da Sage
New member
Dear DaSage,
A'isha writes- I would not know if her approach to teaching is wrong, but what I see in video as far as how she presents Tunisian on stage, the feel is very westernized. If you do not believe this, go and LOOK at some videos of Tunisians presenting the dance. As I stated in an earlier post, however, that might be what Cassandra is aiming for and she may say so in her programs or announcing or in some other way.
I get a little tired of always being the bad guy just because I dare to say something critical of our icons. I have been at this too long to look at anyone through rose colored glasses. I learned a long time ago in this dance that all of us, including the most famous of us, is not always right on. I think you should at least compare what is being done to the real thing before deciding I have grudge against this or that person. Many times, I actually love the dancer in question, but that does not make me blind.
Regards,
A'isha
A'isha,
I am not one of the Cassandra-worshippers who loves everything she does. There are things she does that I like a lot, and other things that I'm not so excited about. You can accuse me of constantly looking for positives, but please don't imagine that I'm blind to other's flaws or failures.
I'm just calling it like I see it, and it's fair for you to tell me that I am wrong. Perhaps a compare/contrast presentation would be better...if Cassandra's Tunisian choreography (performed by Jawaahir) has the wrong essence, show me a group choreography that has the right essence. That might help me (and others) understand where you are coming from.
I hope you didn't decide that Cassandra's approach was wrong based on the same YouTube video of Tunisian dancing I found. The focus was so bad, and the view so distant, all you could see was the Western/stage floor patterning, and a few of the steps! You could not see the subtleties of the movements, or the faces of the dancers sharing the joy of dancing with one another. How can you judge something you can't even see properly?
The video is so poor, I bet you can't even pick out my teacher. I'll give you a hint....she's the "pretty maid" that's seven months pregnant.
YouTube - Tunisian Women's Dance, www.jawaahir.org
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