Raks Assaya

nicknack

nicknack

New member
Do we have any cane experts here? I'm trying to find out more about the use of the cane not just in Egyptian dance but other styles such as Lebanese and American (I remember seeing a great video of a Lebanese dancer using a cane somewhere....). I'm having fun with the cane and want to do it justice:D
 
Aisha Azar

Aisha Azar

New member
Assaya

Dear Nicknack,
In Egyptian dance, it seems there are many kinds of cane dance. The Ghawazi do one that seems to be a sort of couples dance in which the cane might be balanced between two bodies. (Edwina Nearing has a great explanation of the 7 different Ghawazi styles that she noted). Then there is Saidi style cane and both male and female styles. ( Don't take this as gospel, but I think that perhaps female cane in Saidi style might really be a stagey thing and not part of the normal folkloric style, but I am not certain of this. It's just a feeling. There might be some mime situations in which a cane is grabbed by a female in fun, in the native environment.) Then there is beledi style cane which is more urban in its origins and is often a female dance. This is the more lively version of the female cane dances from Egypt. Fifi Abdou does a really good cane dance and there are several others who do a great job, too.
Re Lebanese cane- I THINK Mark Balahadia is going to teach some of that when he comes to Spokane in September. I am very much looking forward to it.
Regards,
A'isha
 
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M

Madeline

New member
Zorba said:
It was probably the DVD "Nadia Gamal, the Legend", which I can recommend highly - but then I'm "into" Nadia's dancing!
Click to expand...

Or was it Rindala?



(I hope that’s the right video, as my internet connection is too slow to open it!)

Oftentimes Lebanese dancers use music and steps borrowed from debke.
 
Outi

Outi

New member
And there is cane dance in simsimeya, too. You have not seen it, because there isn't many recordings and I don't know any dancer, who actually put it on the stage before last autumn. I was lucky enough to see the one on the stage and some videos Mahmoud Reda recorded in Suez.
 
Aisha Azar

Aisha Azar

New member
Assaya

Dear Nicknack,
You notice in the clip Madeline gave us, that the dancer is wearing the yummiest peach and gold belly dance costume!! In and Egyptian dance show, the costume would be changed to a more folkloric look. The dancer would probably don gelebiyeh, occasionally even a man's thobe or a "shiftishi" ( naughty dress), shurush,or other type of wear, as opposed tow hat is worn in belly dance. Nadia Gamal also often changed into a different kind of costume to performa raqs assaya, but I think she was very much influenced by Egyptians on many levels. Even among Egyptians, it does not always happen, but mostly. Among Lebanese dancers, I notice they more often stay in belly dance garb, though they sometimes change, too.
Another thing is that I think we often see video of amateur Lebanese dancers because of the television contests they have there.
Regards,
A'isha
 
janaki

janaki

New member
Great post! I am learning a lot here!!!!

Hi A'isha,

Once again great expalnation. Could you pls tell more about baladi style cane dance. I have always thought cane dance is done to saidi rhythm. I have seen a clip on youtube a while ago cane dance done to mizmar taxim also pop songs with saidi rhythm. Can cane dance be done to baladi rhythm? Pls..pls... can't wait for your answer.

Hi Donya,

Where is this Simsimeya? Is it a place name or an ethnic group. This is the first time I have heard about it. I would like to know more info about it. I am a big fan of egyptian dances and I am doing a research(on my own) about the dances.

Cheers
Janaki
 
Moon

Moon

New member
janaki said:
Hi A'isha,

Once again great expalnation. Could you pls tell more about baladi style cane dance. I have always thought cane dance is done to saidi rhythm. I have seen a clip on youtube a while ago cane dance done to mizmar taxim also pop songs with saidi rhythm. Can cane dance be done to baladi rhythm? Pls..pls... can't wait for your answer.
Click to expand...

I also want to hear more :)
 
Aisha Azar

Aisha Azar

New member
Assaya

Dear Janaki,
Most of what I learned about Beledi style cane dance, I learned from Jodette Silhi and from watching videos of the Egyptian dancers. I also picked up a bit here and there from other instructors. Jodette calls the dance "Binti Beledi" or Daughter of My Country. (She also had a magazine out for awhile by this name... I have a few copies of it around here somewhere.)
Beledi might be called the uptown version of the more folkloric styles. It is a "city" dance, you might say, and borrows from both folkloric dance and from the more sophistocated elements of city. The dance is often done in sparkly costumes and can be performed to either tradtional or modern music. The dance is often used in more complicated ways than in the Saidi style. Also in any style, Egyptians rarely balance the cane on their heads because over there it is not very impressive considering that there are guys who ride around on bikes with trays full of bread on their heads, or ladies carry huge amounts of gorceries on their heads, or whatever. The cane is held in the hands, keeps beat to the music, is swung about in fancy ways, or the dancer uses the cane to accent her movements. There is a lot of posturing with the cane in different positions as well.
My own personal opinion, and this is not fact but my surmise after years of study, is that Assaya went through the same kind of metamorphosis that other dances did and it became Beledi just as the folkloric dances morphed from what they were into a unique new style called Raqs el Sharghi, once the influences of the city got hold of it. Beledi is in fact a sort of catch all for dances that use props. Using finger cymbals is another way to dance Beledi, for example. Egyptian belly dancers rarely use them except for Beledi,though Nadia Hamdi was an exception.
Regards,
A'isha
 
janaki

janaki

New member
Dear A'isha,

Many many thanks for your reply and great explainations!!! Now I get the picture of how this dance has evolved. Your posts are phenomenal. Tks again. When I come to US I would like to learn from you. Hope you will have time for me.

Cheers
Janaki
 
Outi

Outi

New member
Simsimeya is one of the folk dances in Egypt, around the Suez canal.

It's actually an instrument, but the same name have been given to the dance, too. In Port Said area the dance has name bambouteiya.

Here is the instrument:


Here is the dance:


Some spoons:


Hope this helps!
Outi
 
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Aisha Azar

Aisha Azar

New member
Assaya

janaki said:
Dear A'isha,

Many many thanks for your reply and great explainations!!! Now I get the picture of how this dance has evolved. Your posts are phenomenal. Tks again. When I come to US I would like to learn from you. Hope you will have time for me.

Cheers
Janaki
Click to expand...


Dear Janaki,
Thank you and it would be my pleasure!!
Regards,
A'isha
 
M

Madeline

New member
A'isha Azar said:
Dear Nicknack,
In Egyptian dance, it seems there are many kinds of cane dance. The Ghawazi do one that seems to be a sort of couples dance in which the cane might be balanced between two bodies. (Edwina Nearing has a great explanation of the 7 different Ghawazi styles that she noted). Then there is Saidi style cane and both male and female styles. ( Don't take this as gospel, but I think that perhaps female cane in Saidi style might really be a stagey thing and not part of the normal folkloric style, but I am not certain of this. It's just a feeling. There might be some mime situations in which a cane is grabbed by a female in fun, in the native environment.) Then there is beledi style cane which is more urban in its origins and is often a female dance. This is the more lively version of the female cane dances from Egypt. Fifi Abdou does a really good cane dance and there are several others who do a great job, too.
Re Lebanese cane- I THINK Mark Balahadia is going to teach some of that when he comes to Spokane in September. I am very much looking forward to it.
Regards,
A'isha
Click to expand...

A’isha, will Mark be teaching any workshops further west?
 
Aisha Azar

Aisha Azar

New member
Lebanese Cane/ Mark Balahadia

Dear Madeline,
I don't know. You could email him and ask, or get in touch with him to sponsor him. My dance company is sponsoring him in Spokane, WA in September (15th, 16th). For more info go to Barharat!! and look in the events section. He is leaving for Lebanon the following week for an extended stay there. If you live close to Spokane, or are willing to travel, it would be worth your while! Mark is a great dancer.
Regards,
A'isha
 
M

Madeline

New member
A'isha Azar said:
Dear Madeline,
I don't know. You could email him and ask, or get in touch with him to sponsor him. My dance company is sponsoring him in Spokane, WA in September (15th, 16th). For more info go to Barharat!! and look in the events section. He is leaving for Lebanon the following week for an extended stay there. If you live close to Spokane, or are willing to travel, it would be worth your while! Mark is a great dancer.
Regards,
A'isha
Click to expand...

Hi A’isha!

Unfortunately, that’s too far away for me. I’m very interested in Lebanese dance, and I’d love to learn more from someone as knowledgeable as Mark. (I’ll admit that I’m a little bit jealous of him getting to go to Lebanon…:lol: ) Is it expensive to sponsor a workshop?

Thanks!
Madeline
 
Aisha Azar

Aisha Azar

New member
Mark, etc.

Dear Madeline,
I'm sorry that you can't come for the event here, but maybe he is going to be somewhere near you. You can certainly email and ask him. He is really a nice person on top of being a great dancer.
Re sponsoring people: My dance company does what I call "Bare Bones" sponsorship. We have our productions in an affordable venue and do it up simple. We have used the same performance venue for the last 3 years and we have a financial arrangement with the owner that works out well for both all parties. We do two professional shows and 3 student nights there every year. There is nothing fancy about it, but we have a good sound system, great food, good wait staff, dance floor, private dressing area and a sort of unofficial "Greenroom" area for the dancers to wait in where they can see the others perform. We do the workshop in a dance studio because there are mirrors,and this gives us limited space so we do not usually invite vendors unless the star sells things. We rent the place for 3 1/2 hours. Years ago I did some research because of my own experiences with marathon workshops and found that 3 hours is the optimum learning time for most people in most learning situations, so that is how much time our workshops always run for. (I keep my own to that same time period when I go out to teach workshops because I believe that the workshop is about the student and I want to provided the optimum learning experience in every way that I can. It also means that the sponsor does not have to go into debt to sponsor me for 5-6 hours for one class.)
We offer the star the same amount that I charge for both show and workshops, and thus far everyone we have asked has been positive about operating within our budget. Usually they have done okay, but have not gotten rich.
You also would be responsible for travel arrangements, feeding and housing the guest star, and other stuff that comes up. I guess what I am trying to say is that it is not cheap to sponsor people by any means, and often people do go into debt to do it. But if you are careful you can do it. Especially if you understand that you are doing it for the love of learning and not to get wealthy. USUALLY the company makes enough for each of us to get a free workshop and a little bit for our personal pockets, and also some for the company coffers.... but we have had one event where we lost about $30 after all expenses, including our own workshops.
Regards,
A'isha



Madeline said:
Hi A’isha!

Unfortunately, that’s too far away for me. I’m very interested in Lebanese dance, and I’d love to learn more from someone as knowledgeable as Mark. (I’ll admit that I’m a little bit jealous of him getting to go to Lebanon…:lol: ) Is it expensive to sponsor a workshop?

Thanks!
Madeline
Click to expand...
 
M

Madeline

New member
Hi A’isha!

Thanks for all of the information on workshops! I really appreciate it, and I like your “Bare Bones” affordable workshop idea. I’ll email and ask Mark if he’s coming to my area anytime in the future.

Thanks again,
Madeline :D

P.S. I just noticed that you’re listed in the directory of “The Bellydance Book”, and it mentions a costuming business under your name. Do you still do that?
 
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