It‟s my turn to be „it‟. Remember when you were little and played tag? And some poor ninny got to be „it‟ and do all the run ning? Amanda, says it‟s my turn to be „it‟. I get to write the lead article for this edition of the MEDANZ news letter. So here it is. Past, Present and Future: a time for reflection Middle Eastern Dance, raks sharqui, belly dance, in whatever permutation you dance it, whatever you choose to call it, or wherever it came from, has been around for a very, very long time. Pictures on the tombs of Egypt, 7000 years old – give or take a few years here or there – show dancers dressed in pleated linen and playing zills. Etruscan wall murals, Bronze Age Greek or Spartan murals, Babylonian clay tab- lets, Roman mosaics. Each and every ancient culture had a form of dance, and often it was preserved on walls, floors, papyrus or linen or vellum, in writing, pictographs or oral tradition, for us to wonder about and marvel at. And as modern Middle Eastern dancers, we could, if asked, probably fall in at the back of the group and follow the moves of dancers who performed those iconic movements so very long ago. This far removed from those long ago origins, however much we speculate none of us can say for sure what the purpose of the dance was. Religion? Dancing to please a deity that ruled their home, hearths, marriage, fertility? Spectator sport, dancing for money from the crowds? To please the lord of the manor, or his lady? To please and entice a lover? Or for the pure enjoyment of moving, expressing the meaning of melody, harmony or an irresistible drum beat? When it comes right down to brass tacks, does it really matter? Like the dance itself, the reasons for dancing have changed and evolved with the passing of time and tide; and in a peculiar paradox, like the dance itself, they have- n‟t changed at all. We dance for as many reasons as the ancients; to please the crowds, friends or a lover, for money or app reciation, to connect to the divine. But I suspect the greatest reason of all is still that we dance for the sheer pleasure of moving with friends to music that inspires us, a drum beat we can‟t ignore; the pleasure of being, and feeling feminine, and celebrating that with movemen t. The purpose of this ramble is this. We are the current generation of dancers. We look to the past to anchor ourselves, and to reaffirm our connections with our ancestors. We still dance „traditional‟ styles; Ghwazee, Khaleegy, Saiidi. We use traditional movements – shimmy, over/under/forward/backward eights. We dance to the beat of zills and drums. We have a history of ever evolving dance behind us. This is as it should be. Stagnation awaits that which cannot change, and dance is, by its very nature, a thing of movement and change. The past is fixed, static, unchangeable, but the dance is not. We, those who dance now, are the present, what the dance is now. It is this generation of dancers who have moved it in unusual ways, to include poi, fan veils, Isis wings. There is nothing to say that these things haven‟t been used in Middle Eastern Dance‟s hi story; there is, however, no evidence that they have, so for us, they are innovative. Modern dancers include movements from other styles. Bollywood, burlesque, pure invention. This too, is as it should be. We are what holds, maintains and protects the old, while providing a base on which to build the future. The future of the dance is in the hands of those who are now beginner dancers, or those yet to come. It is the responsibility of groups such as MEDANZ to ensure that these dancers are taught well, that proper dance safety is taught to prevent injury. We need to ensure that the traditional styles and movements are taught as a good, solid base for any new „sideways‟ developments of the dance. It is al ways wise to know the rules, so that you know which ones you can break or bend with impunity! With a little luck, what we as today‟s dance rs are pro- viding will last for a long time. We may not appear in mosaics for archaeologists to unearth in a thousand years, or on scrolls or in books for bibliophiles to find and exclaim over in musty museums, but many of us are „immortalised‟ in photograph or video. On you -tube or DVD. We are making a solid start on building the future. The MEDANZ Festival for 2010 is coming upon us fast. The schedule of classes is out (and being thumbed through, annotated and decided upon!), the Show (Yalla Reprise) is set; lights, camera, soon the call for action……… We have the opportunity to learn new mo ves. To meet new people, get our minds around new ideas. To venture into unfamiliar territory, maybe drumming, maybe performing. New cos- tumes to consider – yes, you like this, dear heaven, why is she wearing that! Where did she get the beads, the fabric, the ide as….. Festival is a time for socialising and for learning. For making or renewing connections with other dancers, who can support us with our dancing, and, if we are lucky, who will turn into friends who may continue to be part of our lives outside of dancing. (yes, there is life outside of dancing. At least, I‟m told so?) I have served two years on the committee for MEDANZ, but have decided not to be part of it for next year. I wish all of you who dance – whether you are able to attend festival or not – joy in your dance. Like friends who are there for a season or a reason, I hope that dance gives to you what you need, and that you give back to dance what you can. To all of us who are the present, I wish good fortune, good friends, and good dance for the future. Anoushka (aka Sharon Denfield) February 2010 / March 2010 Middle Eastern Dance Association of New Zealand MEDANZ News MEDANZ News MEDANZ News ISSN 1177-2808
Transcript
It‟s my turn to be „it‟. Remember when you were little and played tag? And some poor ninny got to be „it‟ and do all the running?
Amanda, says it‟s my turn to be „it‟. I get to write the lead article for this edition of the MEDANZ news letter. So here it is.
Past, Present and Future: a time for reflection
Middle Eastern Dance, raks sharqui, belly dance, in whatever permutation you dance it, whatever you choose to call it, or wherever it came
from, has been around for a very, very long time. Pictures on the tombs of Egypt, 7000 years old – give or take a few years here or there –
show dancers dressed in pleated linen and playing zills. Etruscan wall murals, Bronze Age Greek or Spartan murals, Babylonian clay tab-
lets, Roman mosaics. Each and every ancient culture had a form of dance, and often it was preserved on walls, floors, papyrus or linen or
vellum, in writing, pictographs or oral tradition, for us to wonder about and marvel at. And as modern Middle Eastern dancers, we could, if
asked, probably fall in at the back of the group and follow the moves of dancers who performed those iconic movements so very long ago.
This far removed from those long ago origins, however much we speculate none of us can say for sure what the purpose of the dance was.
Religion? Dancing to please a deity that ruled their home, hearths, marriage, fertility? Spectator sport, dancing for money from the crowds?
To please the lord of the manor, or his lady? To please and entice a lover? Or for the pure enjoyment of moving, expressing the meaning
of melody, harmony or an irresistible drum beat? When it comes right down to brass tacks, does it really matter? Like the dance itself, the
reasons for dancing have changed and evolved with the passing of time and tide; and in a peculiar paradox, like the dance itself, they have-
n‟t changed at all. We dance for as many reasons as the ancients; to please the crowds, friends or a lover, for money or appreciation, to
connect to the divine. But I suspect the greatest reason of all is still that we dance for the sheer pleasure of moving with friends to music
that inspires us, a drum beat we can‟t ignore; the pleasure of being, and feeling feminine, and celebrating that with movement.
The purpose of this ramble is this. We are the current generation of dancers. We look to the past to anchor ourselves, and to reaffirm our
connections with our ancestors. We still dance „traditional‟ styles; Ghwazee, Khaleegy, Saiidi. We use traditional movements – shimmy,
over/under/forward/backward eights. We dance to the beat of zills and drums. We have a history of ever evolving dance behind us. This is
as it should be. Stagnation awaits that which cannot change, and dance is, by its very nature, a thing of movement and change. The past is
fixed, static, unchangeable, but the dance is not.
We, those who dance now, are the present, what the dance is now. It is this generation of dancers who have moved it in unusual ways, to
include poi, fan veils, Isis wings. There is nothing to say that these things haven‟t been used in Middle Eastern Dance‟s history; there is,
however, no evidence that they have, so for us, they are innovative. Modern dancers include movements from other styles. Bollywood,
burlesque, pure invention. This too, is as it should be. We are what holds, maintains and protects the old, while providing a base on which
to build the future.
The future of the dance is in the hands of those who are now beginner dancers, or those yet to come. It is the responsibility of groups such
as MEDANZ to ensure that these dancers are taught well, that proper dance safety is taught to prevent injury. We need to ensure that the
traditional styles and movements are taught as a good, solid base for any new „sideways‟ developments of the dance. It is always wise to
know the rules, so that you know which ones you can break or bend with impunity! With a little luck, what we as today‟s dancers are pro-
viding will last for a long time. We may not appear in mosaics for archaeologists to unearth in a thousand years, or on scrolls or in books
for bibliophiles to find and exclaim over in musty museums, but many of us are „immortalised‟ in photograph or video. On you-tube or
DVD. We are making a solid start on building the future.
The MEDANZ Festival for 2010 is coming upon us fast. The schedule of classes is out (and being thumbed through, annotated and decided
upon!), the Show (Yalla Reprise) is set; lights, camera, soon the call for action……… We have the opportunity to learn new moves. To
meet new people, get our minds around new ideas. To venture into unfamiliar territory, maybe drumming, maybe performing. New cos-
tumes to consider – yes, you like this, dear heaven, why is she wearing that! Where did she get the beads, the fabric, the ideas….. Festival
is a time for socialising and for learning. For making or renewing connections with other dancers, who can support us with our dancing,
and, if we are lucky, who will turn into friends who may continue to be part of our lives outside of dancing. (yes, there is life outside of
dancing. At least, I‟m told so?)
I have served two years on the committee for MEDANZ, but have decided not to be part of it for next year. I wish all of you who dance –
whether you are able to attend festival or not – joy in your dance. Like friends who are there for a season or a reason, I hope that dance
gives to you what you need, and that you give back to dance what you can. To all of us who are the present, I wish good fortune, good
The jam will be run a little differently this year.
Fern is going to try her hardest to get all the drummers and dancers working together and she hopes this isn‘t going to be as hard as herding her chooks. The Jam is Not a performance, it is
a time to play with friends.
The intention is to provide a time and space where All musicians can join in and will be pro-
vided the opportunity to take turns leading, no matter what their experience. All that is
needed is enthusiasm, Fern promises heaps of support.
Like wise All dancers or dance troupes will have a chance to lead the drum- mers and call
rhythm changes.
We are going to try to create and environment where All participants
contributions are integral. To make this happen we will all need a sense of humour and spirit of kindness and co-operation. We will also need to follow a few simple rules. So you lovely dancers and
drummers, brush up on your rule of four because this is what is going to hold us all together. Dancers brush up on the names
of the rhythms and drummers practice your rhythm changes!
Have you ever wanted to try Tribal Fusion or American Tribal
Style, but weren‘t sure what classes were out and about? Well every week Pip E-Lysaah teaches classes in both styles in
Wellington AND Christchurch.
Every Saturday Pip E-Lysaah teaches Tribal Style Level 2, Level 3 and Mixed Level Tribal Fusion at the School of Contemporary
Belly Dance in Christchurch. Tribal Style Level 2 covers the essential cues, formations and movements of American Tribal
Style, Tribal Style Level 3 steps up the challenge by adding shimmies, levels and layers to the technique, advanced formations and props such as sword,
veil and finger cymbols.
Mixed Level Tribal Fusion takes students through an exciting 35 min belly drill section, which leaves you warmed and sweaty, and then into the combo-
graphy portion of the class. Combo-graphy is choreography by combination, learn a combination and then add then together with a modern twist on
musical stylings.
Saturdays, Christchurch
School of Contemporary Belly Dance, Level 1, 82a Lichfield Street, Christchurch
Tribal Style Level 2: 1.30 – 2.30 pm
Tribal Style Level 3: 2.45 – 3.45 pm
Tribal Fusion: 4 -5 pm
Every Tuesday Pip E-Lysaah teaches classes in belly dance at the Tarrant Dance Studio on Cuba Street in Wellington. Building Blocks of Belly Dance are revolving six week courses, that cover technique for major parts of the
body from ‗ The Belly‘ , through ‗Arms and Turns‘, ‗Shimmies‘ and ‗Travelling‘. Tribal Style is a class for those learning Tribal Style Belly Dance, focusing on
advanced combinations and technique. She also teaches Tribal Fusion classes
