Hello Dancers!
Thank you for attending the first class of this 8-week summer session. We're fortunate to have had the lovely Yasmin substituting the first class. Thanks, also, to those who emailed your class notes in!
To summarize the brief history and styles talk, here it is in my words:
The origin of belly dance and what country it came from is highly disputed. Belly dance can be traced back to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. One theory is belly dance rose from childbirth rituals, however, there is no significant evidence. Inversely, childbirth rituals could have risen from belly dance. The dance style and music vary from country to country. Different terms are used for referring to the dance. For example, the Turkish use the term "Dans Oryantal" meaning "Oriental Dance", while the Egyptians use the term "Raks Sharqi" meaning "Eastern Dance". "Belly dance" is a term Westerners have coined and is somewhat a misnomer since the hips are predominately used. Just as there are different names for belly dance, the terminology for the movements are not universal. The shapes and movements, however, are essentially the same.
At its root, belly dance can be considered a folk dance that has evolved with time and people. In the Middle East, belly dance can be found as a social dance at female gatherings, belly dancers perform with live bands in restaurants and night clubs, and belly dancers are hired as part of a wedding celebration. While Belly dance is generally enjoyed by the people of the Near and Middle East it is not a respected profession because of the conservative ideals that women be chaste and modest. Of which dancing in public for a mixed gender audience as a profession is neither.
Belly dance was "introduced" to the US in the late 1800's, but it was not replicated in its respectable authentic form until the 1950's when numerous ethnic nightclubs owned and operated by people of the Middle East opened in large American cities like Chicago and New York. The majority of the dancers in these nightclubs were first generation immigrants, and much of the American belly dance legends learned from them. Because these nightclubs had to appeal to patrons from different countries of the Middle East, the dancers had to be proficient in different dance styles. The mixing of different Middle Eastern genres into one performance born the "American Cabaret" style.
The dance has evolved and continues to evolve, in the Middle Eastern countries and especially in the US. In the 1980's, American Tribal Style belly dance was born in the West Coast by Carolena Nericcio, director of
Fat Chance Belly Dance. The American Tribal Style (ATS) blends belly dance, folkloric, Indian, and Flamenco dances... like how America is considered a "melting pot" of cultures. ATS is danced as a group improvisation. There are movement cues which indicate which movement to dance next. There are several other formats which stem from this concept.
When
Jill Parker left Fat Chance Belly Dance and formed Ultra Gypsy Dance Theatre, she began to change the costuming, music, and rules of ATS so that the dances were choreographed and well suited for a soloist. Another pioneer of Tribal Fusion style, Heather Stants of
Urban Tribal Dance Company began to incorporate modern dance elements as well as hip hop and other street dance styles. Tribal Fusion style was later popularized by
Rachel Brice and her dance company, the Indigo.
I hope this helps in giving you some idea of how we are where we are today in the belly dance world. I do want to emphasize that in order to progress, you need to know where this dance came from and you need to have a solid dance foundation if you want to be a mover and shaker (no pun intended!).
Remember that everyone learns differently, and different teachers teach differently.
My intention for my classes is to share with you the possibilities of belly dance. As the overview above indicates, there are so many aspects to this dance with so many flavors. I believe there is something for everyone. But in order to find what speaks to us, we need to explore.
Here is a quick recap of the first class:
Warmup – stretch, plank pose, quadricep squats, push ups
a. Muscle Identification
i. Glutes – sit in straddle on ground and use glutes to raise and lower yourself
ii. Abdominals – lie on back with hand on upper and lower sets of abs (attempt to raise and lower each set of muscles)
b. Home Position – in a column, stack feet beneath shoulders, tuck hips, knees slightly bent, shoulders back (headlights up!), create small space between each arm and the body.
Basic Movesa. Hips
i. Sharp – use glutes to snap hips
ii. Soft – release heel from floor to bring corresponding hip up
b. Rib Cage Slides – isolate lower body and slide rib cage left to right
c. Chest lifts – squeeze shoulder blades to lift rib cage; contract upper abdominals to bring rib cage down. Do not use shoulders to perform this move.
d. Travel while practicing each move.
Cool down - stretch
Cat/cow pose, circle torso while standing, bound ankle poses, and seated twists.
Congrats to Stephanie! You're the contest winner!
Look forward to seeing you all this Thursday,
Lily
http://www.lilybellydance.com/
