Rania's Khaliji?

Yshka

Yshka

New member
Hi everyone,
I came across this clip a few days ago. It's Rania dancing Khaliji, or so the video says. I've however seen some Khaliji dances before but this does not look similar. I must say I know too little about Khaliji dance to actually be able to say something about this clip, so I wanted to ask you: Is Rania giving a good representation of (modern?) Khaliji? Or might it be that there's a difference in styles of Khaliji dance?:think:

I'm very impressed by Khaliji dance and I'm hoping to someday learn it myself, some insight would be much appreciated:D



----
edit: I've read the Khaliji related posts in the Dance Styles section, but still would like to know what you think of this clip. Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Yasmine Bint Al Nubia

Yasmine Bint Al Nubia

Moderator
Well, I'm not a fan of Rania anyway. Two things, her thobe nashal is too short in the back and the women's dance is done in groups.Something is lost in the translation watching her solo effort.
Yasmine
 
sedoniaraqs

sedoniaraqs

New member
IMO, this looks Khaliji about as much as her "Egyptian" dances look Egyptian, her "Lebanese" dances look Lebanese, her "Turkish" dances look Turkish, etc.

Sedonia
 
taheya

taheya

New member
I second that shanazel has anybody found any clips of authentic khaleegi, i would realy like to see some.
 
B

belly_dancer

New member
chryssanthi sahar said:
Right:clap: IMO this is Khaliji aerobics:lol:
Click to expand...

LMAO!!!!! (aerobics..... snort!)... but you guys are mean!!!! I am not a big Rania fan either, & I cannot comment on her Khaliji effort as that is not my thing.... but this is probably the one time I have seen her (facial expressions) looking relaxed!!!!
 
Yshka

Yshka

New member
thanks!

I thought something looked off, so it wasn't just me:lol: . Though I think whatever she does in that clip "looks kinda cute" (don't get me wrong, I don't think she dances wonderfully neither that this is good khaliji, but the khaliji aerobics part is nice lol if it were actually a form of khaliji-fitness fusion:lol:) I felt something was not right, and I have to admit, her hands weren't as flat and straight (I don't know if this makes sense) as most of the time and her face actually did look better than usual. And I like the song lol, anyone know what song that is?

Khaliji aerobics... heheh. So I would like to (second?) third Shanazel also, asking for any clips that show genuine khaliji.

By the way, Chryssanthi I LOVE your new avatar, you look great!
 
Last edited:
Yshka

Yshka

New member
Hi girl thank you too!! Dankuwel is correct but with only one L:D Danke Schön (I can;t say it in greek so german it is lol)
 
Kiraze

Kiraze

New member
I am not a big fan of Rania but I thought her khaleegy interpretation was just fine for a solo performance of that style done by a western dancer. Correct movements and correct music plus nice hair... not so much expression or grace as in best performances of this style I have seen but I would say that still that was better than many of the specific style of Arab dances danced by western dancers there can be found at YouTube.

Surprisingly there seems not to be too many clips available - I managed to find only this one, which is not any better than Rania´s:
 
Simone min al Akariyah

Simone min al Akariyah

New member
Khaliji Aerobics and ...waving hair for shampoo-spot

I think these two clips are better than nothing for someone who has no idea about Khaliji dance.
What shall we do? There are almost no Khaliji-clips available. I know one by Leyla Jouvana danced by her Wednesday group but I refuse to pay 45 Euro for the whole Festival-DVD.

I could provide the final of my Saudi Dance workshop for our small intimate community but I will never ever upload it on YouTube:naghty:
 
Maria_Aya

Maria_Aya

New member
sedoniaraqs said:
IMO, this looks Khaliji about as much as her "Egyptian" dances look Egyptian, her "Lebanese" dances look Lebanese, her "Turkish" dances look Turkish, etc.

Sedonia
Click to expand...


... and her "greek chifteteli" looks as Greek :naghty:

Maria Aya

p.s. and she is greek origin
 
Yshka

Yshka

New member
Hi everyone, thanks for all your feedback. I'm set on seeing some genuine khaleegy now, is this DVD from Saut Wa Soora that was discussed in the other khaliji thread any good? And where will I be able to get it? (or any other dvd's that show true khaliji/samri dances)

Thanks!

By the way, I indeed don't see much difference in style between the two clips, though I thought the group dance in the second came across a bit better than the solo one.
Some said here it's better than nothing for someone who knows little about khaliji dance, but I feel as someone who also knows little about it, it would be best to be correctly informed as to only having seen clips that show a not-that-good western interpretation. That's why I love this forum:D . I'm going to try and find some dvd's, videos and reading material on this dance.
 
Amanda (was Aziyade)

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member
For what it's worth, a lot of Cassandra's (Oasis Dance Camp Cassandra) Khaliji choroegraphies are pretty upbeat and energetic. Not QUITE aerobics, but certainly energetic. I learned one Khaliji choreo from Kay Hardy Campbell and her choreo was certainly upbeat.

Again for the record, I'm largely unimpressed with the Saut Wa Soora DVD, but maybe that's because I'm used to more upbeat and energetic dancing. The black-abayed women certainly have energetic dances, but the ones in the actual thobes seem to be doing the same four movements over and over again, and look rather bored by the whole thing. I suppose this is probably more "authentic" than the kind of dancing we're used to seeing in the US, but it just looked uninspired.

It's a wonderful video for the music, though!
 
Aisha Azar

Aisha Azar

New member
Rania

Dear Yshka,
First, this is very typical of the representations that you see of Gulf and Saudi dance both in Egypt and here. All of the movements are too big, too much floor space is covered, the dance is too dynamic for even the most energetic of modern styles and is not even related at all to the more traditional styles. She works on her toes WAY to much... and her basic posture is wrong and she does not even have the basic movements for any of the styles that I have seen. I could go on, but I think that's enough. This kind of misprepresentation is rampant and very unfortunate because it gives a TOTALLY false impression of the dance.
Personally, I do not know when I have felt more discouraged becasue people think this woman is an important dancer in the U.S., yet, I have to agree with what Sedonia said about all of her representations of dance in the Middle East.
The second clip is not much better, since it is totally misrepresenting the dance also, with all of the ladies doing the same thing at the same time as if it were a western style choreography.
Why can't people get that the dance as it comes from countries of origin is wonderful and meaningful, but when you start trying to put it into a little box, you move entirely away from what the dance is????????
Regards,
A'isha
 
Last edited:
Amanda (was Aziyade)

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member
A'isha,THIS is why you need to make a Khaliji instructional video!!!!!


Who are the resident Khaliji experts in the US? Kay Campbell is the only one who really comes to mind. I rather assume Cassandra Shore knows what she's talking about as well. Other than that ... ??

Is the Saut Wa Soora DVD a good representation of the actual dance??
 
Shanazel

Shanazel

Moderator
Do it, A'isha, and sign me up for a copy. I am working on a thobe for fun and games, and would love to get dressed up in it and dance.
 
Aisha Azar

Aisha Azar

New member
Khaliji, etc.

Dear Aziyade and Shanazel,
Unfortunately, the cost of making a good video is prohibitive. Do any of you know a decent small TV studio, get me music rights for an affordable rate, good producer who understands the dance and good director and camera person, backer to supply the funds, cover artist to do the CD front, company who will reproduce for a reasonable price and be willing to give refunds for screwed up CDs, hire me a make-up artist who is willing to hang around for the entire shoot to fix my make-up, hire a person to handle music during the shoot and a good editor??? I am sure there are things I am leaving out...???

MY resident Khaliji experts in the U.S. have been native women from the Gulf and from Saudi Arabia.

I think that BOTH of the videos from Sout Wa Soura are an excellent representation of the dance. They were both filmed in Kuwait. They both show traditional Samri dance forms from specific villages in one case and from the city in another. This is according to friends of mine who are from there. I also have seen or own footage of other styles and I teach a version that is modern and specific to the Nejd as well as modern and traditional styles from the Gulf. They are all unique.
The unfortunate fact is that so many people have seen representations like Rania's that they THINK that is what the dance is. The same can be said for almost all dances in the Middle East, actually and this is why I am so hardline about it all. I am not a BOB for nothing!!!
Regards,
A'isha
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top