Russian,Korean, Brazillian et al...

[Yasmine Bint Al Nubia]

Hello Ladies and gents, We ofetn discuss various styles of oriental dance, i.e. Egyptian, Turkish, Lebanese and American style. But what about other style that have been transported to Russia or Korea?

Do you think there is a different approach to styling exhibited by dancers from other countries?(other than American)

Can you tell the difference btween a Korean dancer and one from Brazil?

Do you think these dancers follow the Egyptian or Turkish stylings?

I'm curious because Oriental dance is so global, even in America we have fused the dance and created other styles. I think it's ironic when I see Korean dancers perform ATS. What is your take on this?
Yasmine

 

[Maria_Aya]

Very interesting thread !!!
Well I have my personal opinion that comes from observation at 6 NileGroup Festivals that i've attented and there is a variaty of different styles.

Russia:
They just love love arabic style
But its transformed to something different.
Its more athletic in a way, maybe this have to do with the fact that most of the dancers was athlets years ago.
The approach to the music is with the arabic way, the song they use are arabic, and folk arabic (mostly egyptian), and they are the dancers i've seen dancing from Haggala, to Nubian, to Fellahin, to Khalegee, Baladi, Saidi etc.
Very hard working dancers, and beautiful women.

Japanese/Asian:
(from the ones i've seen)
More modern style of Cairo dancing, maybe because for many years they attent lessons with Raqia Hassan?
to be honnest there are very few dancers from Asia that I like, mainly because they are extremly slim and some movements in oriental dance require some "meat" lol. But I've seen 2 dancers from Japan (sorry dont remember the names) that was WOW !!!

Hungary:
I believe that its the country in Europe that have the BEST oriental dancers !!
There is a massive bellydance community, they are united!! they consider and treat oriental dance as an Art, they have theatre shows etc.
I've seen great old style arabic dance from them and i can count more than 10 EXCELLENT dancers in arabic style. Also tribal and american style is very good in Hungary

Scandinavian countries:
A lot of Reda style spreaded, Suzane and Mohamed Abousebika at Stockholm do a great job with their school and they have more than 300 students, and as a result all the place around is growing also.
I've seen great group job from Finland and Sweden.

Island:
It amaze me the passion in that small and cold country!!!
Great dancers and great job, from tribal to arabic style and dont forget Sabah the ballet-oriental star.

I'll continue later

 

[Salome]

From what I have seen from video the Brazilians seem easy to spot. They seem to strongly favor the Egyptian style, and to have a more literal translation of the music than North Americans, but also, I know it seems contradictory, verrrry balletic. Also the costume trends...

 

[Moon]

Most Russian dancers I've seen online seem very "busy" dancers to me. More busy than American style I think :think:

 

[janaki]

Very interesting thread !!!
Well I have my personal opinion that comes from observation at 6 NileGroup Festivals that i've attented and there is a variaty of different styles.

Russia:
They just love love arabic style
But its transformed to something different.
Its more athletic in a way, maybe this have to do with the fact that most of the dancers was athlets years ago.
The approach to the music is with the arabic way, the song they use are arabic, and folk arabic (mostly egyptian), and they are the dancers i've seen dancing from Haggala, to Nubian, to Fellahin, to Khalegee, Baladi, Saidi etc.
Very hard working dancers, and beautiful women.
I agree with everything. Maria said. I also would like to add that many dancers have ballet background and it shows in their spins, leg extensions etc., Their approach to the dance is arabic but the music is interpreted in a busier manner compared to egyptian style.[/I]

Japanese/Asian:
(from the ones i've seen)
More modern style of Cairo dancing, maybe because for many years they attent lessons with Raqia Hassan?
to be honnest there are very few dancers from Asia that I like, mainly because they are extremly slim and some movements in oriental dance require some "meat" lol. But I've seen 2 dancers from Japan (sorry dont remember the names) that was WOW !!!
I personally don't see too much of style here in Asia. I find many dancers reproduce the work of the master they learned the dance from. Of course there are few exceptions.

Dancers from China have background in Chinese dance and Gymnastics and many dances overuse floor work and other gymnastics in their dances.

Korean dancers are differen to Chinese dancers.They are very hard working and very ambitious. I see reproduction of Raqia's modern egyptian style from some of the good dancers.

Hong Kong/Singapore: I think the standard of the dancers here is still not upto mark to give them any style qualification.

Japan has been doing bellydance longer than anyother asian nations. There are some very beautiful dancers I have seen, mostly their style is modern egytptian. Maria, just to make you and me happy, some of the dancers I have seen are curvey! They danced pretty good.

Hungary:
I believe that its the country in Europe that have the BEST oriental dancers !!
There is a massive bellydance community, they are united!! they consider and treat oriental dance as an Art, they have theatre shows etc.
I've seen great old style arabic dance from them and i can count more than 10 EXCELLENT dancers in arabic style. Also tribal and american style is very good in Hungary My favourite dancers in Europe
Scandinavian countries:
A lot of Reda style spreaded, Suzane and Mohamed Abousebika at Stockholm do a great job with their school and they have more than 300 students, and as a result all the place around is growing also.
I've seen great group job from Finland and Sweden.

Island:
It amaze me the passion in that small and cold country!!!
Great dancers and great job, from tribal to arabic style and dont forget Sabah the ballet-oriental star.

I'll continue later

Brazil has some amazing egyptian style dancers. And many otherr are very busy style dancers.

But I am sure there are gems all over the world that are not well know!!

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

I don't know how much this applies now, but after the fall of the Soviet Union, a lot of the national ballets were disbanded, or ended up financially unable to continue. You saw a LOT of Russian dancers leaving, and looking for jobs in other dance styles or in other countries. A dancer friend of mine in the 90s predicted that many of them would go into bellydance, but I wasn't savvy enough at the time on bellydance as a business to agree/disagree with him.

I know Hadia has travelled to Hungary and started teaching dancers there. I wonder how many Egyptian or Egyptian-style dancers see the wealthier Soviet nations as great teaching opportunities?

 

[Maria_Aya]

I wonder how many Egyptian or Egyptian-style dancers see the wealthier Soviet nations as great teaching opportunities?

Many cause its a BIG business.
In each NileGroup festival there are more than 50 russian dancers, and also they have Festival's at Russia with Egyptian dancers, they are probably the most busy country for Egyptian Teachers today.

Dear Janaki, the most of the asian dancer's i've seen was Japanese and Korean they screemed Raqia Hassan training !
Ofcourse i havent seen many so pls tell us more

Well about Greece:
5 are the different group styles

a) The students of Rhea
You just have to see them to know it, its a mix of old AmCab with Turkish elements. Her "touch" is so strong, that one month lessons with her change the way of dancing forever lol, she is just adorable.

b) The ones that havent done lessons, just bought BDSS DVD's plus Aziza and Ansuya and you can see just 50 Ansuya's around you lol even makeup

c) The arabic group (i'm in this one) we are something like 40 in whole Greece (while in total more than 500 dancers/teachers) we are kind of hard-core lol
Passionate with arabic style, speaking our own language that others doesnt understand about exotic things like Ayoub rythms and Assaya's, and Fellahin etc lol We try to travel as much as possible to Cairo for lessons etc.

d) The lost in space
Misleaded dancers from mis-imformed teachers that live their personal fantasy between the Pyramids and the Spiritiual Bellydance.
For them Raqs Sharqi is the praising to the higher spirit.

e) The night-club dancers
Hard working girls and boys, that have to deal with horrible bosses and try to survive, as artists and personalities.
Very hard work.

Maria Aya

 

[karena]

I'll continue later

I'm waiting for UK dancers. They're the best, right?

 

[Suheir]

I'm waiting for UK dancers. They're the best, right?

Well, Fereshteh won the first professional competition at last year's Stockholm Belly Dance Festival.

 

[Maria_Aya]

I'm waiting for UK dancers. They're the best, right?

They are the best in my heart since i just adore England, have many friends, travel every year many times.
Unfortunately I havent seen much, as my mainly research for observing is Festivals at Cairo where seems that not many come from UK (ok speaking for NileGroup mainly) or they dont perform. But we have crazy laughts with the ones that come. Heyyyyyyyy do you know Melanie??? tall, brunete? she is my competitive in attentancies at NileGroup and last festival she won me, lol

Now the live ones that i've seen was from Planet Egypt when I performed also, and I just love Anne and her work, so was a fariyty of dancers and liked them both on stage and backstage.

From what i've seen in youtube I can think of some categories:

The "still" followers of Suraya Hillal

The "teachers" that think that they are teachers (not calling names here lol)

The "trend" for egyptian authentic style

The students of Hossam Ramzy (heyyyyyy I belong in this group also lol)

I've heard the definition "DINOSAURES" and I need explaination !!! pls???

And i've seen a massive group of dancers/teachers with no knowledge, not even sense of rythm or melody etc, doing the stupiest fussions that they "sell" for authentic.

Plus great Tribal and Tribal fussion dancers

Maria Aya observing