Different styles of dance

[moroccan_goddess]

Is there a website or can anyone tell me the different types of belly dance and where they originated from? LOL, I know I just asked for a brain full of info but I have been seeing and hearing about these different styles of dance; Tribal, Turkish, Cabaret, Oriental, etc. and am clueless as to what they are and what makes them so different. There also seems to be a lot of strife between different types like some saying, they don't feel its really dance and so on. Just kinda wondering what's up with that. I don't wanna start a fight, just curious.


JuJu

 

[Mosaic]

Probably the most comprehensive website about dancing is Shira's All About Belly Dancing! Learn to Belly Dance! give yourself some time, there is a lot there. Also even doing a search on the forum will find lots of threads

Here are a few for starters, there will be more threads I am sure
http://www.bellydanceforums.net/dance-styles/11808-so-confused.html

http://www.bellydanceforums.net/dance-styles/10873-raks-sharqi.html

http://www.bellydanceforums.net/other-dance-stuff/4365-danse-du-ventre-belly-dance.html

http://www.bellydanceforums.net/dance-styles/9623-yet-another-thread-dilution-authenticity.html
~Mosaic

 

[Kashmir]

Best way is to sit down with a pile of videos and watch them (YouTube is a poor alternative but better than nothing). Allow yourself a couple of months . Recently I scoured my collection to find examples for other dancers and I used about 40 videos - and it really gave AmCab the once over lightly (concentrating very much on Middle Eastern styles). The point is you need to see half a dozen different interpretations of one style - and watch it several times - to get the essence. A 5 minute clip won't do it and a few paragraphs even less so.

Happy journeying.

 

[lizaj]

When researching different styles and thinking of buying DVDs ,I wouldn't rely on buying one of the Western produced ones of shows that claim to platform them. These may be very entertaining but it's best to get performance DVDs of the great and the good from Egypt,Turkey etc.
When using Youtube get recommendations from people of who is worth watching.
For instance Vintage Oriental: Samia Gamal,Naima Akef, Tahia Carioca
The latest stars Dina,Randa Kamal and Camelia
ATS:FCBD
TRibal Fusion: Rachel Brice......so on so forth

This is preferable to watching Tilly Mint from Liverpool who says she is doing proper Turkish or worse still has developed her own style based on "Sadie,Shakira and Staggering along Matthew Street."

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

Is there a website or can anyone tell me the different types of belly dance and where they originated from? LOL, I know I just asked for a brain full of info but I have been seeing and hearing about these different styles of dance; Tribal, Turkish, Cabaret, Oriental, etc. and am clueless as to what they are and what makes them so different. There also seems to be a lot of strife between different types like some saying, they don't feel its really dance and so on. Just kinda wondering what's up with that. I don't wanna start a fight, just curious.


JuJu

Tribal is American, based originally on the idea of group improvisation. It has broken its borders, so to speak, and now you will see "Tribal Fusion" as a description -- which may or may not mean ANYTHING.

Turkish is Turkish bellydance, done to Turkish or Armenian music. The underlying basis of Turkish bellydance is Romani folk music and Turkish folk music (and Armenian Kef). Modern Turkish bellydancers are using Egyptian music and exploring the music in a more Egyptian fashion, so it's less distinct from Egyptian bellydance than it was in the 70s.

"Cabaret" and "Oriental" are USUALLY words describing the stage art we sometimes call Raqs Sharqi -- which is the staged, theatrically prettified version of bellydance. Sharqi and Oriental both are used to distinguish the "EAST" from Afrangi or West -- at least, that's my understanding of the term. (I know Afrangi also means modern, but I think the general implication is that modern = western.)

 

[moroccan_goddess]

Thank you all for the posts! Been doing a lot of reading and looking at some sites. Isn't the internet awesome? lol! Also, thanks Aziyade for the breakdown of the types. I notice that some dancers seem to butt heads over particular types of dance, why is that? Just wondering.

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

I notice that some dancers seem to butt heads over particular types of dance, why is that? Just wondering.

Well, we're BIG on wanting truth in advertising. If you say you're performing Turkish Oriental dance, we want it to actually BE real Turkish Oriental dance. Etc.

The problem a lot of us have is that pretty much ANYTHING can be called bellydance, and we're not crazy about that. But there's a lot of disagreement over what is and isn't bellydance. It's best to just listen to all sides for a while and then make your own opinions when you've seen a LOT of dancing