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A CIVILIAN’S GUIDE TO BELLY DANCE STYLES
By Princess Farhana
AMERICANIZED CABARET
Until recently, this style was probably the most common style of belly dance
in the US - hence the name. Commonly seen in restaurants, nightclubs,
festivals and the like, it is basically a pastiche of movements from Egypt,
Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Syrria (as well other Middle Eastern or North
African countries) that has been made palatable to the Western eye. There
is also a good degree of fantasy involved, as many dancers invented the
dance as they went along, taking cues from everything from Ruth St. Denis
to motion pictures to Orientalist paintings, honing it all into a five part
routine, with an entrance song, a slow taqsim, another song, a beledy
progression and a drum solo.This is the type of belly dancing you might
see in a cheesey sixties or seventies movie movie or portayed in a James
Bond flick .Dancers wear coin or beaded costume, use veils, finger
cymbals, and may include floor work in their routines.
EGYPTIAN
Within Egyptian-style raks sharqi there are many sub-genres. But whether
the dance is performed to classic orchestrated music, or more modern,
Westernized Egyptian pop, this style has many distinct hallmarks, and the
dancer is always elevated onto the balls of her feet. Some other
trademarks of the style: stepping on the down beat, intricate hip
articulations, both traveling and stationary shimmies, abdominal work, and
full-body poses. Internal as well as external muscle movements are
incorporated, and some of the resulting technique is so subtle that the
casual observer or layperson may not even realize it is going on.
Technique also includes isolations, distinct hand gestures and surprising
speed changes . A dance performed to classical Egyptian music, like an
Om Kalthoum or Mohammed Abdel Wahab song may be a bit more
“serious” than Modern Egyptian pop ( most of the older songs seemed to
be about lost love) but may also include a flirtatious, ultra-feminine attitude.
A dancer performing to more Westernized Egyptian pop[ music may
incoporate bits and pieces of ballet, jazz and even hip-hop, while still
maintaining the dance’s Oriental style. Egyptian folk dance is another sub-
genre, with too many variations to even mention here. The Egyptian-style
Oriental dancer wears lavishly beaded costumes, rarely plays finger
cymbals, never performs floor work (it is actually against the law in Egypt!)
and uses a veil only during her entrance.
TURKISH
More lively and athletic than Egyptian style, much of Turkish “Oryantal”
dance is based upon Rom (or colloquially and incorrectly called Gypsy)
moves, still practiced in the Sulukele Quarter of Istanbul. Turkish cabaret-
style dancers wear full-skirted costumes that show a lot of leg and fly
during the whirls, spins and hops that are the hallmarks of this style, as are
deep backbends and floor work. Finger cymbals are usually played in a
quick 3/4 or 9/8 time signature, veils are used extensively.
FOLKLORIC
A simple and traditional folk dance, performed by and for the people in its
country of origin. Folkloric dance is usually performed (or reproduced) as
authentically as possible, but when it is altered for modern stage
presentation, whether by adding set choreography or staging, or the use of
“modernized” or flashy costumes, it becomes known as “theatrical” folk
dance.
AMERICAN TRIBAL
Also called ATS (American Tribal Style) this genre originates from Northern
California, and for the past fifteen or so years has been getting hugely
popular. Like Americanized Cabaret, it is a hybrid of movements from a
variety of countries. But what sets it apart is that even though this dance is
never done solo (it is always performed by groups of two or more dancers
at a time) ATS is (almost) never choreographed. Dancers usually
improvise, relying on subtle cues as well as intuition. Costuming eschews
glitz, combining elements of traditional folkloric costumes from all over the
Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa.
FUSION
A mix ‘n’match genre that has grown due to the “globalization” of ethnic
music- for example: Flamenco-Arabic fusion combines Spanish style dance
with oriental dance, and is performed to music that is similarly blended. But
fusion can embody mixing Middle Eastern dance elements with anything
from Ballet to Bollywood, from hip-hop to contemporary jazz technique.
Tribal Fusion has grown as a genre unto itself, with much mixing and
melding of ATS style dance with other dance forms. Costuming for this
style can range from wild rock and roll and Gothic influences to reflecting
the ethnicities it is co-mingling with; or even simple jazz-type pants and tops
that call to mind Seveties style modern or interpretive dance.
FANTASY
Often high-concept, fantasy belly dance is similar to Fusion, in that it
utilizes the movements of Arabic dance- but that’s where the similarity
ends. Fantasy is pure imagination and, well, fantasy. And it doesn’t
necessarily have a distinct look or costuming, because it is a dance
performance that has been dreamed up by the performer, a performance
not based in any sort of discipline or genre. Some good examples of
fantasy dance: Isis wings; Pharonic-style performances; dancers as
“snakes” popping out of a basket, and probably the most “out there” one of
all, Dondi’s comedy/ dance act as a belly dancing Marilyn Monroe.
By Princess Farhana
AMERICANIZED CABARET
Until recently, this style was probably the most common style of belly dance
in the US - hence the name. Commonly seen in restaurants, nightclubs,
festivals and the like, it is basically a pastiche of movements from Egypt,
Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Syrria (as well other Middle Eastern or North
African countries) that has been made palatable to the Western eye. There
is also a good degree of fantasy involved, as many dancers invented the
dance as they went along, taking cues from everything from Ruth St. Denis
to motion pictures to Orientalist paintings, honing it all into a five part
routine, with an entrance song, a slow taqsim, another song, a beledy
progression and a drum solo.This is the type of belly dancing you might
see in a cheesey sixties or seventies movie movie or portayed in a James
Bond flick .Dancers wear coin or beaded costume, use veils, finger
cymbals, and may include floor work in their routines.
EGYPTIAN
Within Egyptian-style raks sharqi there are many sub-genres. But whether
the dance is performed to classic orchestrated music, or more modern,
Westernized Egyptian pop, this style has many distinct hallmarks, and the
dancer is always elevated onto the balls of her feet. Some other
trademarks of the style: stepping on the down beat, intricate hip
articulations, both traveling and stationary shimmies, abdominal work, and
full-body poses. Internal as well as external muscle movements are
incorporated, and some of the resulting technique is so subtle that the
casual observer or layperson may not even realize it is going on.
Technique also includes isolations, distinct hand gestures and surprising
speed changes . A dance performed to classical Egyptian music, like an
Om Kalthoum or Mohammed Abdel Wahab song may be a bit more
“serious” than Modern Egyptian pop ( most of the older songs seemed to
be about lost love) but may also include a flirtatious, ultra-feminine attitude.
A dancer performing to more Westernized Egyptian pop[ music may
incoporate bits and pieces of ballet, jazz and even hip-hop, while still
maintaining the dance’s Oriental style. Egyptian folk dance is another sub-
genre, with too many variations to even mention here. The Egyptian-style
Oriental dancer wears lavishly beaded costumes, rarely plays finger
cymbals, never performs floor work (it is actually against the law in Egypt!)
and uses a veil only during her entrance.
TURKISH
More lively and athletic than Egyptian style, much of Turkish “Oryantal”
dance is based upon Rom (or colloquially and incorrectly called Gypsy)
moves, still practiced in the Sulukele Quarter of Istanbul. Turkish cabaret-
style dancers wear full-skirted costumes that show a lot of leg and fly
during the whirls, spins and hops that are the hallmarks of this style, as are
deep backbends and floor work. Finger cymbals are usually played in a
quick 3/4 or 9/8 time signature, veils are used extensively.
FOLKLORIC
A simple and traditional folk dance, performed by and for the people in its
country of origin. Folkloric dance is usually performed (or reproduced) as
authentically as possible, but when it is altered for modern stage
presentation, whether by adding set choreography or staging, or the use of
“modernized” or flashy costumes, it becomes known as “theatrical” folk
dance.
AMERICAN TRIBAL
Also called ATS (American Tribal Style) this genre originates from Northern
California, and for the past fifteen or so years has been getting hugely
popular. Like Americanized Cabaret, it is a hybrid of movements from a
variety of countries. But what sets it apart is that even though this dance is
never done solo (it is always performed by groups of two or more dancers
at a time) ATS is (almost) never choreographed. Dancers usually
improvise, relying on subtle cues as well as intuition. Costuming eschews
glitz, combining elements of traditional folkloric costumes from all over the
Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa.
FUSION
A mix ‘n’match genre that has grown due to the “globalization” of ethnic
music- for example: Flamenco-Arabic fusion combines Spanish style dance
with oriental dance, and is performed to music that is similarly blended. But
fusion can embody mixing Middle Eastern dance elements with anything
from Ballet to Bollywood, from hip-hop to contemporary jazz technique.
Tribal Fusion has grown as a genre unto itself, with much mixing and
melding of ATS style dance with other dance forms. Costuming for this
style can range from wild rock and roll and Gothic influences to reflecting
the ethnicities it is co-mingling with; or even simple jazz-type pants and tops
that call to mind Seveties style modern or interpretive dance.
FANTASY
Often high-concept, fantasy belly dance is similar to Fusion, in that it
utilizes the movements of Arabic dance- but that’s where the similarity
ends. Fantasy is pure imagination and, well, fantasy. And it doesn’t
necessarily have a distinct look or costuming, because it is a dance
performance that has been dreamed up by the performer, a performance
not based in any sort of discipline or genre. Some good examples of
fantasy dance: Isis wings; Pharonic-style performances; dancers as
“snakes” popping out of a basket, and probably the most “out there” one of
all, Dondi’s comedy/ dance act as a belly dancing Marilyn Monroe.
