|
Raks
Sharki
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
...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. |
