it's so different from raqs sharqi music. When performing it as part of their set, belly dancers may incorporate a mix of raqs baladi movements, hip hop, matwah dancing gestures and gestures and expressions that reflect the meaning of the lyrics. Like with raqs sharqi, raqs baladi, or traditional folk dance, each dancer has their own style so roll with it, study your music, make sure it is appropriate for your audience and create your own mahraganat performance style! Star belly dancer Dina performing mahragan Arab-Brazilian belly dancer Najla Ferreira performing in Cairo to Bint el Giran Other Dancers' Take On Mahraganat Other belly dancers have recently shared their own information about mahraganat. See their take below: Amaria Selene (USA/Egypt) - About Mahraganat Shahrzad (USA/Egypt) - WTF IS MAHRAGAN?! WHY ARE PEOPLE BELLY DANCING TO IT?! About Our Guest AuthorAasiyah is a lifelong dancer and raqs sharqi instructor who specializes in modern Egyptian technique. Known for fusing masculine and feminine elements in her dance, Aasiyah's authentic style has been developed from years of dedicated study of Egyptian dance, culture, and language. You can visit this page to learn from Aasiyah. Was This Post Helpful?Did you learn something from this post? Would you like to see more posts about mahraganat? Hit "like" below and leave a comment with your feedback!
If you liked this article, you can visit our blog map to find other posts about Arabic music, belly dance and other related topics. Or subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to see more content from us! Happy learning, and happy dancing! As today brings the entire decade to a close, before we head into 2020, we take the time to reflect on all the amazing experiences and people that were brought to us... Current & former SharqiDance students pose with Shahrzad, our guest instructor for Spring Into Dance 2019 2019 - A Year and Decade in Review This decade saw the birth of SharqiDance, my dream business teaching belly dance in New Jersey, giving me the opportunity to cross paths with and teach hundreds of people this empowering, feminine and healing art form. For that, I could not be more grateful! Just this year alone, we've had so many incredible experiences. Our SharqiSquad (the SharqiDance student troupe) performed at belly dance events all over New Jersey--gracing the stage of Roxy & Dukes in Dunnelle, Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, and studio haflas all throughout the year. We performed at public events and festivals: The Asbury Park Promenade of Mermaids, The Lakewood Renaissance Faire, and Soulsational Festival in Bayville; we hosted world-reknowned belly dancer Shahrzad at our very own studio in Wall Township, NJ, we added a Darbuka Mastery class with the amazing April Centrone to our roster, and we were honored to close out the year performing at a NY Arabic Orchestra concert in New York City! What's Next in 2020 This was all made possible thanks to the amazing people who took a chance and gathered the courage to try out a belly dance class with us. This has enabled us to come up with even bigger, better plans for 2020. If belly dance has been on your mind this past decade, but you haven't quite yet gathered the courage to start, now is the time, with 2020 poised to be our biggest, baddest year yet! If you're local to Monmouth or Ocean County, NJ, come join our empowering, positive and supportive community! Or if you're too far away, contact me to schedule an online private class over video chat. It's never too late to start, and I would love to have you join us! -Yamê Stay in Touch!If you liked this article, you can visit our blog map to find other posts about belly dance and other related topics. Or subscribe to our newsletter, YouTube channel, Facebook and Instagram pages to be the first to see more content from us!
Happy Dancing! To get what you want, you have to want what you get. -Paraphrased from an unknown author There is so much truth and wisdom in this short yet powerful sentence. It is, in a nutshell, the best advice I can give regarding acquiring new skills, building your goal body, becoming healthier, attracting great relationships, progressing in your career, making more money, or just in general creating the life of your dreams! Appreciating what we already have opens our eyes to notice opportunities that are already available to us... opportunities which are impossible to detect when we are spending our time focused on what we don't have. That attitude of gratitude then goes on to attract more new outcomes that bring us the same feeling, resulting in a beautiful cycle of awesomeness. As it relates specifically to raqs sharqi (belly dance), this means that if you want to become a better dancer or achieve specific dance goals, the best way to go about it is to not be frustrated by the level you currently find yourself at, not to look at other dancers who are "better" than you and compare yourself to them in a way that puts you down, but instead to fully appreciate where you are at right now, all while keeping your goals in the back of your mind as you enjoy every moment of your journey towards achieving them. Look at me, your dear author, fully appreciating the fact that I am dancing to this incredible live band on a stage in LA ;) Does this seem vague, abstract, or too "woo woo" for you?
Then let me put it a bit differently... I'll give you two scenarios, and you tell me which one will lead to more progress for the dancer in question. Dancer A took up belly dancing classes because she was enchanted by the gracefulness, elegance and femininity of raqs sharqi. But every time she comes to class, she can't help but look around the room and feel horrible about herself. She hates the way her body looks, and she struggles with new steps and movements. When she looks around, she sees that other students are "getting it," which only adds to her frustration. When she sees a professional dancer, there is a nagging voice inside her head that says things like "You'll never be able to dance like that," "you started way too late to ever be any good," or "you're too ugly to perform in public." Dancer B also took up belly dance because of its feminine elegance and gracefulness. But when she comes to class, she does not focus on what anyone else is doing; she only focuses on herself and her own learning. She appreciates her body and the fact that it is healthy and functional and able to learn this amazing art form. If she does look around the room, it's to appreciate how wonderful it is that all these people are gathered together to learn new ways to move their body and express themselves to complex, poetic music. When she sees a professional dancer, she thinks "I'm so lucky that I get to see this performance" "that'll be me some day," or "I'm so inspired by this dancer!" If both these dancers take the same exact class, practice the same amount of time, and take the same actions to improve, which one do you think will see more visible progress? Which one will be happier in their journey? Which one is most likely to stick with it longer? I think the answer is so obvious I don't even need to say it! Still skeptical? Then I'll leave you with this: why not give this whole attitude of gratitude thing a try, starting now? It is Thanksgiving week, after all! Jot down a couple of positive things belly dance has brought into your life. Note a couple of positive things about your own dancing, as it is right now. Lastly, write about the dancers you love the most, and then visualize yourself embodying all those characteristics you just wrote about. Feel like sharing what you wrote? Post it in the comments below! If you do this regularly and consistently, you will notice a visible difference in both your attitude and your dancing, and you won't want to stop that beautiful cycle of awesomeness. Bring that gratitude attitude into every aspect of your life, and you will reap the rewards as you see yourself flourishing in every possible way. I hope you have an amazing Thanksgiving this week. Happy Dancing! I wrote out these tips for my students who are studying and practicing for their very first belly dance solo performance, but they would be helpful to any belly dance student who is new to performing, and perhaps feeling overwhelmed!
1. Pick a piece of music that you love, and get to know it inside and out! The more you like your music and the better you know it, the better you will be able to express it and the more comfortable you will feel. 2. If you feel stronger working with choreography, then choreograph. If you are more comfortable with improvisation, improvise! Or do a mix of both. There is no need to force yourself into any method that doesn't work for you! 3. Remember you don't need to show us a million moves or prove anything to anybody. Pick a few moves you can do well and that go together with the music, and have fun with them! It is possible to do a whole belly dance routine with just a handful of moves, if you do them well and know how to use different variations and timing that fits well with the music. 4. Watch lots of dancers perform... there are thousands and thousands of videos available on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, so use these resources! Don't ever outright copy another dancer, but let yourself be inspired by what else is out there. 5. Just have fun!!! You work on technique in class and you practice it at home so you don't have to worry about it when you perform. Forget about whether you are doing it right or wrong, just let go, have fun and show us how happy you are to be dancing for us! Your audience wants to see you succeed, and they will have fun with you if they see you are enjoying yourself! Follow these tips and you will come out of your first solo feeling happy and proud of yourself for putting a smile on your audience's face! Break a hip! |
AuthorYamê is a Brazilian-American View Posts By CategoryIf you'd like to read more articles by Yamê or SharqiDance's guest authors, please view our blog map here.
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