Miro doing Egyptian Duet in Sharem el Sheikh

[Tarik Sultan]

A while ago there was a discussion about the impact that male dancers would have on Oriental Dance. Some were afraid that it would have a negative effect on the dance. I said that it wouldn't but would lead to new expressions and possibilities such as duets. It was argued that Oriental dance is a solo artform and there was no place for duets in real Egyptian Oriental Dance.
I'd like to share this clip with all of you. I believe it shows exactly what I was talking about. What I love about this clip is that the two dancers are dancing WITH each other, rather than simply dancing at the same time. They have an obvious chemistry between them. I think it also shows the resiliance ofg our art form and that Egyptians are more than capable of not only preserving the integrity of the art, but taking it in new directions as well. What are your impressions?

 

[Darshiva]

This just might be the sort of thing to give bellydance some respectability. I love it!

 

[Ariadne]

I think the same thing I have on the previous few times I have seen a duet with a man and woman. Just like in Flamenco while the style does not require both something is added when a man and woman dances together that just isn't there otherwise. I wish it was done more often.

 

[Jane]

I liked it very much. Very nice dancers and such a classic song. Do you think it was significant their costuming was on the folkloric and conservative side? If the woman had been in bedleh, I wonder if it would have made a difference to the performance :think:

 

[Tarik Sultan]

I liked it very much. Very nice dancers and such a classic song. Do you think it was significant their costuming was on the folkloric and conservative side? If the woman had been in bedleh, I wonder if it would have made a difference to the performance :think:

You know, that's a good question. I think the galabeya gives it a certain charm. I just think that there's something about the way all that fabric flows that gives the movements a softness that I think would be missing otherwise. I also think that in an odd way it enhances the female dancer's hips. Dopn't know how to explain it. Anyway, here's a clip of him dancing with a lady in bedlah, but honestly, she's not as good a dancer as the one in the first clip. Perhaps this isn't the best clip to make a comparison. I don't know. I love bedlah, but ther's just something about the simplicity of a galabeya that I find so charming. Maybe because ther's not the distraction of too much decoration or skin it forces you to really pay attention to the flow of the movements... I don't know.:think:

 

[Darshiva]

I think with this second one if he'd been wearing something similar to a ballroom suit that it wouldn't have been so obvious that she was wearing a bedlah (the disparity between their costumes was too big for my personal taste) but I am being really inspired by this. I love the concept of duets in this nature. I'd like to play with it, given the chance.

Also, I agree with you. She's got less confidence on stage than the lady in the gala did.

 

[Mosaic]

Fantastic! loved the first video, there was such joy in the whole dance, the pair of them truly interacted and there was a vibrancy about the whole thing. like you said Tarik, they were dancing with each other and thoroughly enjoying it. Not so keen on the 2nd one, the girl seemed lost and there for ornamentation more than anything. Miro is great though. I really enjoyed his dancing.
~Mosaic

 

[Tarik Sultan]

I think with this second one if he'd been wearing something similar to a ballroom suit that it wouldn't have been so obvious that she was wearing a bedlah (the disparity between their costumes was too big for my personal taste) but I am being really inspired by this. I love the concept of duets in this nature. I'd like to play with it, given the chance.

Also, I agree with you. She's got less confidence on stage than the lady in the gala did.

Me too. We had Giner and Astaire back in the day. I'd love to see the same in Egypt. I think they did a great job showing how it should look. I've seen other duets outside of Egypt but they didn't have the feel of intergration. I think w've been use to dancing solo or in synchronized group dances for such a long time that its hard for many of us to relate to another person intimately on stage. I think we could learn a bit from Ballroom in that respect. But I'm excited and inspired as well.

 

[Tarik Sultan]

Fantastic! loved the first video, there was such joy in the whole dance, the pair of them truly interacted and there was a vibrancy about the whole thing. like you said Tarik, they were dancing with each other and thoroughly enjoying it. Not so keen on the 2nd one, the girl seemed lost and there for ornamentation more than anything. Miro is great though. I really enjoyed his dancing.
~Mosaic

I totally agree. What I particularly liked was that the first dancer was a seasoned performer in her own right. She wasn't there for decoration and was just as strong a dancer as he was. That's what makes it so powerfull. It also felt like they really liked each other. As you say, there was a vibrancy there.

I'm enjoying wacthing Miro evolve. At first he was a Tito clone, but he's really developing his own persona on stage. I hope to see more of him in the future.

 

[nigma]

You know, that's a good question. I think the galabeya gives it a certain charm. I just think that there's something about the way all that fabric flows that gives the movements a softness that I think would be missing otherwise. I also think that in an odd way it enhances the female dancer's hips. Dopn't know how to explain it. Anyway, here's a clip of him dancing with a lady in bedlah, but honestly, she's not as good a dancer as the one in the first clip. Perhaps this isn't the best clip to make a comparison. I don't know. I love bedlah, but ther's just something about the simplicity of a galabeya that I find so charming. Maybe because ther's not the distraction of too much decoration or skin it forces you to really pay attention to the flow of the movements... I don't know.:think:

Me too, I love how the galabeya accentuates her movement and I agree 100% with you about it's charm. Thanks for a fantastic clip I loved it <3

 

[Pirika Repun]

You know I love gallabeya (and hide my body), and I really love first clip. I like Miro. Yes, he still have a lot of Tito's moves, but also like you said he add his own flavor to his performance. He also teaches "Ahalan Wa Sahalan" now, so I guess he is getting popular.

I think Miro and you (Tarik) have similar body type that different from Tito. Actually gallabeya make look you guys much skinnier than you really are. However, when I look at first clip that both Miro and girl wear gallabeya really looks good and total match for music and dance. Also Miro doesn't look too skinny in gallabeya with this girl. I really like watch these two dance together. They make me smile.

Maybe the girl wear dress instead of bedrah then maybe looks little better. I really don't know. But Miro's back up dancers are much better dancers than Tito's back up dancers for sure.

 

[Shanazel]

Verra, verra nice! Loved the first clip particularly.