ME dance- a dumb question ?

[khanjar]

I should know this, but I can't think, but a question about ME dance, where exactly does it come from. Sure I know parts of North Africa, the Levant and Turkey, but where else in the Middle East ?

Where historically and culturally was it said to exist, all over the Middle East, or just certain areas ?

And now of the Middle East, where does it still exist or has moved to ?

Just want to get my facts straight before I write something.

 

[Aniseteph]

I'm not sure about the answer but I think you need to clarify your question and specify which dance you are talking about before you ask about where it exists or not.

Middle Eastern dance is any dance that comes from any part of the Middle East, so it's not just belly dance. There will be places where they do something very different that is just as much ME dance as belly dance is.

 

[khanjar]

Yes, I agree, so in answer; belly dance as we know it.

Or to be politically correct; Raks Sharqi, Raks baledi, Rakkase etc

 

[Kashmir]

In my mind raqs sharqi is the professional version of the dance that was developed from the 1920s. Primarily in Egypt but also Turkey and the countries in between a wars etc allowed. There are other, different, professional versions as well in that area - the dance of Mohammed Ali Street and the Ghawazee for just two. Neither would I call "raqs sharqi".

There is also an underlying social dance that raqs sharqi/raqs beledi sprung from (which after all what raqs beledi means)

But if you use Andrea Deagon's SITA (solo-improvised dance based on torso articulation) you pull in a number of other dances in the Middle East and North Africa - schikkatt, Ouled Nail, Khaleegy etc.