7.
The use of various props in the dance.
In Raks Sharki the kinds of items balanced can include trays,
jars, swords and sticks
or canes.
Aside from the fact that the object in question should have a balance point
which is not too slick,
the only real "gimmick" is the skill of the dancer. No one knows
for sure when and how these
practices originated, but it is likely that dancers used whatever they had
to work with. Some of
these items had magical, protective functions in their original uses as
ritual or religious objects.
Items which made noise, gave forth light, or functioned as a weapon could
be considered as a
defense against evil spirits. Even the act of a woman putting a scarf on
her hips to accent her
movements calls up the ancient fertility goddesses. Some props are merely
convenient, like
picking up the kitchen spoons or pans for rhythm instruments.
Snakes clearly relate to the ancient
mystery cults. The snake is a complex symbol which
represented both male and female principles, and also immortality in the
form of the snake eating
its tail. It's sensual movement is a perfect analogy the the sensual movements
of the dancer.
The folk dances and superstitions of Turkey clearly relate snakes to fertility.
However, dancing
with snakes appears to be a practice perpetuated most recently by American
belly dancers. There
is a long tradition of snake handling in India, Egypt and the middle east
in general, but actually
using the snake as a dance prop is a later development. The snake, of
course, does not actually
dance. The snake does what it wishes and the dancer works around whatever
it does.
Candles and candlelabra. Light is both useful for illuminating darkness
and has long been used
a metaphor for lighting the spirit, and protection from evil spirits.
In Turkey, there is a folk
dance associated with weddings involving candles on plates. In Egypt this
has been taken to the
ultimate level - dancers wear an entire candlabra, called a shamadan
on their head, complete
with lit candles. The dance of the candlelabra is Raks Shamadan. The base
is a form which fits
neatly on top of the head. (and yes, hot wax does drip on the dancer!)
Spoons are used as rhythm instruments in Turkey and Greece and there
are several versions of
spoon dances. There is even an Egyptian spoon dance, which may be the
result of borrowing
from the Russians who were invited to Egypt to codify Egyptian dance in
modern times.
In Morocco there is a "tray
dance" generally done by men in coffee houses which involves
balancing a tray and glasses while dancing.
In Persian dance, placing a glass on one's forehead and going into a
backbend was much
admired, and was also done as a men's dance. Mohammed Khordadian, a Persian
dance master,
brought this tradition to the United States in the 1960's.
Cane and stick dances. Another type of dance associated with Egyptian
folkloric dance is the
men's stick dance "raks tahtib".
The Tahtib is the oldest form of Egyptian
martial art to have survived, intact, from remote antiquity according
to Magda Saleh.
Mohammed Reda, Egypt's first theatricalizer of folk dance reports viewing
representations of this
form depicted on the great monuments and tombs in Luxor. The long stick
used is the Tahtib.
This- thick and solid bamboo staff is known as Asa or Asaya, shoum or
Nabboot. As Edward
Lane reported: "The Nebboot is a formidable weapon and the Egyptian
peasant, or fellaheen,
carries it with him everywhere. Raks tahtib is a favorite dance at any
festive occasions, such as
weddings, welcoming parties, and harvest festivals. It is also practiced
by the men as a pastime
and used as a means of self-defense. Dancing with a cane is also typical
women's dance in Egypt
called "raks assaya". One story claims these women's dances
are a parody of the
men's stick dances. The men's stick dances are very dramatic and manly
dances - not to be
confused with the coquetry of the women's dance.
Glasses, as in drinking glasses are literally the basis for the "glass
dance". The dancer
stands upon 3 or 4 glasses and dances taxsim style, sliding the glasses
on the floor or a
tray. There only trick here is the skill of the dancer and the sturdiness
of the glasses,
which may be of the goblet or plain glass variety. The only basis for
this dance that I can
ascertain is purely as a gimmick in nightclubs, like the proverbial trick
of rolling quarters
on the stomach.
Sword dances are also performed by
Oriental Dancers. Eva Cernik, a
professional dancer who travels regularly to Egypt and Turkey, tells this
anecdote about
sword dancing: "There was a time in Egyptian history when dancers
were sold as slaves
into the courts, or as property of the wealthy. Some acclimated well,
but some retained
their independence in a very special way. They took to dancing with swords
normally
used in battle. They did not wave them around in fighting mode, as the
men did, but
rather they delicately balanced them on their heads, dancing undaunted,
expressing
themselves beneath the sword. 'You control my life, you hold the sword
over my head,
but you do not control my spirit.'" Whether this story is true or
not, it is a wonderful
explanation.
Veil work is very popular among modern dancers. Certainly veils were
used
from antiquity in dance, as discussed by Elizabeth Artemis Mourat in her
treatise The
Illusive Veil. She notes that the ancient veil dancing of the Dionysian
cult members is
well represented in ancient Greek art. She adds that it has been used
as a symbol, a sign,
and a spiritual tool and aid in reaching the trance state. Perhaps the
original veil was a
woman's hair, which both revealed her beauty and concealed it, as a veil
truly does. A
more masculine alternative is the cape, whose potential for drama has
been demonstrated
by Horatio Cifuentes. Another modern Egyptian veil variation is the melaya.
For this
dance, the costume is a short, gaudy, modern dress with high heels. The
dancer is
expected to be saucy, flirty. She can even play up the comedy angle of
being a
"common" girl by chewing gum!
Fans are a modern fusion adaptation. Fantasy and fusion style dancers
borrow from
techniques from Spanish dance.
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