Program Notes

The style of dancing we now call belly dance can trace its history back to Mesopotamia, over 6000 years ago, with the Egyptians, Turks, and Phoenicians all claiming the dance as their own. These dances originated as fertility dances, temple dances, birthing and celebratory dances; most festive occasions were not complete without dancing. The dances spread from Mesopotamia to North Africa, where tribal women danced in the marketplace, earning coins for their dowries, and on to Rome, Spain, and India. Each region and village developed its own style. 

In many villages, women would dance strictly for other women during family and social gatherings, and young girls were brought up with these dances as part of their culture. The women would gather in a circle, taking turns dancing solo or with others, showing off their skill, grace and beauty to the encouragement of the others. When a girl danced for the first time, it was a rite of passage into the world of womanhood. 

America first encountered belly dance at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, in the performance of an Egyptian dancer nicknamed “Little Egypt.” Americans were enthralled by the dance, and the American belly dance tradition was born. 

In America, our village is the world, and we have used our “village” to create new dances. American belly dance is unique in that its present form has been shaped by so many different cultural influences and traditions. It is constantly evolving, as new dances are introduced to the community, and for this reason it has a remarkable variety. The veil dances and sword dances featured in today’s performance, for example, are American inventions, which have in turn influenced dancers in the Middle East. 

The first two dances in this performance are American tribal-style dances. This popular dance style is uniquely American. It emerged as a distinctive style about twenty years ago and has become very popular, especially in the Bay Area. This form represents a fusion of many different ethnic dance styles and is not representative of any single ethnic culture. These are group dances, with each dancer encouraging and supporting the others. 

The “basket dance” derives its inspiration from several sources, including the dance styles of Bedouin and Tunisian women, who balance baskets and pots on their heads during dances and everyday life, and line-dancing, based on traditional dances, such as those from ‘Asir, in Arabia. 

The second dance, Toronaga, is a Turkish-style dance, set to a Kashlamar rhythm, which has a 9/8 meter. 

The costuming here is derived from Berber, Afghani and Moroccan styles and features tassels, fringe, pantaloons, voluminous skirts, antique jewelry, and elaborate headpieces.

The next two dances are veil dances, a single-veil dance and a double-veil dance. Veil dancing is a relatively new addition to traditional belly dance, but it has been a part of American belly dance almost since its inception. This form was first seen in 1896 in “The Dance of the Seven Veils,” from Richard Strauss's opera Salome, based on Oscar Wilde’s play of the same name. Belly dancers took to the idea and began dancing with veils soon after, early in the 20th century. Veil dancing is now seen in both American and Egyptian belly dance, but with significant differences. 

In Egyptian belly dance, the dancer walks out holding a veil, dances with it for a minute or two, then discards it and finishes the dance. In America, we use the swirling, mesmerizing veil as a prop throughout the whole piece. 

Veil work usually starts with the veil wrapped around the dancer, who then removes the veil a minute or two into the dance, and uses it to great effect during her performance. The first piece provides a classic example of this practice. 

Dancing with two veils (double-veil dancing), is a much more recent development in American belly dance, and the second number demonstrates how much the second veil can add to a traditional dance performance. 

Our next dances are sword dances, which are very powerful and exciting to watch. Sword dancing, or Raks al sayf, was not a widespread dance style in the Middle East. Men in Egypt performed a dance called el ard, a martial arts dance involving upraised swords, but women were not widely known to use swords as props during their dancing. Here in America and in other western countries, sword dancing is much more common and—due to its dramatic nature—very captivating. Dancing with a sword illustrates the strength and power of a woman, as well as her poise and balance.

The first sword dance is a group number, set to a modern piece of music by Loreena McKennit. It emphasizes the grace and poise of the dancers. 

The second sword dance is a dramatic solo number that highlights the dancer's strength and power.

The influences on American belly dance are far-reaching, moving beyond the Middle East and Africa to draw on other dance traditions. These next dances, which show the influences of Polynesian movements and Gypsy flamenco, are truly hybrid dance forms created out of the multicultural American context. 

In the first, Iona uses her arms to tell a story, styling which can be seen in both hula and other Polynesian dances. 

Zambra Mora, our second dance, is a festive Granadan Gypsy dance, originally Moorish, dating back to the 15th century. The word “flamenco” comes from Arabic, as does almost ten percent of the Spanish language, and this intermingling of cultures can be seen in this dance. The arm movements and directional changes are a nice complement to American belly dancing. 

The third dance, performed to a drum solo, incorporates Tahitian hip movements, which work nicely with Egyptian-style hip locks and shimmies.

Raks sharki is another term used for belly dancing, and in America, we associate the term with cabaret-style belly dance. Cabaret-style dancing is what many Americans think of when they hear the term “belly dance.” Typical costuming includes a belt and bra set with a skirt, sequins, beads, and shiny coins. Lots of shimmer to accent the shimmies! 

In Egyptian cabaret, or raks sharki, the dancer uses body-centered movements and shimmies, often dancing in a fairly small space. In Turkish raks sharki, the dancer makes larger hip and body movements and uses more of the stage. Done as a solo, Raks sharki tends to be improvisational, following the beat and mood of the music as the dancer feels moved. As a group dance, raks sharki is closely choreographed, again following the changes in the music. 

The first dance we have for you in this set is a solo number, followed in the second dance by a duet, and the last dance is a group choreography. This final dance, “Raks Rocks,” combines traditional raks sharki moves with very modern American music.

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