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Not
the least of the attractive features of the dance known as baladi is
its ability to express the hidden artist that lies dormant in each of
us. It is also one of the few dances that is compatible with the female
body just as it is.
This
dance form underlines female sensuality irrespective of age; it
provides a woman with an opportunity to restore the negative image she
often has of herself, in a supportive, non-competitive atmosphere.
Arabian
dancing is more conducive to self-expression whether it is performed
alone or in company with other dancers. It allows us to explore the
archetype within each of us, that of the coquette, the nursing mother,
the sensual female, the medium, the poet.
In
ancient times, the Greek poet Hesiod said: “The sensual magic
of women tends to soften men’s behaviour and to transform
man’s animal instinct into love”.
The
Baladi was originally brought from India in the Vth century by tribes
of Gypsies, i.e. by foreigners. Having left India, passed through Arab
lands, and entered Spain in the XVth century, the Gypsies left
mysterious traces along the way. For one thing they had some ancient
rituals, one being a fertility dance. In ancient Greece too there were
several fertility dances involving rotation of the pelvis, swinging of
the hips and shaking of the posterior.
The
most commonly performed dance these days is the Raks Sharki, a hybrid
of the baladi. It has undergone influences from various dance
traditions. It shows Indian, Persian and Turkish elements. This dance
is sometimes referred to as “classical style” for it is the
most refined and sophisticated of all the dances in the Arab world.
Then again the measured dignity of the Sharki betrays the Asiatic
style. It has borrowed from India and Persia the movements of head,
hands and arms and from Turkey, the supple undulating back
The
Raks Sharki has also assimilated some Western elements. The first
dancer to bring this dance style to the screen was Samia Gamal, adding
ballet-like pirouettes, vertical arm movements and making her entry
waving a diaphanous veil.
It
has become customary to start the dance with the veil, which provides a
classical dimension and makes the audience more aware of the energy
flowing from the upper body.
In
the sharki, the movements are centred on the head and shoulders
-rather than the hips. It is danced on the tips of the toes and is
essentially rhythmical. The sharki, owing to its cabaret influences, is
the least pure of Arabic dances . This is perhaps why it is the most
open to innovation.
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