Farasha Hanem
New member
80 HOT PINK?!? *GASP!!!* YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!
:dance: :dance: :dance:Yup, pink MUST be an entirely appropriate color choice for me---look at that "little girl enthusiasm!" xP
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Colour codes??
- Thread starter Duvet
- Start date
80 HOT PINK?!? *GASP!!!* YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!
:dance: :dance: :dance:Yup, pink MUST be an entirely appropriate color choice for me---look at that "little girl enthusiasm!" xP
Duvet
Member
Um, you might be overthinking this one, Duvet.
An audience is composed of individuals. For every individual who perceives hot pink as exciting there is another who finds it tawdry and artificial.
You like quotes. Take this one from Oscar Wilde and translate it into dancerdom:
“Most of our modern portrait painters are doomed to absolute oblivion. They never paint what they see. They paint what the public sees, and the public never sees anything.”
Isn't it the job of the portrait painter to paint what the client sees? Doesn't that apply to dance performances?
If the audience is paying don't they deserve some consideration from the dancer on what their perception might be? Dancing in black at a wedding, or in red on the first day of the month (made up examples) might be inappropriate. It can't just be about "I look good in green" or "my favourite colour is pink" and then you dress accordingly and to hell with anyone else.
I feel that performance is about entertainment and inspiration. That needs to incorporate what the audience needs, or might expect. It needn't be about actually giving them what they want (after all, it is always good to push boundaries and educate as well), and if you are dancing for free then those considerations are less (depending on what you are wanting to achieve) and you can concentrate more on pushing your own boundaries. But without some awareness of the audience at all, then you might as well turn your back and dance behind closed curtains with the lights off.
Thats my personal opinion. I'm not expecting anyone else to share it, or agree with it. I'm happy to argue about it, or be educated otherwise, but it is largely why I wondered if colour played any part in the dance cultures, and in the perception of audiences.
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Shanazel
Moderator
We call those people prostitutes and while prostitution can make one a decent living, something is lost artistically and spiritually in the process. The artist's job is to create art. The best art comes from an artist expressing what he or she sees or feels.
That is not to say that when a group requests a traditional baladi piece one should hand them a highly original minuet fusion. It is just good manners to avoid wearing white to a wedding if white is the color of mourning in a particular culture. And if one is designing for a synagogue one would be well-advised not to glorify swastikas in that stained glass window.
Audiences aren't homogenous bodies whose specific desires can be laid out in an Excel spreadsheet. Someone may have sad memories connected to rose-red. Someone in the same audience may see red as an expression of joy. A dancer cannot reconcile those views nor should she try. Her job is to dance and to costume herself in such a way that the dance is enhanced.
Don't get me started on costumes that detract from dance- that's a whole nother subject.
In my experience (and it is considerable at this point) audiences want to be moved by what they observe. Unless someone has something new to say about the Sugar Plum Fairy's dance, I'm not going to be moved by it. If someone has painted a pretty vanity portrait of a powerful woman, what has that artist said about his subject that is worth hearing?
When I needed thyroid surgery, I didn't seek out an oral surgeon or podiatrist. And having found a qualified surgeon I trusted him to do the job properly without any input from me about the color scrubs he chose or the type of hardware he used. When someone hires an old style American cabaret dancer, that person shouldn't pile on requirements for costumes that holler Turkish and music by Metallica.
The portrait artist, dancer, wildlife photographer, whoever owes a client or audience the very best of her art, and the very best art never results from trying to create what the client sees because to paraphrase dear Oscar the client rarely sees anything. If the client did, she'd be taking her own pictures and dancing her own dances.
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Duvet
Member
Absolutely. But if the client/audience weren't there, then neither would the performer. Dancing as a solely self indulgent medium is not the same as 'performing' (unless you have an extremely forgiving, adulatery or innocent audience - which, admittedly, many audiences are). Oscar hated his critics and the best way to ignore them was to demean their opinion.
My OP was intended to ask about colour codes in 'traditional' styles or culturally specific contexts. Fusion and adaptation might have made this unimportant in the West. I was curious to know if things were/are different elsewhere.
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Roshanna
New member
I think it's a valid question, Duvet.
I've never heard of any particularly rigid colour codes in ME dance, although I might be a little wary of dancing in a jewel-tone green (i.e. Saudi flag green) for certain audiences because of the islamic association. Then again, I don't think that really applies to other shades of green (olive, lime, khaki, very dark green, etc). Which is good, because green is my favourite colour for costumes
I've never heard of any particularly rigid colour codes in ME dance, although I might be a little wary of dancing in a jewel-tone green (i.e. Saudi flag green) for certain audiences because of the islamic association. Then again, I don't think that really applies to other shades of green (olive, lime, khaki, very dark green, etc). Which is good, because green is my favourite colour for costumes
Amulya
Moderator
OT (or back on topic haha): actually dancing in white at a wedding is considered not done as far as I know, it's the same thing like guests are not allowed to wear white (but of course that can vary per country and tradition)
Amulya
Moderator
Yes, in Iran it's the colour of hatred, not sure about other countries. Apparently if you give someone yellow roses it's an insult.
Amulya
Moderator
I think that's why red is so popular as costume choice, it's a vibrant colour, catches the eye.
Jeanne
Member
Just saw this thread just now -- interesting topic.
I have a copy of Zarifa Aradoon's "The Belly Dance Costume Book" from 1978, and I think she has a section in it on symbology of colors in Arab cultures. I'm not at home right now, but I can look it up later and pass the list on. My guess is that the information is not hard and fast rules, as things do vary from place to place, but it's interesting as a general perspective.
I have a copy of Zarifa Aradoon's "The Belly Dance Costume Book" from 1978, and I think she has a section in it on symbology of colors in Arab cultures. I'm not at home right now, but I can look it up later and pass the list on. My guess is that the information is not hard and fast rules, as things do vary from place to place, but it's interesting as a general perspective.
Zorba
"The Veiled Male"
That would be very interesting - thank you!
Shanazel
Moderator
That only seems fair- Oscar's critics hated and demeaned him.
Speaking of Oscar and dance:
“It is sweet to dance to violins
When love and life are fair:
To dance to flutes, to dance to lutes
Is delicate and rare:
But it is not sweet with nimble feet
To dance upon the air!”
Ooops. Wrong Duvet thread!
Sophia Maria
New member
I think this a good thing that you're asking this question. I think that perhaps you might be expecting a more definite answer...unfortunately like all things art, straight rules are hard to find and people always break them. I pretty much agree with the other responses in this thread. Green is very much related to Islam--green as in the rich green in the Saudi flag.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2009/06/islamic_greenwashing.html
That being said, that doesn't mean you can't wear it. That is to say, Islam connotes the color green, but green doesn't necessarily mean Islam. If a mosque is heavily decorated in green, you can now understand why, but if a woman is wearing green, it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with belief.
White is also sometimes connected with religion (in most religions, I think), because it's clean, people think of purity and peace. People going to Mecca on Hajj often wear white. I don't see any reason not to wear it, though, except two important considerations: I wouldn't wear white at a wedding, because it's the bride's day to wear white, and if I were on stage I would always be afraid of the stage lights shining RIGHT through my fabric.
For other colors, I think it has more to do with styles and fads. We dancers tend to copy each other, much as we try to be original. Hence why I think we see a lot of red, turquoise, and purple (at least I feel like I see those colors a lot). Colors go in and out of style in regular fashion as well (not that I pay any attention to that :lol::lol::lol
Here is a cool link for some different colors. I think this may give some ideas: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2012/06/color-and-cultural-design-considerations/
Just keep in mind that in the end it's not set in stone. If you're at a party, people are happy and just want to dance! :dance: Blue may very well be associated with spirituality and and heaven, but nobody's going to be thinking about that when you're up there shaking your stuff!
One thing I've noticed though...we don't tend to wear black, do we? I think we might all just be addicted to obnoxiously bright, sparkly things
Shanazel
Moderator
Really excellent post, Sophia.
Um, I always felt really secure in black or other dark colors and tended to stay away from brights. :redface: Unfortunately so many stage backdrops are black that one can't wear it easily.
In my secret heart of hearts, I wanted a fire engine red costume but never made one.
Um, I always felt really secure in black or other dark colors and tended to stay away from brights. :redface: Unfortunately so many stage backdrops are black that one can't wear it easily.
In my secret heart of hearts, I wanted a fire engine red costume but never made one.
Zorba
"The Veiled Male"
Sophia Maria
New member
Thank you! Also, good point about the black. I forgot about that little detail...black might make you into a floating head and midriff.
Zorba
"The Veiled Male"
Ah! Ve have veys to make you dance! Get the right music going, those hips will just move along of their own accord! :dance:
Jeanne
Member
Sorry, I didn't have time to report back on this right away.
As it turns out, I was mistaken about the material I was thinking of -- it's actually about psychological connotations of colors and not culturally-related color symbolism (I could have sworn she had something about that somewhere in the book, but I can't find it anywhere; must have been imagining it).
But anyway, you all might find this interesting anyway. I think for instance it might be useful if you're planning a costume for a specific piece that has some kind of narrative or is meant to convey certain emotions. Here it is (the table in the book is a reproduction from a book called "Encyclopedia of Textiles"):
Dark pure red -- love and amiability
Medium red -- health and vitality
Bright red -- passion
Dark, greyed red -- evil
Strong light pink -- daintiness
Pure medium pink -- delicacy, innocence
Greyed light pink -- daintiness
Greyed medium pink -- frivolity
Strong dark orange -- ambition
Strong medium orange -- intensity
Dark medium brown -- utility
Light medium brown -- maturity
Strong light yellow -- inspiration
Medium yellow -- prudence, goodness
Light medium yellow -- wisdom, attention
Strong light yellow -- gaiety, stimulation
Medium gold -- luxury, glory
Dark medium gold -- riches
Light strong yellow-green -- freshness, vitality
Light medium yellow-green -- youth
Strong medium green -- sociability
Greyed medium green -- naiveté, innocence
Strong light blue-green -- restlessness
Strong dark blue-green -- longing, nostalgia
Medium light blue-green -- calm, repose
Greyed light blue-green -- placidity
Strong medium blue -- idealism
Dark medium blue -- sincerity
Greyed medium blue -- kindness
Light medium blue -- calmness
Strong light blue-purple -- sternness
Strong light purple -- magnificence
Light medium purple -- fragility, softness
Dark greyed purple -- royalty
Medium purple -- poise
Sophia Maria
New member
Interesting! I would still say that it's not so easy to distill the psychological from the cultural...but even still, there are some similarities to be found. Most often, red can considered energetic, passionate, almost dangerous, no matter the culture. I think some of our natural color reactions, regardless of culture, would have to do with instinctually responding to some colors in nature (i.e. what poses a threat, what doesn't pose a threat)