Zorba
"The Veiled Male"
That is the unfortunate thing about it - it comes up in just about ANY search on the subject. It needs to just die,die,die!
article "Masculine Belly Dance" by Stefan
- Thread starter Sa'ada
- Start date
That is the unfortunate thing about it - it comes up in just about ANY search on the subject. It needs to just die,die,die!
SpadeDancer
New member
The whole sharp movement of men comment makes me think that this dancer has only been introduced to men who do tribal.... power, and prowess, can be expressed when even doing the most gentle of hip circle.... it's not about "ERR!!! I am strong" that gives the impression of power... power is a statement that "This is what I can do, and I'll be damned if I let you walk over me." not always an implication of strength or muscle.... Shakespeare said "Though he is small, he is mighty."
I am a male belly dancer, I do bindi style.... The only difference between ALL forms of belly dance is presentation.... same moves, different presentation... Bindi is soft, sultry, but can be poppy too.... Tribal is poppy, locky, darker, sharper, more attitude... Just because these styles appear female and male, doesn't mean they are gender specific..... Anyone can have dark attitude.... Anyone can be soft and sultry.... I like sultry.... it shows people "I am secure with my masculinity enough to do a camel walk, AND tiny tahitians."
I am a male belly dancer, I do bindi style.... The only difference between ALL forms of belly dance is presentation.... same moves, different presentation... Bindi is soft, sultry, but can be poppy too.... Tribal is poppy, locky, darker, sharper, more attitude... Just because these styles appear female and male, doesn't mean they are gender specific..... Anyone can have dark attitude.... Anyone can be soft and sultry.... I like sultry.... it shows people "I am secure with my masculinity enough to do a camel walk, AND tiny tahitians."
Aniseteph
New member
Have to say I really don't agree with this one. Even if you take presentation to mean a whole gamut of things (music, intent, costuming etc etc) there are moves that scream (for example) tribal, or American Oriental to me. I daresay it works the other way too and there are Egyptian or Turkish moves that don't quite fit with tribal. Unless you are doing some mishmash fusion where anything goes.
What's bindi style?
SpadeDancer
New member
Presentation of the move, meaning, how to do it... you can do a simple ghwazee either the way in my bindi class, or the way in tribal.... While we all use pretty much the same moves no matter what style, there is a specific way to do them for that style.... Now, this may be personal perspective, but that is all it seems to be.
As for what bindi stile is... Hmm... Well, my class is called Bindi, so I'm guessing it's the most basic if all styles, the simple one? Not sure.
Aniseteph
New member
I agree that some moves are common to several styles (if not to completely different dance genres), but others are more style-specific. I was taught a big and very isolated upper torso circle in a tribal taster workshop that is never going to look Egyptian no matter how you do it. Nor are floreos, or that step-and-pull-down-arms thing. I suspect that even what looks like the same movement can have different technique in different styles, to give it the right flavour.
Anyhoo, this is drifting off-topic!
Anyhoo, this is drifting off-topic!
Kashmir
New member
Separated by a common language - not sure what you mean by "bindi style" - the word makes me think of India which can't be right - or "tahitians". That aside, I'm not convinced all Tribal is dark or uses lots of pops and locks. If you want attitude - look at some of Fifi's beledi perfromances!
I'd have to disagree that all belly dance uses the same moves too. There's plenty of moves used in Turkish (for instance) that you won't see in Egyptian - and vice versa. You won't see the Tribal flamenco arms or hands in real belly dance either. And some of the complex movement patterns you see in Orientale don't translate well to a group "improv" - which is the basis of ATS.
That aside. No, one sex doesn't have all the soft or all the hard moves - or attitude. When I see a performance (assuming it isn't just a 5 minute taster) I expect to see a range of emotions and textures from the dancer.
jenc
New member
I googled Bindi Bellydance. It is the name of the collective of teachers in Billings. No mention of any style on the site. however, the name and the logo with bindi (worn in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) on forehead, I would suggest that it is Western generic with fusion aspects. They talk about celebrating women - which often hints at goddess and it all started in India ideas
mahsati_janan
New member
As this article was written no later than 1995, it is pretty unlikely that the author had only been exposed to tribal. It is really only in recent years that tribal (especially tribal fusion) is common enough that a dancer could enter the scene without seeing other styles.
I don't agree with the author, but I will give him that he was trying to put something on paper with his understanding of the dance when there were few resources available online.
gisela
Super Moderator
After reading jen's post and googleing the name I would say it is just the name for the dance school you are attending and doesn't have anything to do with style other than your teachers' personal twists on it. Could that be the case?
Kashmir
New member
Most Middle Eastern men belly dance as their social dance - but few are professional performers. There are some excellelnt ones out there - but some that are not so great.
Greek Bonfire
Well-known member
Well, it's for the very folkloric dances I think, but many male dancers do dance in a "cabaret" setting and this wouldn't work. I've seen male dancers do this but it's rare, and very much out of date.
By the way, isn't the term western bellydance an oxymoron?
By the way, isn't the term western bellydance an oxymoron?
Tarik Sultan
New member
Will it never die?
I know Stephan, met him. Nice guy, but he wasn't a dancer, never been anywhere near Egypt or North Africa, nor spent any time around any immigrant communities here in the States so he really had no basis for his article other than his own opinion. At the end of the day we must remember that this is a social dance that belongs to certain countries, (primarily Egypt), people and a culture. The off shoots we've created here in the West tgat wrre inspired by it is something else entirely. Guys in Egypt dance, wether for fun or on stage, (most dancing is done for fun, even by women, not as performance). They are not stiff or rigid. They are loose, fluid, sensual and fun loving. This article is so far from the truth and reality of what dance is in Egypt or any of the other countries in the region where it migrated to.
I know Stephan, met him. Nice guy, but he wasn't a dancer, never been anywhere near Egypt or North Africa, nor spent any time around any immigrant communities here in the States so he really had no basis for his article other than his own opinion. At the end of the day we must remember that this is a social dance that belongs to certain countries, (primarily Egypt), people and a culture. The off shoots we've created here in the West tgat wrre inspired by it is something else entirely. Guys in Egypt dance, wether for fun or on stage, (most dancing is done for fun, even by women, not as performance). They are not stiff or rigid. They are loose, fluid, sensual and fun loving. This article is so far from the truth and reality of what dance is in Egypt or any of the other countries in the region where it migrated to.
Greek Bonfire
Well-known member
duskshade
New member
a refutation?
maybe a dancer or two should write a rebuttal pointing out that his inaccuracies are hindering a real exploration of raqs for men seeking a little foreknowledge.
I understand enough anatomy to see the misunderstanding, but I have a grounding in a movement art that others who are interested might not have. therefore that piece of writing may be the difference between dancing or trying something else.
maybe a dancer or two should write a rebuttal pointing out that his inaccuracies are hindering a real exploration of raqs for men seeking a little foreknowledge.
I understand enough anatomy to see the misunderstanding, but I have a grounding in a movement art that others who are interested might not have. therefore that piece of writing may be the difference between dancing or trying something else.
Last edited:
Tarik Sultan
New member
We have. Thing is once something is on the internet its there forever. Good news is we now have many more resources available to us than we did when it was written. You can go on youtube and see tons of videos of Egyptian men dancing and there are professional dancers from Egypt such as Tito and Miro as well.
Zorba
"The Veiled Male"
Still, it would help if Pink Gypsy took that darn thing down...
I don't know how much time I, personally, have wasted having to explain to various and sundry about that article being worthless. I'm sure Tarik has too!
