Belly Dance Terminology

[Reen.Blom]

Often I get confused by the different terms many isntuctors and DVDs use for the same moves....

Just thought it would be nice to have a thread to ask questions about the names of different moves!(A little attempt to create a little Belly Dance Glossary!)

omi is a vertical hip circle. My idol Raqia Hassan calls it brazillian circle!!!!

Cheers
Janaki

Thank you Janaki!

Can anyone define Taxim for me please?

 

[miriam]

A taxim is an instrumental, usually improvised part of the music that features another instrument besides the drum. They're slower and can be challenging, but they're a lot of fun and really emotional. Hope that helps!

 

[Salome]

A taxim is an instrumental, usually improvised part of the music that features another instrument besides the drum. They're slower and can be challenging, but they're a lot of fun and really emotional. Hope that helps!

Hi Miriam,

you are right, taqseem's can be challenging and they are definately a wonderful part of the music. The word itself means division. The taqseem is an improvisational piece of music and can be and is played on any instrument, including the tabla. Actually what we dancers usually call a 'drum solo' is a taqseem - unless the tabla player has mapped out his music ahead of time for one reason or another. I know many western dancers, including myself, who initially associated taqseem as being the slow section of music but that's not exactly correct, it can be of any tempo.

 

[janaki]

I agree with you Reen.blom. Hope we can compile our own belly dance glossory. My contribution

Forward fig 8 - turkish fig 8???
Backward fig 8 - egyptian fig 8
vertical fig 8 - fish
reverse veritcal fig 8 - maya

Cheers
Janaki

 

[Moon]

I thought taqsim also doesn't have some specific rhythm? Or can it have a rhythm?

reverse veritcal fig 6 - maya

I think you mean fig 8?

I know vertical fig 8 also as "snake" (not to confuse with snake arms)

 

[janaki]

Hi moon,

Taxim can have rhythm and no rhythm. Check this article. It is gives very good detailed explaination about taxim.


Najia discusses Taxim for the Gilded Serpent


Cheers
Janaki

 

[TribalDancer]

And sorry to confuse things, but in ATS terminology, a taqsim is an up figure 8. The reverse they call a reverse taqsim, which I learned as "maya"--a down figure 8.

And as Moon pointed out, in the midwest mainly, I believe, "snake hips" are also up figure 8's. It is popularized in the terminology since the book of the same name came out.

And can anyone confirm: I was told that by Arabic speakers, the word should be written "taqsim" because the "q" in the common Arabic-to-English transliteration indicates a soft gutteral catch or stop which is how it is pronounced properly; rather than taxeem which would be pronounced without this stop. Anyone?

 

[janaki]

I just remembered these

Leg shimmy = egyptian shimmy
twist shimmy = washing machine shimmy
choo choo shimmy = chinese shimmy


Cheers
Janaki

 

[Moon]

Thanks Janaki


I think that's true tribaldancer, a q stands for glutteral stop often when a certain language is transliterated to latin writing.
Maltese is related to Arabic but it uses Latin writing. It also uses a q to indicate a glutteral stop.

 

[miriam]

Thanks for the info about the taqseem Salome! I don't think I had ever quite run across the full definition and I'm glad it was explained to me before I accidentally misguided one of my students!

 

[Reen.Blom]

I just remembered these

Leg shimmy = egyptian shimmy
twist shimmy = washing machine shimmy
choo choo shimmy = chinese shimmy


Cheers
Janaki

Hey Janaki would you include a brief descrpiption of what each move is?(Since might become a glossary...LOL)

What is Choo choo shimmy? Is it the one that is done on the toes?

 

[KuteNurse]

I agree with you Reen.blom. Hope we can compile our own belly dance glossory. My contribution

Forward fig 8 - turkish fig 8???
Backward fig 8 - egyptian fig 8
vertical fig 8 - fish
reverse veritcal fig 8 - maya

Cheers
Janaki

I absolutely love the maya...That is one move I want to learn to do very well.

 

[janaki]

Yes choo choo shimmy is done on the toes!!!!

Leg shimmy/egyptian shimmy : flapping your knees back and forth to create the shimmy.

Washing machine/twist shimmy: Twisting the right and left hips (alternating) forward and back. This can be done twisting forward and centre also!!!!

Cheers
Janaki

 

[Reen.Blom]

I absolutely love the maya...That is one move I want to learn to do very well.

I agree KuteNurse I love it too!! It is stunning! I think it could be my favourite move...LOL

Thank you Janaki for the explanation!(I wasnt to sure about the washing machine...LOL)

I have another question: Is 3/4 shimmy a real shimmy? Or is it just a kind of step? Is there another name for it??

 

[janaki]

Good question reen.blom!!!

3/4 shimmy is also called travelling shimmy. This can be done fast and slow, stationary as well as travelling.

In my opinion it needs to be done fast to call it a shimmy. If I do the 3/4 shimmy slowly, I would call it 3/4 shimmy accents ( my own terminlogy).

PS: We all know that shimmy means fast vibrations. Any move to be called shimmy, has to have certain speed!!!

Cheers
Janaki

 

[Reen.Blom]

WOW I would love to see someone do it really fast! So far from what I have seen it looked more like a step/stationary move but it did not look like we normally imagine a shimmy!

 

[sausanacademy]

Taxiems

Taxiems can be slow as well as fast musical improvisations, with or without beats in the background. So that there is no confusion, when I teach my Tertiary Course on the Entities of Classic Egyptian Music, I refer to these "slow taxiem" parts as soliloquies; a section of the music where one must put one's soul and heart on the line and express oneself through the movement of the music. These parts, in my school of thought, cannot be choreographed.

I have found that there are three kinds or types of soliloquies, each with or without beats. The three I have identified are the Soft Soliloquy, the Mean (Medium) Soliloquy, and the Firm Soliloquy. Each has its own movement expression. Once these types of soliloquies are identified, my students have no problem performing to them. And, when approached using the "rule of thumb" movement, which I teach to each kind of soliloquy, my students understand how to perform movement to these soliloquies or "taxiem" sections of the music without any fear or apprehension.

-Sausan
Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance

 

[SmilingMarie]

re 3/4 shimmies/travelling shimmies - I have heard and would use hagala and egypt walk - but I am not sure whether some of you would distinguish between these - as is clear from this thread, terminology varies!

 

[MiaMi]

I guess it's just like anything else....different terminology for different styles of teaching and for different teachers...

I think this thread is a good idea, so we can learn the similarities and differences in the terms!!!

Great idea :dance:


-MiaMi


Nutcracker Tryouts | The Nutcracker Ballet

 

[Reen.Blom]

Taxiems can be slow as well as fast musical improvisations, with or without beats in the background. So that there is no confusion, when I teach my Tertiary Course on the Entities of Classic Egyptian Music, I refer to these "slow taxiem" parts as soliloquies; a section of the music where one must put one's soul and heart on the line and express oneself through the movement of the music. These parts, in my school of thought, cannot be choreographed.

I have found that there are three kinds or types of soliloquies, each with or without beats. The three I have identified are the Soft Soliloquy, the Mean (Medium) Soliloquy, and the Firm Soliloquy. Each has its own movement expression. Once these types of soliloquies are identified, my students have no problem performing to them. And, when approached using the "rule of thumb" movement, which I teach to each kind of soliloquy, my students understand how to perform movement to these soliloquies or "taxiem" sections of the music without any fear or apprehension.

-Sausan
Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance

Thank you Susan! This is very informative!