North African Styles

[Sita]

I know we tend to talk a lot about different styles of Oriental dance but they tend to revolve around Turkish, Egyptian, Lebanese, Western (for obvious reasons) but what about North African styles? i.e Algerian, Morrocan, Tunisian etc

I've become more interested since learning about the Morrocan Schikhatt dance from Loubna and Salome (on Salome's Schikhatt thread) and am keen to know more. Other than that I've only really come accross Zahra Zuhier's Tunisian dance on youtube.
Thanks in advance,
Sita

 

[Marie Safira]

Well, North African Styles were a mystery for me until we had several classes devoted to Moroccan and Tunisian styles. That was quite unusual, cause the movements were different and so was the inner state while I was dancing.
The shimmy they use is based on a different priciple as well.
This april there was a concert "Moroccan dreams" in Moscow, organised by a famous Russian belly dancer Galina Shishkina (or Galia Hanum ). She travelled a lot, and visited Morocco several times. The aim of this concert was to communicate her ideas about this style and share her impressions through the art of dance. It was unforgetable.
Here are some photos from the concert: Bagiradance - øêîëà âîñòî÷íûõ òàíöåâ è òàíöà æèâîòà Ãàëèíû Øèøêèíîé

and some video Bagiradance - øêîëà âîñòî÷íûõ òàíöåâ è òàíöà æèâîòà Ãàëèíû Øèøêèíîé

 

[Sita]

Well, North African Styles were a mystery for me until we had several classes devoted to Moroccan and Tunisian styles. That was quite unusual, cause the movements were different and so was the inner state while I was dancing.
The shimmy they use is based on a different priciple as well.
This april there was a concert "Moroccan dreams" in Moscow, organised by a famous Russian belly dancer Galina Shishkina (or Galia Hanum ). She travelled a lot, and visited Morocco several times. The aim of this concert was to communicate her ideas about this style and share her impressions through the art of dance. It was unforgetable.
Here are some photos from the concert: Bagiradance - øêîëà âîñòî÷íûõ òàíöåâ è òàíöà æèâîòà Ãàëèíû Øèøêèíîé

and some video Bagiradance - øêîëà âîñòî÷íûõ òàíöåâ è òàíöà æèâîòà Ãàëèíû Øèøêèíîé

Thank you for the video and photos I found the whole thing fascinating . The Moroccan style appears to create a whole different performance, atmosphere, even the use of and appearance of space during the performance differs from what I am used too. Not to mention a different movement vocabulary.

I even recognised one move from my Tribal class known appropriately as the 'Tunisian' - it also happens to be the move I find most difficult-typical of it to haunt me

I am also interested in what you said about the difference in your inner state when you danced and the difference in the shimmy; could you expand upon these statements at all?

Sita

 

[Marie Safira]

Sita, it`s great that you are interested in different styles cause it`s a chance to understand that what we call bellydancing can not only have different levels of difficulty, but also be different in its stylistical and cultural essence.
As for moroccan shimmy - yes, it is different. It`s difficult to explain, though I`ll try: when you do Egyptian shimmy you bend and unbend your knees, reaching relaxation, right? In Moroccan shimmy you bend and unbend your knees + rotate your pelvis. This explanation is a great deal simplified, of course. This video can give you some idea about this style:

YouTube - Moroccan Womens' Music and Dance Troupe

And the inner state varies from style to style, as subconsciously every dancer is influenced by the culture and emotional value of the style.

With respect,

Marie Safira

 

[Marya]

YouTube - Moroccan Womens' Music and Dance Troupe[/url]

Marie Safira

This is the Shikatt video that Salome featured.

I wonder why you would want to label Moroccan and Tunisian folk dance belly dance. They are so very different and folkloric, I do not see them fitting into the genre of Belly dance at all.

There are night clubs in those countries that feature bellydancers doing a fusion of styles as well as their own indigenous styles but this video is straight Shikatt.

there are fusion styles in the US that will incorporate a move or two from North Africa especially as noted the Tribal Styles, but that is fusion.

I have studied Tunisian, Algerian, and Moroccan and none of the teachers (Morocco, Aisha Ali, Amel Tafsout) have referred to the dances they taught as Belly dance.

Aisha Ali and Morocco (the dancer) have some very good documentary videos of North African dance.

Marya

 

[Sita]

This is the Shikatt video that Salome featured.

I wonder why you would want to label Moroccan and Tunisian folk dance belly dance. They are so very different and folkloric, I do not see them fitting into the genre of Belly dance at all.

There are night clubs in those countries that feature bellydancers doing a fusion of styles as well as their own indigenous styles but this video is straight Shikatt.

there are fusion styles in the US that will incorporate a move or two from North Africa especially as noted the Tribal Styles, but that is fusion.

I have studied Tunisian, Algerian, and Moroccan and none of the teachers (Morocco, Aisha Ali, Amel Tafsout) have referred to the dances they taught as Belly dance.

Aisha Ali and Morocco (the dancer) have some very good documentary videos of North African dance.

Marya

Dear Marya,
I understand your concerns. The reason why I brought this up on these forums is because this is where I was introduced to the different styles and dances - so I felt this would be the best place to enquire. Also my only other source was the dance by Zahra Zuheir; who is also a belly dancer so it seemed the logical choice.

This point was also why I choose to use the term 'oriental dance' (as in any dance form from the 'orient' including other dance styles such as bandari and other Persian dances) rather than belly dance as the term Middle Eastern Dance didn't seem appropriate. Perhaps I should have used 'folkloric' but I didn't think of it at the time.

I do apologize if I gave the impression that I was trying to loop these styles of dance into the specific belly dance genre and can understand why it would have appeared that way. The reason for this thread is simply a desire to learn more about these N. African folkloric dances and try to broaden my understanding of different world dances.

I shall look out for the documentaries you mentioned although I'm not sure if their available here but I imagine the artists you mentioned would have articles and information on these dances anyway.

Thank you,
Sita

 

[Sita]

Sita, it`s great that you are interested in different styles cause it`s a chance to understand that what we call bellydancing can not only have different levels of difficulty, but also be different in its stylistical and cultural essence.
As for moroccan shimmy - yes, it is different. It`s difficult to explain, though I`ll try: when you do Egyptian shimmy you bend and unbend your knees, reaching relaxation, right? In Moroccan shimmy you bend and unbend your knees + rotate your pelvis. This explanation is a great deal simplified, of course. This video can give you some idea about this style:

YouTube - Moroccan Womens' Music and Dance Troupe

And the inner state varies from style to style, as subconsciously every dancer is influenced by the culture and emotional value of the style.

With respect,

Marie Safira

Thank you again I have to say your explanation of the different movement was very clear and made sense it particularly explained some of the differences I noted when I watched the clips you've posted. Also thank you for expanding on the variation in the inner state it also makes a lot of sense - I was typically being my usually over curious self when I asked
Sita

 

[Marya]

Dear Marya,
I understand your concerns. The reason why I brought this up on these forums is because this is where I was introduced to the different styles and dances - so I felt this would be the best place to enquire. Also my only other source was the dance by Zahra Zuheir; who is also a belly dancer so it seemed the logical choice.

This point was also why I choose to use the term 'oriental dance' (as in any dance form from the 'orient' including other dance styles such as bandari and other Persian dances) rather than belly dance as the term Middle Eastern Dance didn't seem appropriate. Perhaps I should have used 'folkloric' but I didn't think of it at the time.

I do apologize if I gave the impression that I was trying to loop these styles of dance into the specific belly dance genre and can understand why it would have appeared that way. The reason for this thread is simply a desire to learn more about these N. African folkloric dances and try to broaden my understanding of different world dances.

I shall look out for the documentaries you mentioned although I'm not sure if their available here but I imagine the artists you mentioned would have articles and information on these dances anyway.

Thank you,
Sita

Thanks for your response. Both Aisha Ali and Morocco have web sites with good information on them.

Marya

 

[Hind]

Ohh my favourite topic! :dance:

Every area got its own dances and sometimes one dance is known all over the country. There are so many styles, unfortunately people doesn't know how dances from Maghreb look like and think we do egyptian dance...
But these dances are not folkloric but traditional.

 

[Yame]

Ohh my favourite topic! :dance:

Every area got its own dances and sometimes one dance is known all over the country. There are so many styles, unfortunately people doesn't know how dances from Maghreb look like and think we do egyptian dance...
But these dances are not folkloric but traditional.

This is an old thread, but how relevant for me that it is being revived now... I will be taking a workshop in Tunisian dance this Saturday, and hopefully another one next month. I am also interested in Moroccan shikhatt, but haven't found any classes on it yet.

Maghrebi dances are very interesting! I hope that in a few years, I will be somewhat fluent in them.

 

[Kashmir]

I wonder why you would want to label Moroccan and Tunisian folk dance belly dance. They are so very different and folkloric, I do not see them fitting into the genre of Belly dance at all.

Personally I'd include Schikhatt and Ouled Nail as "belly dance" before many Tribal offerings I've seen. But I wouldn't include the group dances like Ahidous
or Ahouache.

The "original" danse du ventre as named by the French was Ouled Nail (Algerian) rather than raqs sharqi (Egyptian). Sol Bloom was associated with the Algerian Village at the Chicago World Fair so it is reasonable to assume Belly dance was initally more like Ouled Nail than modern belly dance which is based on raqs sharqi which didn't even exist then.

 

[Kashmir]

This point was also why I choose to use the term 'oriental dance' (as in any dance form from the 'orient' including other dance styles such as bandari and other Persian dances) rather than belly dance as the term Middle Eastern Dance didn't seem appropriate. Perhaps I should have used 'folkloric' but I didn't think of it at the time.

The term "oriental" comes from danse orientale and is a French translation of raqs sharqi which, in turn, is specific to a sub-style of belly dance as developed in Egypt from the 1920s and based on Egyptian raqs beledi. Professional Egyptian dancers use it to distinguish between what most of us would call "belly dance" and folkloric dance. It does not mean dances from the orient and it would be misleading to add another meaning to it as it is one of the few useful terms we have to describe belly dance!

 

[Hind]

So Yame how was your workshop in tunisian dance? is it easy to find a maghrebi dance teacher in the USA or in your state? it seems like there is a good "offer"...

 

[Yame]

So Yame how was your workshop in tunisian dance? is it easy to find a maghrebi dance teacher in the USA or in your state? it seems like there is a good "offer"...

Oh, it was wonderful! It was with Habiba of PA. I don't know of any Maghrebi dance teachers in my state, but I haven't looked very deeply yet. Habiba isn't awfully far from me, so I can make the trip there for more Tunisian classes once I get the chance. Leila Haddad will be teaching a Tunisian workshop at Rakkasah October 16th, so I might do that one as well.

Tunisian is a lot of fun, but out of the dances I have seen from the Maghreb my favorites are the ones I have seen from Morocco, so I will be looking for that next.

 

[jenc]

In the Uk we have our own moroccan teacher, Nawarra - she's great

Nawarra Belly Dancer, Morocco Magic Holidays - Arabic Dance Teacher and Performer

 

[Yame]

In the Uk we have our own moroccan teacher, Nawarra - she's great

Nawarra Belly Dancer, Morocco Magic Holidays - Arabic Dance Teacher and Performer

I love Nawarra! Wish we had her here! I wonder if maybe she knows someone in the US that teaches this...

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

Oh, it was wonderful! It was with Habiba of PA. I don't know of any Maghrebi dance teachers in my state, but I haven't looked very deeply yet. Habiba isn't awfully far from me, so I can make the trip there for more Tunisian classes once I get the chance. Leila Haddad will be teaching a Tunisian workshop at Rakkasah October 16th, so I might do that one as well.

Tunisian is a lot of fun, but out of the dances I have seen from the Maghreb my favorites are the ones I have seen from Morocco, so I will be looking for that next.

Oh I love Habiba!! I have learned so much from her over the years. I would follow her across the country if she toured as much as other people. Her Andalusian class was the hardest I'd ever had in my LIFE, but I loved it.

 

[Yame]

Oh I love Habiba!! I have learned so much from her over the years. I would follow her across the country if she toured as much as other people. Her Andalusian class was the hardest I'd ever had in my LIFE, but I loved it.

Oh I'd love to take Andalusian from her!

 

[Latifa]

Oh I love Habiba!! I have learned so much from her over the years. I would follow her across the country if she toured as much as other people. Her Andalusian class was the hardest I'd ever had in my LIFE, but I loved it.

Habiba is an exceptional teacher. Love her!