Dance in Egypt

[Yasmine1962]

Dance as seen on Egyptian T.V. 46 yrs ago. That's Farid Al Atrash singing, however that's not Samia Gamal dancing.



And dance shown on Egyptian T.V. today. What a big difference!

 

[Aisha Azar]

Video, etc

Dear Yasmine,
Well, for one thing, in the movie, the dancer was a professional dancer and not a singer who thinks she can dance. I am not sure there is a lot of actual dance comparison that can be done here since in both cases, the dance that was seen was at the whim of a director and not actual dance as it would be seen in its natural environment of nightclub or stage, as performed by the dancer herself.
Some people might point to the auto=eroticism of the music video VS the old movie dancer being more a public object, but that also is an effect of not seeing the whole movie, which I can gaurentee in the long run was about Farid Al-Atrache and not the dancer, no matter how the clip might appear. He was the star, not her. In the video, the singer dressed as temptress was the star. The sexual content in both was a sort of sign of the times. In the old film, at the time, that would have been considered to have as much sexual overtone as the music video does today.
Regards,
A'isha

 

[Yasmine Bint Al Nubia]

Hi Aisha,I was rummaging around youtube when I found the clips and my impression echoed your sentiments exactly. While I found the older movie clip pleasing to watch, I didn't feel the way about the video short. It reminded me contemporary singers and their videos with it's over sexualized themes.
Yasmine

 

[Shanazel]

...proving once again that being able to wiggle one's butt and tolerate a snake around one's neck does not make one a belly dancer.

I still think Samia Gamal was always the best thing about Farid Al-Atrache.

 

[Loubna]

Myn mother is a big fan of Farid El Atrashe
My mother have this movie at home, i am shure that the dancer is Samia Gamal, bud mabey i can be wrong.

The singer on the second clip is Ruby. Ruby is a Libanese girl. She is not a dancer. She's well-known as one of the sexy singers. Like Haifa Wahabi, Nancy Agram and Lucy. Myn favorite singer is Nancy Agram, she have a beautiful voice.

mutch love Loubna

 

[Maria_Aya]

Reality bites !!!
Dont fool our selves, we are all (the westerns) on a pink romantic cloud.
Then and now 98% of the dancers was about sex.
Just now (even with the religion denies) its more obvious. And exactly this is what arab audience want to see, men and woman.
Its an hypocritic thing, they complain about dancers not being as old time, but then why they worship the more provocative sexy ones?

Maria Aya

 

[taheya]

Hi maria,
do you mean that for the general public it is about sex? People who know the dance and who are enthusiastic about dance do not think that way, i think it is more ignorant people who see it as titilating and just about sex.

 

[yasmilah]

Myn mother is a big fan of Farid El Atrashe
My mother have this movie at home, i am shure that the dancer is Samia Gamal, bud mabey i can be wrong.

Loubna,

They look soooo much alike, but this is Egyptian actress Hind Rostam. They even dance similarly, and make similar facial expressions.....it makes me wonder if Hind studied Samia's style before taking this role.

 

[Yasmine Bint Al Nubia]

Hi maria,
do you mean that for the general public it is about sex? People who know the dance and who are enthusiastic about dance do not think that way, i think it is more ignorant people who see it as titilating and just about sex.

I think she meant that in Arabic culture, the concept of sex is so taboo that it is hypocrical because its obvious that they will gravitate toward performances laden with sexual themes. For example dancers in Arabic countries are considered low-class(read whore) but they are quick to criticise Western dancers as not having that "essence". I'm sure most of it is tied to the fact that young men have no access to women unles they marry them. We have that same midset here in the States with our Puritan background, we act "holier than thou" but pay big money for any thing that typifies sex. How did you think Madonna became a big star?
Yasmine

 

[taheya]

Oh Yasmine is there no hope??! I think you are right, but for us as dancers what does it mean? For those of us who are serious about bellydance and love this dance and do not merely see it as 'sexy dancing' how do we get recognition for this dance as a credible art form? Considering a large part of our audience thinks we are 'whores'. Harshly put i know but it makes me so exasperated and sad. I dont know about you but i spend alot of the time trying to explain to people about belly dance, and trying to educate people but sometimes i think these preconceptions are too firmly rooted to be altered.

How can something that brings so much joy face such slander? Its just not right!!

 

[Suheir]

The first clip is from the film 'Inta Habibi' - wonderful film if you get a chance to see it!

 

[Yasmine Bint Al Nubia]

Oh Yasmine is there no hope??! I think you are right, but for us as dancers what does it mean? For those of us who are serious about bellydance and love this dance and do not merely see it as 'sexy dancing' how do we get recognition for this dance as a credible art form? Considering a large part of our audience thinks we are 'whores'. Harshly put i know but it makes me so exasperated and sad. I dont know about you but i spend alot of the time trying to explain to people about belly dance, and trying to educate people but sometimes i think these preconceptions are too firmly rooted to be altered.

How can something that brings so much joy face such slander? Its just not right!!

Taheya, There is always hope in the face of diversity. I believe everyone that participates on the forum and others like it have already raised the expectations of the dance.Even Miles Copeland who is often vilified by the BD community is out there fighting to put an artistic label on the dance. I also spend a great deal of time educating people about Oriental Dance until their eyes glaze over, and I'll haven't ran out of breath yet! Next time you perform, you will give everybody the opportunity to see how beautiful Oriental Dance can be.:dance:
Yasmine

 

[Shannon]

acceptance of belly dance

I find that the general public is much more willing to accept belly dancing if people are educated and the dance is presented respectfully... i.e. I always give a short lecture about the dance/history/culture and wear a body suit under my costume when performing in public. This is just my opion - yours may differ.

 

[taheya]

Hi yasmine and shannon, i agree educating people is the way to go, as well as respectfully presenting the dance.
It is just every now and then..... i get tired of having to explain things...i do, dont get me wrong, but it would be lovely not to have to for a change!