Encyclopedic Dictionary for the Ethnic Dance Arts

AFGHANISTAN

AHWACH TISSINT

♦ AIDA AL ADAWI

AISHA ALI

• Interview with Aisha in Habibi magazine.
• Aisha's You Tube channel.

♦ AMEL TAFSOUT

ALI JIHAD (AJ) RACY

• Interview with A.J.Racy on the folk music and dance of Lebanon at Afropop.org.

♦ AMERICAN CREOLE RHYTHM NOTATION

As the rhythms of Arabic countries percolated through the American belly dance culture, they were both modified and codified, which allowed American dancers and drummers to communicate quickly and efficiently about rhythms.

♦ AMERICAN TRIBAL BELLYDANCE

ARAB LEAGUE MEMBER COUNTRIES

ARABIC LIFE

• ArabicLit.com (in English): lists of recommended books, biographies, advice for both writers and translators, event blogs.
• Jack Shaheen: In Search of the Arabs: Habibi Vol 14 issue 4: famous Arabs in history and their historical accomplishments.
• Saudi Aramco World has been reporting on aspects of Arabic and Islamic cultures for decades. Their monthly magazine is online, and they keep archives of back issues.
• Women of Marrakesh video. Excellent one-hour documentary about the life of a ordinary housewife, both the pleasures and the trials. Public and private behavior, country family, shopping, a zar, the life of a professional dancer, the importance of a good reputation and the ownership of land... covers a lot of bases.

ARTEMIS

ASSUIT (Tulle bi telli)

From Keti Sharif, Bellydance: "In the early Egyptian cinema industry of the 1930s and 1940s . . . the dancer would often perform in a long black dress emblazoned with delicate pieces of silver . . . the baladi dresses of that era made a very cosmopolitan fashion statement. They originated in a simple town on the Nile called Assyut, which became popular for its production of a fine cotton net fabric with small plaques of silver worked into patterns throughout. It is recognised that this stunning fabric inspired the opulent European evening gowns of the 1920s... Assyuti costuming is normally associated with Egyptian baladi -- the urban folk form of dance done by women. . . Usually worn with a simple coin scarf around the hips and matching decorated headscarf, the assyuti is an elegant, stately dress that speaks of glamour and ethnicity."

Interview with Assuit maker by Priscilla Adum.

Najia Marlyz discusses the history and construction of Egyptian Mummy Lace (or Assiut Cloth), which she descrubes as a version of sprang weaving. She is very specific about the necessity of keeping Assuit clean.

"The first and foremost caveat is to keep Assiut cloth and other vintage fabrics clean and the second is to repair them promptly with 100% cotton thread if they meet with any unfortunate snags. I have spoken with many dancers, otherwise prizing their possession of a hunk of tattered and dirty Asiutte cloth, who never dreamed of simply washing it because they feared it would fall apart. Actually, the contrary is true, unless you have let them get too filthy. All fabrics made of natural fibers are attacked by microscopic pests called 'dust mites.' The mites will eat away at it with glee as long as they are allowed to do so undisturbed by the horror of soap and water -- or even a common detergent and water.

"It is not necessary to wash Asiutte cloth in cold water using only Woolite, as some believe; it works just as well to wash the fabric (by hand, of course) in warm water and a little detergent. Surprisingly enough, one may whiten the white pieces without weakening the fabric significantly by soaking them in a solution of bleach and water for 3-5 minutes. After washing and/or soaking your treasured Assiut or Mummy Lace (one of its names), do not wring it out. Instead, roll it up in a large terry-cloth towel or two and press the excess water out of it. Next, spread dry terry cloth towels on a flat surface. (I like to do this outdoors to freshen the scent of the fabric.) Reshape your piece to its proper size without pulling tightly; just coax it to open the natural holes so that the 'sprang ground' from which the fabric is made opens."

Dawn Devine: "Hand wash, dry flat. [A] vintage textile dealer I know swears by the liquid Arm and Hammer detergent with the BLUE top— called Clean Burst— I like to use Orvus, a PH neutral soap on vintage fibers... use the most gentle cleanser you can find, don't wring! Fill a tub.. swish and bounce in 2 inches or so of water.. drain and rinse until the water is clear. Lay onto a fluffy cotton towel and roll like a burrito to remove excess water. Dry flat on a sweater drying rack - or even, gently fold and lay on a cookie drying rack. Do not let it hang - when wet assiut fibers are QUITE fragile."

♦ AWALIM (Awallum)

AZIZ

♦ BACKBENDS

♦ BADIA MASABNY

♦ BAL ANAT

BALADI aka Beladi

♦ BALLETS RUSSES

BANAT MAAZIN

♦ BELLY DANCE

Morocco: “It was interesting but frustrating that, depending on the country of origin, thre was a different name and variation of Raqs Sharqui, Raqs Farrah, Raqs, Raqs Turkos, Turkos, Oryantal Tansi, Raqs-e-Arabi, Anatolitiko Horo, Chife Telli. One thing was certain, no one from the cultures to which it belonged called it by anything that translated as the dismissive American misnomer belly dance.”

BELLY DANCE SUPER STARS (BDSS)

Dance troupe assembled by Miles Copeland, a noted rock-and-roll promoter, in 2003. The group has been controversial within the belly dance /middle eastern dance community because of the emphasis on large, theatrical and prop-heavy choreographies on large stages instead of the traditional improvised and intimate performances in smaller venues considered authentic by many dancers.

The original group included many established super stars in the belly dance scene, such as Jillina, Ansuya, and Rachel Brice. These dancers have since moved on to their own projects. New dancers are emerging on the BDSS stage but none as notable, yet, as the original stars. It may be that the BDSS is attempting to build up their own brand rather than that of the individual stars, who will eventually move on, taking their fan base with them.

BLOGS

• Larissa Archer, Masha Archer's daughter, keeps a arts-related blog at LarissaArcher.com She's a sharp-tongued rowdy beauty-and-brains combination; chip off the old block, I reckon. And now that she is dancing with FCBD and publishing her father's photos of her mom, there's unique goodies for tribal folks also.
• I enjoy keeping up with Anthea Kawakib Poole's Tribal Odyssey blog as she deals with the challenges of getting her troupe on stage and developing her Tribal Odyssey syntax.
• Davina's costumer blog appeals to me, although I'm not as fond as she is of assuit, which is her passion lately. Little things like creating a custom croquis for each customer are flashes of brilliance, IMO.
• Shay's blog gets my attention because of the strong visual component.
• I can never predict what Mahin will write about but it is always interesting, current, and well written.
• Violinist .com allows people to keep personal journals on the site, from which the editor selects the best entries for their Top Blogs page, with links to all other blogs provided on the right margin.

BURCIN ORHON

• Biography of Burcin Orhon by Eva Cernick in 1995 Habibi Vol 14 issue 4. Eva describes this Turkish superstar dancer's style as "Oriental dance done in a jazzy balletic style." Her dance music included Indian, Israeli pop, and classical Western music.
• 1980s video of Burcin.
• Late 70s video demonstrating a lot of the influences Cernick wrote about in her interview.

BURLESQUE

♦ BUSINESS

CAIRO STREET

• 1893: New York City

CANDLE DANCING

See SHAMADAN, since dancing with candles and with a candelabrum share many of the same challenges.

CANDLEMAS

• Celebration of the return of life and light.
• Candlemas Weather lore: a bright sunny day means more winter; a cloudy wet stormy day means the worst of winter is over.

♦ CANE DANCING aka Raks Assaya

Men dance a more martial version, Tahtib, with one or two straight sticks.

CHINESE DANCE

• Red is Red, Green is Green Dai Dance. Dai people live in the southern part of Yunnan Province
• Dai Peacock Dance
• Ballet-influenced fan dance and modern fan dance
• Long scarf dance
• Described as Dunhuang Drum. Acrobatic, distinctive and good.

♦ CHRISTMAS

COMMON PRACTICE

COMPACT DISC PLAYERS AND DISCS

When making CDs for performances:

1. If the music is a multi-performer show, give the sponsor music as soon as they ask for it so they can transfer the music to MP3 player or a single CD.
2. Use only high-quality blank CD's to avoid equipment malfunction.
3. Do NOT use stick-on labels; these can come loose in the CD changer and jam the works.
4. Burn ONLY the music that you intend to use in your performance, and burn it in the order in which you want to use it. This makes it as simple as possible for the sound person. And you never know if the CD player at the venue is working properly or not; you may not be able to jump around to different tracks.
5. Write troupe or performer name on the CD.
6. Put a written note in the case with your CD that contains what a sound person needs to know:
   • Troupe or performer name
   • Number of total tracks;
   • Song name and length of each track;
   • Does music start before or after the performer gets on stage;
   • Does the music contain a false stop;
   • Does the music end before or after the dancer exits the stage.
   • Make a copy and BRING them both.
   • Bring your zills as back-up music.

CONCHI

CONVIVENCIA

La Convivencia is a popular theme for Spanish / MED fusion presentations.

1. A short online paper about La Convivencia.
2. Natalia Strelchenko - Andalusia
3. Natalia Fadda Tango Oriental

CORE

Known by Japanese as the hara and by Chinese as the lower dantian, the abdomen is the physical and energetic center of the body. The abdomen is the root source of our vital energy, nervous system, and muscular energy, and regulates both our physiological and spiritual well being... and produces the qi (life force) that flows along our meridians...Cultivating our hara through self-care practices such as Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, and...Tribal Fusion belly dance... develops mastery, strength, wisdom, and tranquility.

Deb Rubin and Hather Stants of Urban Tribal define the core as the entire torso, from the top of the leg to the chest line. Abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, lower back, psoas, and stabilizers of the spine.... the core is the place where the deepest abdominal muscles and deepest back muscles meet.

Deb Rubin: Physically, stronger cores, deeper body awareness, and more core-integrated movements can radically improve extension of lungs, deepen slow ooey-gooey serpentine slink, improve posture, protect knees during level changes and floor work, and create a more graceful, controlled aesthetic -- all of which are characteristic of Tribal and Tribal Fusion belly dance.

Suggested core strengtheners:

1. Plank 2
2. Spinal Roll-ups

♦ COSTUME MAKING in the Many-Colored-Land

1. Outlines make crayon pictures look better. Trim, baby, trim!
2. If you can't climb a tree in it you won't have as much fun at the after-party.
3. If you can't put it in the washing machine you'll be tempted to wear it dirty.
4. Be sure to put pants on before you get on the swing!

Dances genres seen through the eyes of a costumer:

• What's the difference between ballet and modern? Seven yards of boning.
• What's the difference between beladi and raqs sharki? If you can't see what the dancer is doing under her galabeya, it's beladi.
• What's the difference between goth and tribal? Goth accoutrements LOOK scary, but tribal accoutrements are defensive weapons.
• What's the difference between ballet and belly dance? Ballet: clinch the center in, make sure the skirt cannot ride up. Belly dance: leave the middle uncovered, make sure the skirt doesn't fall down.
• What's the difference between Lucy and Dina? Dina knows how to position the bottom of her skirt to show off her shimmies to best advantage!

DALCROZE

1. Rhythm and Music by Jaques-Dalcroze, 1921.
2. MusicKinesis Contemporary Dalcroze method.

♦ DANCE INDEX

DAVID ROBERTS

David Roberts, a Scotsman, traveled to Egypt and the Holy Land in the mid-1800s to paint the monuments, architecture and people. "After more than 150 years his paintings are still the most beloved and popular illustrations of Egypt and are highly sought after by collectors."

• David Roberts online museum tour.
• His work includes the famous Dancing Girls at Cairo and The Letter Writer.

DAY of the DEAD

♦ DEBKE (aka DABKE)

Debke ( also transliterated dabka,dabki and dabkeh) is an Arab folk dance native to the Levant countries only. A line dance, it is widely performed at weddings and joyous occasions.

♦ DELSARTE System of Expression

"Wise men read very sharply all your private history in your look and gait and behavior. The whole economy of nature is bent on expression. The telltale body is all tongues. " -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

♦ DENISHAWN

DINA

One of the current three Egyptian female belly dance superstars (Lucy and Fifi Abdo would be the other two). Her beauty, talent and fame have (so far) ensured that she is free to perform and travel and -- to voice her opinion to the newspapers.

• Habibi 1993 interview with Dina.
• Video of Dina performing to a live band.
• Video of Dina performing to a live band with her signature lyricism and in one of her signature short costumes.

DIATONIC SCALE

DORIS HUMPHREY

• Doris Humphrey biography online.

♦ DRUM SOLO

Drum solo is the name for a dance performed by a belly dancer to drum rhythms. It is a duet between the dancer and a drummer. The dancer is expected to be focused on the drumming, interpreting with her body what the drummer plays with her hands.

EDWARD FITZGERALD

The translation is a good deal FitzGerald's own creation, something he himself did not hide. The illustrators Elihy Veder and Edmund Dulac provided early and still very popular illustrations for FitzGerald's translation.

• Biography at Britannica.com.
• 1859: RUBAIYAT of OMAR KHAYYAM, as translated by Edward FitzGerald, has been the inspiration for countless Orientalist illustrations.

EDWARD LANE

Britain's most renowned scholar of the Middle East. Active in the mid 1800s.

• Biography at SaudiAramcoWorld.com.
• An Account of The Manners and Customs of The Modern Egyptians. Written In Egypt During the Years 1833-1835.
• The Arabian Nights Entertainments in pdf format, with 600 original woodblocks.
• Thousand and One Nights (as above) in html format without illustrations.

EDWINA NEARING

• Ghawazee on the Brink of Extinction, Habibi Magazine, 1993, print and web.
• A Future for the Past: Cairo's New School for Traditional Music and Dance, Habibi Magazine, 1993, print and web.
• Index of Nearing's articles on the Banat Maazin Shawazee on Gilded Serpent.com.

EGYPTIAN DANCE

♦ EGYPTIAN BELLY DANCE (Raks Sharki and Beladi)

♦ GHAWAZEE, Egyptian Gypsy tribe famous for their dancing and music.

EGYPTIAN CINEMA

• 2011 interview with Joseph Fahim & Rania El Malky on the History of Egyptian Film at afropop.org.

ELENA LENTINI

Elena started with Middle Eastern Dance in the late 1960s and has over the past three decades developed her own distinctive and inspiring dance style, incorporating Middle-eastern dance, mime, Spanish and Moorish dance, and modern interpretative dance to create spell-binding performances. 1981 Video dancing to Scott Wilson music.

ELIZABETH COOPER 1877-1945

Elizabeth Cooper traveled widely and wrote much. She was not, by the standards of our age, a dispassionate observer. Her observations were shaped by her approval of the Oriental woman's dedication to family, children and home; but she was adamant in her conviction that a good education and the freedom to earn a living and participate in the world's affairs was necessary to female welfare. Humdrum, yes? but at the time this book was published, American women had not yet won the right to vote, and many health professionals were still convinced that the stress of study involved in a college education would injure a girl's nervous and reproductive system. The Harim and the Purdah presented an extreme version of what conventional Western society thought was a woman's proper sphere, and did not represent it as desirable.

From a review of The Women of Egypt by David Buel in The Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, 1915:

"The record of a western woman's attempt to penetrate the seclusion of the Egyptian harem and learn from the Egyptian woman herself what her life is and how she looks upon life. The attempt is most praiseworthy and was quite thoroughgoing, and yet little that is new to those familiar with the subject has been uncovered. It has long been known that Moslem women approve of their own enclosure in the home, and are strenuous upholders of it; that the freedom of the Moslem husband to divorce his wife and to introduce other wives into his family is the pivot upon which the family life of Islam turns. The familiar intercourse of the writer with Egyptian women of all classes throws pathetic interest over the position of women in the Mohammedan world."

From the chapter on 'Indian Social Life' in the book The Harim and the Purdah, written by Elizabeth Cooper and published in 1915:

"In many of the temples, besides the priests who minister to the gods, are dancing girls, whose duties are to dance at the shrines, sing hymns, and generally delight the gods. They are a recognized religious institution, and are honoured next to the priests. They are obtained when quite young by purchase or by gift. Often in times of famine a girl is sold to the temple, that her price may save the rest of the family from starvation. One is given that all may live. In other cases a girl is often a thankoffering given to the gods because of recovery from sickness or great tribulation. A rich man, instead of presenting his own daughter, would buy the daughter of some poor family and present her. These girls, who have no word to say in regard to the disposal of their persons, are public women, and the gains of their profession go towards the support of the temple. If there should be children born to these professional dancing girls, they are brought up in their mother's professions, very much as were the children born to the priestesses of Aphrodite in the temples of Alexandria.

"These dancing girls share with their sisters, the nautch girls, the only real freedom given to Indian women. The latter are taught to read and write, to play musical instruments, and to make themselves attractive and charming to men. They come and go freely, mingling with both men and women. They are found at all feasts and public ceremonies, and have a very definite and honourable place in Indian society. Whatever discredit may be attached to her calling, she is considered a necessary adjunct to the temple and the home. Her presence at weddings is considered most fortunate, and in some castes it is the nautch girl who fastens the tali around the neck of the bride, a ceremony similar to placing the wedding ring upon the finger. She holds the center of the stage at all entertainments given in hounour of guests. While we were in a native province ruled by a prince who had the reputation of liking wine, women and song even more than did the average ruling prince in India, we were edified by the dancing of a woman brought from Bombay at the expense to the prince of nearly one hundred pounds a day."

EVA CERNICK

FAIROUZ

FAN DANCING

• DressForFlamenco.com.

FAT DANCE BELLY DANCE (FCBD)

FELLAHI

Mohamed Shahin: The Fellahi area is in the middle of Egypt. There are four main cities in that area: Al Sharqeia , Al Behaira , Al Garbeia and Al Monofeya. The word 'Fellahin' refers to peasants and farmers. The female version of the dance is distinguished by the use of a jar (ballas), which is what these women would use regularly to bring water to the house. When fellahin women dance, they use hip movements and lots of clapping. The men use the axe to work in the ground.

Costuming for men: Short pants, since they work in the water, long galabiya which they wrap around the waist so it stays dry. On the head they wear a small scarf called 'mandil' which catches their sweat and protects them from the sun. Costuming for women: Women wear a very long and wide galabiyya in light colors. They do not show any part of the body, and a very long head scarf or shawl covering the entire head.

FENG SHUI

1. Create a warm welcome. Clean up the main entry to your home, making sure that it is attractive from the street, and that the visitor enters into a space that is well-ordered and welcoming. Front door must open easily with no squeaks.
2. Do not let the energy sweep through the front door and out the back door. This means the doors should not be exactly parallel.
3. Your stove represents your ability to sustain yourself. Keep it clean, use it often, and rotate use of all the burners. (The back left burner represents wealth.)
4. Healthy plants good; withering plants bad. Purple in leaves or pots is good.
5. No clutter; new opportunities need space.
6. Did you know you have a wealth corner? Make it so! The back left corner of your home (based on the placement of your front door) represents wealth. This is where you put something nice that represents a material dream.

FLAMENCO

• A brief description of what the potential dancer or musician is getting into from AbsoluteAstronomy.com.
• History of Flamenco from Saudi Aramco world, 1994. Flamenco is considered by many to have evolved among the Gitanos (Gypsies) who migrated from India across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. La Convivencia is a term denoting the coexistence of Jews, Muslims, gitanos and Catholics in relative peace together during the tenth to twelfth centuries AD in Arabic Spain, an event which tempered and influenced the Spanish Gitano music and dance.
• Youtube clips of a very representative scene from the video biography of Carmen Amaya, Queen of the Gypsies. As of 2015, the entire documentary can be purchased from Gypsy Heart Productions.
• Basic Palmas video
• Timeline
• Flamenco Clock
• Studio Flamenco online handouts.
• Ravenna Flamenco.com recommended by Paul Carney of Flamenco Louisville.
• Tango.

FLAMENCO VIOLIN

Not an easy task. There is no tradition for violin in flamenco and violinists making the cross-over tend to go towards lyrical and smooth and / or Balkan Gypsy sounding, which is not quite it.

• David Moreira
• Shenzo performance.
• Unnamed person's preferred list of Flamenco violinists.
• The incomparable Tomatito with violin played by Bernardo Parrilla. When Tomatito lets someone on stage then I pay attention.
• Bernardo Parrilla quartet.
• Bernardo Parrilla

FLOORWORK

• Video of Farideh in 1978 is a beautiful example of Vintage Orientale belly dance floor work.

GEISHA

GERTRUDE BELL

• Gertrude Bell Archive at the Newcastle University Library.
• PERSIAN PICTURES by Gertrude Bell.

♦ GHAWAZEE aka Ghagar aka Ghaziya aka Ghawazi

The Ghawazee were one of the most famous dancing tribes in Egypt, traditionally employed as dancers, singers and other performance artists in Egypt. The Ghawazi have been in Egypt for perhaps 500 years and during that time have made their living by music and dance. It is thought that they originally migrated from India to Turkey and then traveled on as the camp followers of the Ottoman Turks that conquered Egypt in the 16th century. For centuries they thrived as entertainers and sex workers, but the increasingly conservative Muslim culture in Egypt in the late 20th and early 21st century destroyed their customer base. The Banat Maazin family were the last to perform publicly in Egypt, but the Maazin sisters continue to travel overseas to teach their hypnotic dances to enthusiastic Western students.

GEORGIAN DANCE

• The Goddess Dancing: Women's Dances of Georgia by Laurel Victoria Gray.
• Entertainers at a wedding celebration.
• Looks like the bride and groom at their own celebration.
• Professional dance concert with a lot of vignettes. Impressive, though.
• Professional dance concert, duet between man and woman. Lovely. Ensemble Rustavi video teaser. On the web at EnsembleRustavi.com.
• Ensemble ERISIONI: a full length show. I find the live music to be outstanding.
• Georgia Production Company preview; very powerful creative adaptation of traditional Georgian dancing.
• Georgian Dance at the Teach and Learn with Georgia website.

GOLDEN RATIO

The proportions are 1.61 : 1. In short:
b / a = 1.61

GREECE

• Greek Belly Dance
• Greek folk dance:
  • Dora Stratou Theater, "The living museum of Greek dance, since 1953."
• Greek music.

GYPSY

See Roma.

HABIBA

American dancer, choreographer and teacher who has done extensive field work on Tunisian and Ghawazee dancing.

HAGGALA

Costuming for men: Very similar to Libyan attire. Men wear long pants, knee-length galabiyas and vests on top. They also wear a head piece that looks like a short red hat called 'tarbush.' Costuming for women: Pants and long galabiyya on top. Skirts on top with many layers of fabric. Hagalla women dance with flat-footed shoes because the sand is hot and mushy.

Al-Firqah Al-Qawmyyah, an Egyptian folk dance school of folkloric dance, in performance at Lincoln Center in 2010. "This is Haggalah dance form practiced in Marsa Matrouch in the north east of Egypt and parts of Lybia. In this dance form the females display their dancing skills while the men flaunt their strength for the women to choose a suitor."

Mahmoud Reda choreography.

HAHBI RU

John Compton and Rita Alderucci, the founders and directors, both studied with Jamila Salimpour and performed as solo dancers in Jamila Salimpour's Bal Anat in the early 1970's. They organized Hahbi Ru in 1991 in part to recreate the ensemble style of performance developed by Jamila Salimpour and to develop the genre further. From their web site:

Hahbi Ru's focus is on the Tribal-Folkloric style, quite different from the Cabaret style or American Tribal style most people think of when they picture Middle Eastern dance or belly dance.

• Duet at 1991 Renaissance Faire.
• At Tribal Fest in 2010. Looks like someone is making fun of someone... just saying..
• John Compton and his famous tray dance at Tribal Fest 2010.

♦ HAIKU

HAIR

Cleaning: Bar Shampoo works well on my straight, oily hair.

Conditioning by closing the cuticle: Vinegar, 1 T diluted with 2 cups water.

♦ HALLOWEEN

HARMONICA

• Bending a Harmonica note
• Tutorial on Embouchure. Playing Melodically.

THE HARVARD CLASSICS and the SHELF OF FICTION

HATERS gotta HATE

• 2:24 of Katt Williams
• For young folks
• 45 minutes with the best Haters speech at about 19:30.

HELENE ERIKSON

HERBS

National Herb Garden

♦ HIJRAS

HISTORY

• Nineteen famous lectures on Modern Western History by Lord Acton.
• Arab Kitsch, a "a chronicle of the durability of Arab and Middle Eastern stereotypes in American popular music spatially from 'the Road to Morocco' to 'Hindustan' and chronologically from 'the shores of Tripoli' to the Persian Gulf and Iraq/Afghanistan... The searchable directory includes lyrics from hundreds of popular American songs and instrumental pieces (marches, rondos alla turka, etc.) dealing with the Middle East (any area or country from Morocco to Afghanistan, with extensions into Turkistan and Hindustan).
• 5000 years of Middle Eastern History from MapsOfWar.com.
• This Land is Mine is Yours video from Nina Paley: the history of war in the Middle East in one intense cartoon.
• Aisha Ali highly recommends Leona Wood's articles on the history of BD, first published in Arabesque Magazine.
  • Danse du Ventre: a Fresh Appraisal, Part I
  • Danse du Ventre: a Fresh Appraisal, Part II

♦ HORACIO CIFUENTES

HULA

"To the Hawaiian, dancing is not primarily merely a form of amusement, but was, together with singing and music, the entire education of the people. The scope then, being religious and educational, is identical with that of the dances of China and India... Every gesture has a meaning established by tradition. The Liliu E was composed to exalt Queen Lilioukalani and, with slow and sober dignity, declaims the beauties of body and mind of Her Majesty. The feet are somewhat livelier than further East, as befits an outdoor people, yet they are always and entirely a subservient accompaniment to the softly-waving arms and swinging hips... For the Hawaiian swings her hips to swing her skirt, and when a long row of dancers sway the supple strands in unison the effect is very lovely indeed. But it is the arms upon which is expended the greatest care. They writhe like serpents; they curve like a swan's neck; the slender fingers open and close like blossoming flowers on a subtle wrist. This undulation of arm is, indeed, the virtuosity of the hula and is practised, scarcely with less grace, by men as well as by women. Contrary to the interpretation of some Western dancers, the Hawaiian never shakes either her head, hands, or shoulders." La Meri, Dance as an Art-Form, 1933.

• Hula Costuming technique and lore.

HUMOR

• The web site of the magnificent award-winning Couscous, the cheapest belly dancer in Sacramento!
• The Law of Belly Dynamics at beledy.net.
• Hafla Jokes at hasani.net.

IBRAHIM FARRAH, 1939-1998

"Mr. Farrah currently resides in New York City where he has taught at Carnegie Hall and other studios, and has conductedn umerous seminars. He often gives master classes at colleges and universities through their dance departments. Other performances have been given at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the United Nations, Clark Center for the Performing Arts, various cultural centers, and numerous college concerts. Mr. Farrah was recently chosen as the chorographer for the Arab Immigrant Theatre of Fine Arts, the first all Arabic-spoken theatre in America, and was also chosen to perform with the LEbanese folklore trupe for the Bicentennial celebration under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution with the 'American -- the Multing Pot' theme in Washington D.C. during the summer of '75. He was awarded a Doris Duke Foundation grant for study and research, and established the Near East Dance Group. He has been featured and intreviewed on ABC, CBS, NBC and other major television networks." -- Arabesque Magazine, Publisher's Biography, 1975

Obituary in Habibi Magazine.

Obituary in the New York Times.

IBRAHIM TURMEN

• 2008 collaboration with Askin Serbetci and Omar Faruk Tekbilek: Play Your Cymbals CD.
• Hoja in Southern Dancer Magazine, Sept 1981 (Vol 2 #12): A couple of anecdotes about a famous trickster / wise man from 12th century Turkey.
• Zils, How and When to Use Them in Southern Dancer Magazine, Oct 1981 (Vol 3 #1). A well-written overview of Zills and when to use them.
• 1980: Published A Practical Workbook for the Finger Cymbals.

INDIAN DANCE

• BHANGRA.
• BHARATA NATYAM.
• BOLLYWOOD .
• DANDIYA.

IMPROVISATION

IQA'AT

IRANIAN DANCE

ISADORA DUNCAN

• Isadora Duncan biography.

MAHMOUD REDA

Mahmoud Reda was artistic director and choreographer of the Egyptian dance company, the Reda Troupe, from 1959 to 1990. He was famous for his ability to translate Egyptian folk dances into choreographies for the large stage. "When you watch the real thing, you will be happy because you can join, because you can sing with them, you can even clap with them, so you feel happy. But if you buy a ticket at the opera house and sit, you don't expect to see this. Any normal thing, you put it on stage, is not normal. You can not bring a tree from its place and put it on stage, or a house and put it on stage. Even the people, when you bring them, the real folkloric dancers, put them on stage, they look odd, they look strange. Their costumes, they don't know where to look, they don't know, and if they do their things, it's very monotonous." -- from an 2003 interview by Morocco.

The Reda troupe started out as a family affair; Ali and Mahmoud Reda, their wives, Nahdeeda and Farida Fahmy, and their mother-in-law, Khadija Fahmy (supervising costumes and props and chperoning the female dancers).

The first performance was in 1959. The troupe became world-famous, growing to 150 dancers, musicians and technicians and travelling to more than 50 countries.

The Troupe became a government entity in 1961, which was at that time a productive change. However, over the years, bureaucratic control developed that proved fatal to the group as it was then organized. In 1990, Reda, who was officially a government employee, was forced to retire because he was 60. Ms Farida Fahmy,writing in her biography of Mahmoud Reda: "The Reda Troupe was the pioneer dance troupe. It set in motion the creation of folkdance groups in the provinces, universities and schools all over Egypt. Sadly, today the Reda Troupe exists in name only... the government bureaucracy and red tape that had already created many obstacles to thwart further artistic developments put Mahmoud Reda on pension in 1990. The Reda Troupe was subsequently left in the hands of members of the Troupe that possessed no drive, talent or artistic tendencies. All the teachers and choreographers that have emerged from the Reda Troupe, as well as, other dance groups, have not produced any remarkable innovations to date; their works only continue to perpetuate the Reda style, technique and teaching methods."

Mr Reda still tours all over the world teaching workshops.

Morocco's book, You Asked Aunt Rocky, includes a 10-page transcript of her interview with Mahmoud Reda in 2003: just one more reason to buy this excellent book. The online version of the interview is on her website.

• Brief Biography of Mahmoud Reda as presented at the 2010 Sphinx Festival.
• Farida Fahmy Facebook page.
• Interview with Mahoud Reda trailer.
• Online biography of Mahmoud Reda by the Reda Troupe's lead dancer (and wife of Mr.Reda's brother) Farida Fahmy.
• Sphinx Festival website featuring videos and publications with and about Reda's work. Ms Fahmy was a close collaborator (and principle female dancer) with Reda and has made it a mission to explain and maintain the legacy of the Reda troupe. Keti Sharif works closely with her on these efforts.
• Multi-part interview of Reda by Shira, originally published in Zaghareet and now posted on Shira.net.
• Morocco's 2003 interview with Mahmoud Reda, archived on her website.
• Reda Troupe and Egyptian National Identity in the Twentieth Century, Lauren Marie Siebert, originally on Blue Camel but now archived.

MAKEUP

• Fat Chance Belly Dance has put their Old School makeup and costuming video on line. As in, now free.
• Wayburn on Stage Makeup: early 20th century stage makeup tricks.
• Stage Makeup by Meleah
• Dancer's Basic Makeup for Performance & Photography DVD by Azhia is highly recommended.
• Ben Nye, Mehron, and Kryolan brands are frequently cited as the best theatrical makeup source. They are carried by many distributors. NorCostCo.com carries all three. Ben Nye is said to be especially hypo-allergic.

Arabic eye makeup look:

• A search on You Tube for Arabic eyes makeup tutorial will yield a score of helpful videos.
• Raven Fire Eye bellydance eye look.
• Arabic Makeup look

♦ MAQAM / MAQAMAT

A maqam is a melodic mode in Arabic music.

• Smithsonian Folkways article on the Academy of Maqam in Tajikistan.

MARRAKECH FOLK ARTS FESTIVAL in Morocco

• The historic Marrakech Folk Arts Festival.
• Sun Festival, a ten day festival oriented towards young audiences.

♦ MARTINMAS

♦ MARY ELLEN DONALD

MARTHA GRAHAM

• Online biography of Martha Graham.

MASHA ARCHER

In a 1996 interview, Carolena Nericcio of Fat Chance Belly Dance described her own teacher, Masha Archer, as a dancer for whom authenticity was based on what she, as an artist, envisioned, and not on adherence to any specific genre of ethnic dances. "One thing that occured to me years later was that she wasn't a bellydancer, she was an artist. She's a visual artist. She has a Midas touch when it comes to creating art. I think she just happened along dance at some point, and decided to dance for awhile. What she did with the dance was just incredible. I don't think she was concerned at all whether something was traditional or considered culturally appropriate; she just had a feeling for mood, timing, rhythm, & what to do."

Masha is a visual artist who started out as a costume designer, moved to dancing, and then established a place in the world as a jewelry designer. She was not concerned with tradition; she was creating patterns with mood, rhythm and movement

Adapted from a FaceBook post by Masha Archer's daughter, Larissa:

Masha studied with Jamila for two or two and a half years and then established the San Francisco Classic Dance Troupe. She was not at all interested in keeping the dance "authentic" for authenticity's sake. She wanted a dance that she felt was appropriate for the modern western woman. She discarded certain elements that she felt were associated with nightclubs and mens's clubs (like floorwork) or that risked injuring her dancers (like Turkish Drops). She wanted a dance that [Western] people would acknowledge as art.

She kept elements she did like and altered them as she saw fit to suit her taste. For instance, she wanted feet close together in moves like the Egyptian basic, and she emphasized what we now think of as ATS posture, and emphasized the lifted elbows that are so important to this dance. According to her these were tweaks to the moves she learned from Jamila. NOW, because she was not interested in keeping the dance (or dances) authentic, she didn't want any guff from people about her lack of authenticity. So she used the word "American" to describe the dance she was teaching and performing. Also, Jamila loved belly dance, but was (at the time) very pessimistic about it ever being part of a different world from the nightclubs. Mom wanted to present this dance in more mainstream venues. She had her group dancing at book fairs, gallery openings, parades, artsy parties, city hall, etc. And she disallowed her dancers from performing in nightclubs or bars (she even got an offer from the SF 49ers to dance at a party for the team, but she wasn't sure it would be safe for them so turned it down). Part of what she felt would bring belly dance out of the nightclub was the chorus, or the tribe. Rather than a lone woman out dancing by herself like in a nightclub, the chorus surrounded and protected her (figuratively, of course), and would 'teach' the audience how to regard the featured dancers. Seeing the chorus support and respect the featured dancers would influence the audience to do the same. SO the 'tribe' was very important to her, and when asked about her style, she said, 'American Tribal.'

THIS DOES NOT MEAN HER DANCE WAS THE SAME AS WHAT WE KNOW OF AS ATS, OR THAT SHE IS THE CREATOR OF ATS. [Today's] more complicated [ATS] moves are possible because of the codification of the dance, the setting down of group formations, and the establishment of cues. Carolena's codification of everything has meant that many more moves could be added to the dance form, and that the basic moves can be done in a multitude of new ways. and Carolena has also altered some of the moves that she has kept over, just as mom altered the moves she got from Jamila. But the addition of moves from kathak and flamenco, those are also all Carolena's.

From Lariss Archer's interview with her mother, Masha, in a 2014 article in Nob Hill Gazette:

LA: You started a dance company that has been quite influential in the world of belly dancing, including inspiring one of your former students, Carolena Nericcio, to go on to form her own company, Fat Chance Belly Dance, which has since become quite famous. How did dance fit into your work as an artist and a designer?

MA: Whatever I'm doing, it is always for the same purpose: to use combinations of line, color, and texture to create beautiful images. Dance is part of that, and all of my influences and inspirations, which I derive from art and folk traditions from around the world, were present in my vision for the troupe's costume and movement aesthetics, just as they were present in my clothing designs — and remain present in my designs for jewelry. It's all the same.

LA: What do you say to women who think your work is too big or bold for them to wear?

MA: I hear that a lot. 'm very tempted to blame those who should have disabused them of such mousy thoughts by now and haven't done so yet!

References:

• Masha Archer Design Studio. Masha Archer now designs and sells amazing jewelry, taking the concept of 'tribal jewelry' to the nth degree
• Cedar Sposato's picture archive of Masha Archer's early 70s dance troupe has come to rest at GildedSerpent.com. I find this old-time tribal costuming very compelling.
• 2014 interview of Masha by her daughter Marissa, in which Masha describes the impact of a probable sale of the San Francisco building they live and work in.

♦ MATA HARI

MAUDE ALLAN

Her autobiography, My Life and Dancing, is in the public domain.

♦ MEDSOK

♦ MELAYA LEFF

♦ MICHAELMAS

♦ MICROTONES

MIDDLE EAST

From the Encyclopedia Brittanica:

"The lands around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from Morocco to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran and sometimes beyond.

"The first modern Western geographers and historians tended to divide the Orient into three regions. Near East applied to the region nearest Europe, extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf; Middle East, from the Gulf to Southeast Asia; and Far East, those regions facing the Pacific Ocean.

"The change in usage evolved prior to World War II and were confirmed during that war, when the term Middle East was given to the British military command in Egypt. Thus defined, the Middle East consisted of Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Palestine (now Israel), Jordan, Egypt, The Sudan, Libya, and the various states of Arabia proper (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and the Trucial States, or Trucial Oman [now United Arab Emirates]. Subsequent events have enlarged the lands included in the definition. The three North African countries of Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco are closely connected in sentiment and foreign policy with the Arab states. In addition, geographic factors often require statesmen and others to take account of Afghanistan and Pakistan in connection with the affairs of the Middle East.

"Occasionally Greece is included in the compass of the Middle East because the Middle Eastern (then Near Eastern) question in its modern form first became apparent when the Greeks rose in rebellion to assert their independence of the Ottoman Empire in 1821. Turkey and Greece, together with the predominantly Arabic-speaking lands around the eastern end of the Mediterranean, were also formerly known as the Levant.

"Use of the term Middle East, nonetheless, remains unsettled, and some agencies (notably the United States State Department and certain bodies of the United Nations) still employ the term Near East."

MOHAMED ABDEL WAHAB

♦ MONEY MANAGEMENT

MOROCCO

American dancer, teacher and researcher, active since the 1960s. She has been a vocal and active influence for authentic Middle Eastern Dance for decades. Her dance company has received major arts grants and performed in prestigious venues. She has received awards from major dance organizations, written for many publications, produced a series of videos recording the ethnic dances of the Middle East, led numerous dance tours to the Middle East, and, in 2011, produced her long awaited book on the history, performance, practice and business of Middle Eastern Dance, YOU ASKED AUNT ROCKY: Answers & advice about Raqs Sharqi & Raqs Shabbi

In an article entitled Dancing to a Degree: Morocco in a 1989 issue of Middle Eastern Dancer, Bedia describes Morocco as holding a B.A. in Modern Language and Education and an M.A. in Political Science. She is also a member of Mensa, an unusual attribute that "permitted Morocco to perform and lecture in many places that she might not have otherwise, including museums, universities, and elementary schools. " She has traveled to and studied traditional music and dance in Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Algeria, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, and Syria." Her gift for languages allowed to lecture and teach in Spanish, French, Russian and sometimes even Greek and German." Her training in Political Science aids her understanding of the social and political climate of the various countries in which she does her research. "Her awareness of .. forces impacting a country's dances channels her own focus on dance toward reality and authenticity, rather than fantasy and speculation."

Morocco performs at the Lafayette Grill in NYC in 2006.

MOVIES

• Silent Movie collage about the origins of Batman.

MUMMERS

♦ MUSIC INDEX

1. Evolution or Disaster?
2. Live Music vs. Canned
3. Do Some Musicians Sabotage the Dancers?
4. Should Dancers Sing and Tell Jokes?

MUSIC LICENSING

• Grand Rights:
  • Licensing issues for dramatic performances such as musical plays, operas and ballet scores. "While the line between dramatic and non-dramatic is not clear and depends on the facts, a dramatic performance usually involves using the work to tell a story or as part of a story or plot."
  • More information on Grand Rights from SendroffBaruch.com.

MUSIC MODES

I Don't Punch Like Mohammad A Li W = whole step, H = half step. (On a piano, white key to white key = whole; white key to black key = half.)

Ionian. A 'major' sounding mode. The Ionian mode has exactly the same intervals as a major scale and is the most common. The most common mode in Irish music.

WWH WWWH

Dorian Mode (begins on second scale degree of major scale). D E F G A A# C

TST TTST

Phrygian Mode (begins on third scale degree of major scale)

STT TSTT

Lydian mode (4th degree)

TTT STTS

Mixolydian mode (5th degree). A 'major' sounding mode. A common mode in Irish music.

WWH WWHW

Aeolian mode (Natural Minor, 6th degree)

TST TSTT

Locrian Mode, (7th degree)

STT STTT

MUSIC TRIAD

MUSICAL TERMS

• ALLREGRETTO: When you're 16 measures into the piece and realize you took too fast a tempo.
• ANGUS DEI: To play with a divinely beefy tone.
• A PATELLA: Accompanied by knee-slapping.
• APPOLOGGIATURA: A composition that you regret playing.
• APPROXIMATURA: A series of notes not intended by the composer, yet played with an "I meant to do that" attitude.
• APPROXIMENTO: A musical entrance that is somewhere in the vicinity of the correct pitch.
• DILL PICCOLINI: An exceedingly small wind instrument that plays only sour notes.
• FERMANTRA: A note held over and over and over and over and . . .
• FIDDLER CRABS: Grumpy string players.
• FLUTE FLIES: Those tiny mosquitoes that bother musicians on outdoor gigs.
• FRUGALHORN: A sensible and inexpensive brass instrument.
• GAUL BLATTER: A French horn player.
• GREGORIAN CHAMP: The title bestowed upon the monk who can hold a note the longest.
• PLACEBO DOMINGO: A faux tenor.
• SPRITZICATO: An indication to string instruments to produce a bright and bubbly sound.
• TEMPO TANTRUM: What an elementary school orchestra is having when it's not following the conductor.

ODALISK

William Alexander's description of the Turkish Sultana, or Odalisk:

"The Seraglio itself, of which this female is a principal inhabitant, is an iregular building of vast extent; and contains in all at least six thousand persons, many of who indeed live in the city, and go there only during the day... The females of the Seraglio consists chiefly of Georgian and Circassian slaves, and are of course admitted when very young... Although the females in the Seraglio amount to more than five hundred, yet the Sultan generally chooses six or seven, called Kaddins, who alone have the privilege of producing an heir to the throne: and the first who has a son is styled the Favorite. The other slaves are styled Odalisks, form Oda, a chamber." --Picturesque Representations of the Dress and Manners of the Turks, published in London in 1802 by William Alexander.

"Western writers tend to imagine the harem as a perfumed bathhouse full of naked odalisques. In fact it was much more like an old-fashioned girls's boarding school, run as a department of the civil service; the baths may have been hot but the food was usually cold." --Jason Goodwin

OMAR FARUK TEKBILEK

"Then a cloth cutter promotion cost Faruk part of a finger in an accident involving machinery and a lousy medical patch job. Upon returning to work after healing, he was promptly shown the same seat behind the same bloodied machine. When he protested, it was final exit or swallow hard and stay. Feeling depressed yet financially forced, Faruk lights up when recounting Grace's next intervention.

"He returned home one night soon after having resigned himself to find a letter. It was from the German record label Celestial Harmonies that had released his prior efforts with Brian Keane. He was offered a five year contract that finally allowed the economic security to become a fully paid dedicated musician. The albums Whirling, Mystical Garden and Crescent Moon followed in two-year intervals, now self-produced but still featuring mentor and friend Briane Keane on guitar and as contributing composer."

• Biography at 6Moons.com

♦ ORIENTALISM

OUD

• Irish fiddle player buys an oud. Now what?
• Rock n Roll!

OULED NAIL

Refers to both a people and a style of dance originated by the Ouled Naïl people in Algiers in North Africa. Their young women were trained in the art of dancing and lovemaking, and then traveled to the cities in the company of female relatives in order to earn a dowry. After several years of saving, they would frequently return to their homes, chose a husband, and settled down as faithful wives and mothers.

Dancing and music was an important part of their public presentation. Their coin necklaces and headdresses inspired a lot of American Tribal jewelry and costuming elements.

Jasmin Jahal on the Ouled Nail: "The costumes of the Ouled Nail are always magnificent, but in an unusual way. They are heavily made up, eyes darkened with kohl, faces tattooed and adorned with heavy jewelry. Their black hair is oiled and worn in braids on both sides of the face, looped up and held in place by big earrings. They have always gone unveiled even when almost all the women in North Africa wore veils.

"The costume focuses on a profusion of jewelry, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. They are known to wear huge bracelets with studs and spikes an inch or two long projecting from them in order to protect themselves from "handy" gentlemen. They wear a spangled veil held in place by gold fillets. Their skirts are voluminous.

"They wear the money they earn in various ways over their dresses. One common way is in long necklaces. Another is to hold the skirts and shawls together with coins. A third way is to ornament their beautiful headdresses. Sometimes these elaborate headdresses are even topped with ostrich tips! "

• Links to two articles by Amel Tafsout on the Ouled Nail (Ouled Nayl) published in a German magazine, Tanz Oriental. Lots of pictures.
• Short clip of Aisha Ali performing a dance of the Ouled Nail.
• 1938 clip on Youtube.
• Old photos and postcards at the Belly Dance Museum site.
• Ouled Nail slide show on YouTube.

PAVLOVA

• Online biography at Britannica.com.
• Pavlova's influence on Indian Dance from HinduismToday.com. PDF version with pictures: starts on page 30.
• New Yorker Review of one of her silent films.

PERSIA

DANCE:

The arms, hands, head and eyes play a more important role . . . Footwork, like the small hopping step with a continuous travelling flow, is kept light and nimble. The arm positions highlight the head slides, rib cage lifts and hip moves, many of which are performed on the horizontal plane. . . . There is also a lot of gesture and mime: a particular favorite of mine is the 'Grooming Dance.' The dancer, clothed in flowing white cotton garmets, mimes the delicate preparation of a young lady awaiting her suitor. She applies her kohl and adorns herself with her finest robes, perfumes and jewellery. She pretends to sip wine from an imaginary goblet, dancing more merrily with every swig. Looking repeatedly at her clock, noticing that he suitor is late, she continues drinking and dancing with an increasing number of twirls and shimmies . . . When she finally greets her suitor at the door, she falls drunkenly into his arms!— Keri Sharif, Bellydance

MUSIC:

Sima Bina. An international performer of Iranian folk music.

• Music ensemble at festival: Del Darya Kon.

COSTUMES:

Persian costume consists of a vest worn over loose cotton glouses or dresses, with an intricate design embroidered with gold thread. The veil and small hand scarves feature prominently.— Keti Sharif

• 16th Century Coat Pattern

LITERATURE:

Eleventh century: The Epic of Kings By Ferdowsi.

PERSIAN NEW YEAR, aka Nowruz

Some insight into why entertainment that incorporates fire is such a hit at the Persian New Year.

"The equilibrium of day and night marks the start of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The holiday is the most revered celebration in the greater Persian world. (In ancient times, Persia included the countries of Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and portions of western China and northern Iraq.) Nowruz is a celebration of the renewal of nature after the slumber of winter, so to speak, and along with it the human response to that awakening of the Earth."— John Roach

"There are three parts to the celebration of No-rooz. Char-shanbe suri, Eid-e No-rooz, and Sizdah be dar.

"Char-shanbe suri means 'Wednesday Party.' On the Tuesday night before the New Year, everyone gathers outdoors in a public park. Each family brings a dinner dish and sets up a picnic table for themselves. This is a chance to see peopleyou have not seen all year in a casual atmosphere. Let me explain 'casual' in a Persian sense of the word. Even casual means dressy to some point. There is no such thing as appearing sloppy at a Persian event. When it gets darker, a large bondire is built in an open ara. This is the main event of the evening. Everyone lines up to jump across the fire. As you jump across, you shout 'Zardi-ye man az to, Sorkhi-ye to az man [My yellowness (weakness) to you, your redness (vitality) to me].' Then everyone dances together and has a great pary time.

"No-rooz is on the first day of spring each year. It is recognized at the exact time of the change in the season, at whatever date and time that might be. There is some gift-giving involved, especially from adults to children. Shiny new coins and new clothes are popular gifts. A small table is set up at home, the sofre-ye-hat-sin (table of seven S's), with a decorative mirror, candles, goldfish in a bowl, painted eggs, and seven items beginning with the letter S in Farsi: sumaq spice, venegar, green sprouts, coins, garlic, gladiolas, samanu. The traditional dish is baqali polo va mahi: steamed rice with fresh dill,fava beans, sauteed white fish, butter and saffron. No-rooz celebration often includes a large party on the weekend following the New Year's day.

"Sizdah be dar is the thirteenth day after the new year, and it is considered bad luck to stay at home on this day. All-day picnics are not uncommon in climates that allow them. Sabzi gereh zadan, knotting the greens, is a traditional game played by unmarried girls, who gather long grass, stems or flowers and then weave these together into a wreath, meanwhile chanting rhymes about future husbands, children and homes, with plenty of good-natured teasing and jokes all around. " — Rene Shojaee [paraphrased]

PHILLIP MEADOWS TAYLOR

• Online biography of Philip Meadows Taylor.
• Confessions of a Thug
• Tippoo Sultaun
• Tara
• Ralph Darnell
• Seeta
• A Noble Queen
• Student's Manual of the History of India

PHOTOGRAPHY and VIDEO PRODUCTION for DANCERS

POETRY

• 56 Best / Worst Similes.
• Haiku.
• Prayers and Meditations.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

• President Clinton's speech at the 2012 Democratic convention.
• Fox news contributor and writer Sally Kohn fact-checks the contradictions in Ryan's 2012 Republican Convention speech
• The President's at the White House Correspondent's Association dinner in 2009.
• White House Correspondent's Association dinner in 2010.
• 2011 Correspondent's dinner.
• 2015 Correspondent's dinner.

PUBLICATIONS

ARABESQUE MAGAZINE

Defunct. Influential magazine published from the mid 1970s to the mid 1990s. Quality of articles is uniformly excellent and often referenced by current writers.

Back copies are currently (2013) available for sale on the Arabesque FaceBook page.

BENNU

Defunct.

ADAMED was selling The Best of Bennu on CD, but I cannot find a current link.

DANCE MAGAZINE online.

FUSE MAGAZINE

Fuse describes itself as "A Tribal and Tribal Fusion Belly Dance Magazine." First published in 2011. I subscribed shortly after it started, but found the magazine too full of bewildering graphics and background images, contorted fonts, large pictures, and interviews with the dancer-du-jour to engage my interest. I purchased an online subscription in Sept 2013; hopefully this format will have more meat and less sauce.

FuseTribalMag.com sells subscriptions to a print and an online version, which they claim have different content.

GILDED SERPENT

Online repository of articles on all aspects of belly dance since 1999.

The quality of the content is very uneven, ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime. The editor's goal seems to be to give a broad range of people an online voice and to capture dance history as it occurs from the people who are making it occur, regardless of their writing skills.

The site includes reprints of high-quality articles from notable out-of-print publications like Arabesque, Bennu and Habiba.

HABIBI MAGAZINE

Defunct. Influential Middle-Eastern Dance and Music magazine, active 1974 thru 2007. Quality of articles is uniformly excellent and often referenced by current writers. Fortunately, Volume 12 through Volume 19 No. 2 (Winter 1993 - September 2002) can be read online at TheBestOfHabibi.com.

HAGALLA Tribal Fusion Belly Dance Magazine

Online Magazine which concentrates on interviews with dancers.

INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA of DANCE

Unless you have $400 to spare, suggest you look in your local library.

Their 11-page article on Middle Eastern Dance in the 1998 edition.

JAREEDA

I admire a BD magazine that can last for 33 years, but I no longer subscribe. Jareeda makes a point of saying nothing but good things about whatever the topic is. The editor is aware of this criticism and address it in her article The Truth About Reviews As I See It, in which she states that the reason Jareeda is "too nice" when it comes to reviews is because both she and her staff are not inspired to write reviews unless they absolutely love something. This may be key to their longetivity, or at least their peace of mind.

MIDDLE EASTERN DANCER Magazine

Defunct. A dance magazine published out of Florida during the 1980s and 90s by Aliza.

PINCURL MAGAZINE

Online magazine for burlesque performers contains a lot of business advice applicable to all working artists.

SAUDI ARAMCO WORLD

Online magazine about Middle Eastern culture, history, events and concerns.

SAUDI ARABIAN EMBASSY MAGAZINE

Online Magazine about Saudi Arabian cutlure, history, politics and concerns.

SOCIETY FOR DANCE RESEARCH

Journal of the Society for Dance Research for those involved in the study and practice of dance.

SOUTHERN DANCER MAGAZINE

Defunct.

THE DESERT DANCER

Defunct. Published by NORAD.

ZAGHAREET Magazine

Zaghareet is an American publication with a Middle Eastern focus: dance, business, events, musicians, food, lifestyles, troupes, books, videos. Like Jareeda, Zaghareet makes a point of saying nothing but good things about whatever the topic is.

RAQS FARANGI

The Egyptian term for Western dance, used to distinguish it from their own Raqs (Sharqui, Shaabi, al Shamadan, al Assaya). Sound like those alien, money-obsessed bar keepers on Deep Space Nine? I thought so too.

REMBETIKO

RHEA of GREECE

• Rhea of Greece biography online.
• Habibi Vol 7 no. 5: Multi-page autobiographical article about her personal and dance life in Greece.

RICHARD STEIGER

RHYTHM

"And Miriam, the Prophetess, Aaron's sister, took the drum in her hand and all the women followed her with drums and dance." (Exodus 15:20).

• Percussion Instruments used in Ethnic Music
• Starting a Middle Eastern Band
• American Creole Rhythm Notation: the key to reading drum and zill rhythms.
• Rhythm Diagrams and Descriptions: common Middle Eastern and Mediterranean rhythms in American Creole rhythm notation.
• Learning to Diagram What You Hear: odd rhythms abound but do not have to confound!
• 9/8 Dance Rhythms and Music; Turkish Karshilama and Romany 9s

♦ ROMA: GYPSY

"Roma music and dance is a community expression, where both performer and onlooker experience the lamentations and celebrations of Roma life." -- WorldArtsWest.org.

♦ RURIC-AMARI and the SAMOVAR DANCE COMPANY

RUSSIAN ETHNIC DANCE

These were posted on Facebook by Laurel Victoria Gray.

• Russian Khorovod, an astounding floating circular dance.
• A faster Russian style.

♦ RUTH ST DENIS

Her most memorable endeavor was her lengthy collaboration with her husband, Ted Shawn, in the development and promotion of the Denishawn dance company and schools..

TAHIA CARIOCA

♦ TAHITIAN DANCE, COSTUMING and MUSIC

TAHTIB

♦ TANOURA

TARAB

Ecstatic state in music and dance.

Dr. A. J. Racy: In Arab culture, the merger between music and emotional transformation is epitomized by the concept of tarab, which may not have an exact equivalent in Western languages.

Lee Ali (writing on the 1970s Bellydance Facebook page): The shows which strive to achieve tarab are by design, very long. There must be adequate time to a) develop the magic, as there is a kind of aspect almost like magic to the tarab experience. when achieved, it is akin to out-of-body (would be the closest way to describe).

Cassandra Shore (writing on the 1970s Bellydance Facebook page): Tarab is not the same experience as meditation or trance, and requires other sentient beings in the room to be involved in what is happening. That's part of the cycle of energy that happens to an audience and performers together. Trance can be communal as well as solo...When writing about tarab, Arab writers tend to write about it happening with music or poetry, rarely dance. Mostly, I think, because they rarely write about dance as an art.

Mohamed Shahin (writing on his Facebook page): Tarab is not a dance nor is it a type or style of dance. The word Tarab is a term that relates to the influence of the music. I see a new trend in our dance called 'Tarab Bellydance,' 'Tarab Workshops,' 'Tarab Performance' etc... There seems to be a need to create new genres of bellydance/raks sharqi, despite how fundamentally wrong the name of that genre is. One must understand the meaning of words before using them and refer to a knowledgeable source. This maintains clarity and minimizes confusion, especially if you claim to be a teacher... The definition of Tarab is when reaching the epic moment of a feeling derived from hearing music whether it instrumental or voice or both together expressing either joy, pain, sorrow or any other intense emotion. The feeling and emotion the listener or dancer as listener gets, ecstasies from the musical experience are called Tarab. The term Tarab is never used to describe the dance movement or dance style. It is when you dance to a piece of music that can lead you to feel the state of Tarab from hearing it. Your dance is influenced by the emotion inspired from the music. That is what we call Tarab.

♦ TEACHING MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC AND DANCE

♦ TED SHAWN

♦ TIMELINE

TIPS

In an interview published in volume 20 of Habibi magazine, Jamila Salimpour stated that the first club in Los Angeles that featured dancers collecting tips from customers was also the club where Turkish dancers would give customers lap dances.

TITO SEIF

• Interview with Tito by Stavros Stavrou Karayanni for the Gilded Serpent.
• Tito leads a group of dancers in a martial Saidi dance with cane.
• Tito dances with four sticks while flirting with the entire audience.
• Tito the Flirt but with some amazing fall-and-recovery moves.
• Group class video.
• A collage of Tito dances.
• 2008 performance with very informative subtitles.

TRANSPORTATION

• Multi-tool with a folding knife
• Mittens, hat, socks and ice creepers
• Toilet paper
• Safety pins: large diaper pins are best
• A bottle of water
• List of phone numbers
• Emergency taxi money
• Space blanket
• Poncho
• Rope
• Nuts and dried fruit

TRAVELING

Traveling to a gig is a job in itself.

You will be transporting costumes, props, jewelry, and street clothing and necessities. You will use things up, get things dirty, and you want to get home with everything you left home with.

1. Bring a few plastic bags of various sizes. Perfect for organizing items and for soggy stuff and for things like shoes.
2. Bring a laundry bag, one that breathes. A pillowcase will do fine, a large sack with a drawstring even better. You can use it to store street clothes at a gig.
3. Shoes can store rolled-up small items.
4. Careful coordination of costumes if a costume change is planned is important. Make mix-and-match an enjoyable part of your costume planning.

• Driver's license.
• Credit cards and cash.
• Maps.
• Eyewear such as glasses, contacts and cleaning fluid.
• Chargers and cords for any electronic devices you may be carrying, such as cell phones or i-pods.
• Comb, travel mirror, hair bands or clips used to control hair.
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Deodorant
• First aid kit, including small packets of electrolyte drink, anti-diarhea pills, and anti-bacterial ointment.
• Sanitary products.
• Skin lotion.

• Jewelry: hair, ears, neck, arms, hands.
• Makeup: Eyes, lips, skin, makeup remover, moist towelettes
• Hair: hair spray, ornaments, crowns, flowers.
• Costume: tops, bottoms, arms. If performing outside, make sure legs will be covered if the costume can flare up. Make sure the costume is not see-through.
• Props: veil, sword, cane, zills.
• Coverup and washcloth for sweat.
• Feet: shoes, sandals, jewelry.

♦ TRIBAL BELLYDANCE

When folks say Tribal Belly dance they are usually referring to American Tribal Style belly dance or some variation thereof.

♦ TUNISIAN DANCE, MUSIC and COSTUMING

TURKISH DANCE, MUSIC and COSTUMING

"Turquerie," the fashion for all things Turkish, started in the late sixteenth century and lasted well into the nineteenth.
♦ Turkish Orientale Belly Dance
♦ Turkish Romany (Gypsy) Dance
♦ Turkish Music
♦ Turkish Costuming

"Gobek Tansi (Gobek Dansi), which literally translates from Turkish to 'belly dance', is often referred to as a puppet dance, where the dancer dones the costume of a puppet, paints his orher stomach to resemble a face, and entertains the audience with skillful belly rolls and swinging hips that move the puppet's arms bringing the character to lie. The costume includes a huge hat which is pulled down near the dancer's chest so that the torso is exposed and becomes the fact of the puppet." Anna Maria Cancelli, Tribal Delight, Zaghareet! magazine 2011, print.

TURKISH SPOONS

UM KULTHUM

UNIVERSITIES ONLINE

UZBEK Dance, Music and Costuming

Uzbek dance has three major schools - Ferghana, Bukhara, and Khorezm. --Laurel Victoria Gray

• UzbekDance.org.
• Habibi Online article about Khorezm dance by Laurel Victoria Gray.
• Habibi Online article about Ferghana dance by Laurel Victoria Gray.
• Habibi Online article about Bukhara dance by Laurel Victoria Gray.

• Clips from 1970s aired on Uzbek TV on YouTube.
• Khorezm style on YouTube.
• Silk Road Dance Company channel.