|
Raqs Sharqi |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
...has not much historical evidence until
the 18th century but has its roots a long time back as a
birth dance.
|
|
...has been described in writing about 2000 years
ago. Many of the temple figures are standing in poses that
are still used in the dance today. |
|
...is danced by everyone at private events.
Besides this there are professional female dancers who perform
in public. There also used to be gypsies dancing in the street.
|
|
... used to be performed at the temples to worship the gods.
Still today there are special requirements to perform the dance
correctly on a stage. |
|
...has no long tradition in teaching. The
dance was simply passed on in the family. Since it's become
popular in the West, there have been long discussions about
standard names for movements.
|
|
...used to be passed on from mother to daughter in the temples
but today it's mainly taught by a guru to his or her students.
The movements are fixed and have standard names and rhythm
syllables. |
|
...gets in conflict with religion (Islam)
again and again. Music and dance are regarded as distraction
from god by strict Muslims. Besides this, a dancer is a woman
who shows herself in front of men who don't belong to her
family, she earns her own money and is not depending on a
husband. Therefore she doesn't fit in the traditional role
model. Most of the dancers in the Arabic region are married
just the same, often with musicians.
|
|
...IS religion. In Hinduism all the gods are dancing, it
is even said that Shiva created the world through dance. The
dancer leads the audience closer to god. In earlier times she
used to be married to the god that her temple was dedicated
to. She didn't have a worldly husband but could have a lover.
During the British rule in India the dance was forbidden and
given a bad reputation but now it is becoming more and more
popular again. |
|
...is danced on flat
feet or with slightly raised heels. The walk is flowing,
the feet are not lifted to high, the steps should not be
heard. Many movements are inside the body, it can be danced
on small space. |
|
...emphasises the rythmical stamps by many little
bells on each of the dancer's ankles. There are jumps and hops.
It contains many steps and needs a lot of space to be danced
properly. |
