FOLKLORIC

Folklore dance is a dance born from the traditions of a country or region. Usually consists of movements that can be learned large number people. According to tradition, folk dance is passed down from generation to generation in the environment in which it is danced. Folklore is cultural heritage of all people, reflecting their customs,Habits, music, costumes and history. Folklore dance, in turn, is divided into:

1. Performed by all people, expressing their feelings. It is not associated with theatre, but is very popular at national celebrations and weddings.

2.Performed by professionals of theatrical dance art.

SAIDI ORIENTAL - صعيدىأورينتال

There are many nationalities living in Egypt, but the hottest and most dangerous people in Egypt are the PeopleSaidi. They live along the Nile from the city of ASYUN to the city of ASWAN, in the southern part of Egypt. Men in this area of Egypt are very fond of beautiful mustaches. They specially raise and groom them because they are big and long mustache this is a sign of prosperity and wealth, especially if weapons, gold and 4 wives are attached to the mustache.……… There is a saying that goes like this: The most handsome (cool) man can plant an Eagle on his mustache.

Saidi - this word refers to everything related to the Said region in Egypt. Saidi style can be danced with or without a cane.

Asaya : Asaya is an Arabic term for cane. This dance came from the SouthEgypt from a region called Said or Upper Egypt. Traditionally, men in this area carried long bamboo sticks with them, which they used as weapons. Gradually a special male dance-Takhtib, which imitated stick fighting. Women adopted the style of dancing with a cane, but made the dance lighter and more playful, and created a separate style - raks el asaya (dance with a cane)

GHAWAZEE - غوازي

The Gawaizi are a gypsy tribe that settled in Egypt. The first significant mention of Gawazi dates back to the 18th century. When the Gawaizi were expelled from Cairo in 1834, they settled in Southern Egypt. Their music, dance and cultural attributes are markedly different from what the Saidi people who historically inhabited this area are known for. Cymbals are used in the dance. (Style Naima Akef.)

BALADI - بلدي

Baladi in Arabic means “homeland” or “ hometown" In Egyptian slang it sounds like Oriental Shaabi. The Belladi dance was performed in many villages throughout Egypt. It was usually danced in the house of a woman and for women. It was mostly hip movements. The hand movements were quite simple and unsystematic. We danced barefoot. Traditional dance clothing is a white golobeya with a scarf on the hips and a scarf on the head. Shaabi is a style that is very popular in Egypt, especially in the central part of old Cairo on Muhammad Ali Street, where many were born and now live famous artists. This is the style of such famous dancers as Nagwa Foad, Fifi Abdu, Zinat Olwy.

KHALIGI - خليجي

Khaliji means “bay”, and in the dance world this word is used to describe music and dance style from the Gulf/Arabian Peninsula area: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman. This group of dances is performed by women and the emphasis is placed on the beauty of the dancer's costume and hair. Movements include precise, rapid shoulder shakes, hand clapping in varying rhythms, and varying steps. Traditional clothing for this style is Abaya (fustan khalig).

NUBIA - نوبة

Nubia, known in ancient times as the Kingdom of Kush, stretches south from Aswan to the capital of Sudan, Khartoum. The Nubians, darker-skinned than the Egyptians themselves, have their own language, culture and traditions. Aswan is the sunniest place in Egypt. It is located in the south of the country and was a border town in ancient times. Life here moves slowly. It's nice to take a walk along the embankment or by boat along the Nile, sit in a restaurant right by the water, and listen to ancient Nubian music. Nubian dance is a group dance. Colorful costumes, special unusual rhythm. Nubia people are very cheerful and always love to dance together. At weddings, hundreds of people gather and everyone dances together.

Nubia is the name of a city and region in southern Egypt. Nubia is located on the border with Sudan. Nubian dance is a group dance. It's mostly hip movement. Nice hand system. A special unusual rhythm, mostly fast (similar to the Khaliji rhythm). Dof (tambourine), Khus (reed plate) are used as dance accessories.

SIWA - سيوة

Siwa is one of the dance styles of Arab Bedouins. On the border with Libya and Africa, in the Sahara desert, among the mountains there is the Bedouin settlement of Siwa. Until recently, Siwa was the most inaccessible of Egypt's oases. It is also one of the most unusual oases. The people of Siwa have their own culture and customs; they speak a Berber language, which is different from Arabic. Most women wear traditional clothes and silver jewelry. Translated in Arabic, the name of the settlement “wahet siwa” sounds like “an oasis in the city.” Siwa is the name of the city and the people. In the dance, the main emphasis is on the movements of the hips. This style of dance is practiced by a narrow circle of professionals. Traditional clothing for this style is a knee-length golobeya + trousers, a head scarf covering half of the face. Women love to use a lot of hand accessories (just like Gulf women).

HAGGALA - حجالة

Haggala is the style of the Bedouins who live in the oases of the Sahara. Haggala translates as “to jump.” This is a very energetic dance that places emphasis on hip movements. Movements include hand clapping and jumping (jumping is primarily used by men). The male haggala dance is reminiscent of Dabka*.Traditional clothing for this style is a dress + skirt with lots of flounces.

ANDALUSIAN - أندلسي

Andalusia was the name given to the southern part of Spain, which was occupied by the Arabs for 800 years. This dance was formed there and acquired characteristic features flamenco. By the way, one of the versions of the origin of the word flamenco is from the Arabic “fallah man gu” - a singing peasant. This style of dance is performed accompanied by beautiful, rhythmic and soothing music, respectively, in a costume that emphasizes the ease of each movement.

DABKA - دبكة

Dabka is a fiery folk dance from Lebanon, an indispensable element of folk festivals from antiquity to the present day. Dabka is predominantly a male dance.

ALEXANDRIА - الاسكندراني

Alexandria Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria has more Mediterranean than eastern features. The spirit and culture of the city is different from the rest of the country, although it is only 225 km from Cairo. Translated into Arabic, Alexandria sounds like “Eskandarani”. Eskandarani's dance style is very fun, fiery and playful. The traditional clothing for this style is a dress and cape (Melaya). Melaya part national clothes women of Alexandria.

SHAMADAN – شمعدان

In Egyptian slang the name of this style soundslike “Avalem”. The full name is “Raqs el Shamadam” - dance with a candelabra. It has been danced in Egypt for a long time. A large patterned candelabra with lit candles is carried on the head of a dancer at a wedding, illuminating the path to a happy life for the young family life. The art of isolated movements of the hips, chest and the softness of the step is amazing when a girl dances with a candelabra - after all, it should be motionless! You just need to think through the costume very carefully so as not to set it on fire or ruin it with dripping wax. Traditional costume for this style, bloomers + top or long dress with a tight top and wide bottom.

FARAONIC DANCE

Seven thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians already knew how to danceand this is depicted on their frescoes and the walls of all ancient temples. “We still don’t know exactly how the ancient Egyptians danced, but we can suggest how they began a dance phrase and how they ended it, drawing inspiration and imagination from current Egyptian choreographers, we create movements and sequences based on what we saw on these ancient frescoes.” . (quote from the book “Dance in Egypt” by Mr. Nabil Mabrouk, a famous master choreographer and lecturer on the history of oriental dance).

Raks el sharqi

“ Or else they call it “Oriental Belly Dance”. The literal translation from Arabic is “belly dance” i.e. that part of the body that is located from the navel to the hips. In some countries, including Russia, this dance is called Belly Dance, although this is incorrect. There are many versions of why this dance is called that way. There may not be an exact translation for the word “belly” in other languages. Why Belly Dance? The name of this type of dance also comes from the name “Baladi”, which in Arabic means “homeland” or “hometown”. The Baladi dance was danced in many villages around the world.this Egypt. Usually it was danced in the house of women for themselves or for their friends. It was mostly hip movements. The hand movements were quite simple and unsystematic. We danced barefoot. Since 1921, the “Beladi” style acquired another name: “Oriental Shaabi”. This style was very popular in Egypt, especially in the central part of old Cairo on Muhammad Ali Street, where many famous artists were born and now live. This is the style of such famous dancers as Nagwa Foad, Fifi Abdu, Zinat Olwy. Of course, over these 80 years, the dance style has been modernized, mixed with other oriental styles, but we should not forget that “Raks el Sharqi” or “Oriental Belly Dance” is part of Egyptian Folklore. And Egyptian folklore has more than 25 types of dance, and all dances are danced mainly by that part of the body called “belly”.

Tabla

It is impossible to imagine the East without the Arabic drum called Tabla. The sound of this instrument can be heard everywhere, wherever you are in the East: On the street, in the market, in a cafe, in the barn.able, at any Arab wedding…..

Tabla is the most popular and famous Arabic instrument. This instrument is the heart of oriental music and dance. Extremely loved and adored in Russia. Maybe because the sound of this instrument resembles a heartbeat….

There are 9 different tabla rhythms, which, unfortunately, no one knows about in Russia. For now, this remains the privilege of the Arab-Egyptians. I hope that in the near future a true school for learning to play this “magic” instrument will open in Moscow.

Dance with a scarf

acting skills. The scarf is also a background to highlight the beauty of the body and movement. This is also what hides in order to be revealed later.
It is very important for the dancer to feel the scarf not as part of the costume, but as part of her body.
There are many types and forms of scarves: Malaya, Gulf and others.
The scarf is so clearly associated with oriental dance that it seems as if it has always been there. However, historians cannot find ancient roots for this type of dance. The Egyptians say that the scarf may have even come from Russia. In the 1940s, Egypt's ruler Farukh invited Russian ballerina Ivanova to teach his daughters the art of ballet. Ivanova taught a famous Egyptian dancer named Samia Gamal a beautiful entrance with a scarf and some movements with it, and the scarf took root in Egypt.
Western dancers work with the scarf in great detail, wrapping themselves in it and revealing themselves seductively. The fairy tale is alive in the European consciousness: the East, the harem, the bodies of beautiful women are hidden by expensive fabrics... The Egyptians themselves use a scarf only to go on stage, and after 30-60 seconds they throw it aside. Western style seems tasteless to Eastern audiences and is too reminiscent of striptease. Russian girls work in a kind of intermediate manner.

Dance with c imbalami (Sagat)

Cymbals are one of the most ancient musical instruments in the form of two pairs of wooden or metal plates. The dancer uses their sound as musical accompaniment to her dance.
Sagat (or dulcimer) require a good knowledge of traditional music and rhythmic patterns. Sagat are distant relatives of Spanish castanets, only made of metal. The performer manages not only to dance, but also to accompany herself with the ringing of sagatas. You can also add your own rhythm to the music by playing the tambourine or tambourine.

Saber Dance

This is a rather complex dance. The contrast looks very interesting: feminine belly dancing and the formidable edged weapons of eastern warriors. However, girls do not make combat movements with a saber; they usually use it for beautiful balancing on the head, stomach or thigh.The women who accompanied the men on military campaigns entertained them at night in their tents by dancing with weapons. Western researchers are bringing us down to earth again. They say that everything came from a painting by the 19th-century French orientalist Jerome, which depicted a girl with a saber in a dancing pose. We, of course, will think as we want, but we must know that neither in Egypt, nor in Turkey, nor in Lebanon is the saber very popular among dancers. But there is a male dance with a saber, where they wave the saber, but never balance it either on the head or on other parts of the body.

Dance with fire

Continuation of the cult of fire. Candles or scented oil lamps can be used. As a rule, they dance with thick, bright candles. A lamp with a candle, reminiscent of Aladdin's lamp, also looks great in a dance.

Dance with a snake

A less common dance is the snake dance. It’s quite difficult to dance with such an “attribute”. It takes a lot of skill, courage and experience to handle a snake.
A snake can keep a girl company in a dance. To see what this looks like, look no further than the movie From Dusk Till Dawn, where Salma Hayek dances with an albino python. Of course, this was again invented by the West, who is greedy for small effects. Perhaps when we too have so many dancers that they will have to compete for jobs even by such means, snakes will also become somewhat widespread.

Cleopatra.ru

At the word "oriental dances" we immediately recall enchanting beauties in shalwars, shrouded in a misty haze of incense... Thousands of years ago, houris seductively swaying their hips were a symbol of temptation and passion. What is the modern fate of oriental dances?

Escaping from a bee

Back in the tenth century gypsies brought oriental dances to Egypt, and from Egypt they subsequently spread throughout Asia. Therefore today It would be wrong to talk about oriental dances as a holistic phenomenon: all the peoples of the Middle East have their own original culture and history, which left its mark on the styles and variations of dance.

There is a wonderful legend that Once during a dancer’s performance a bee flew under her clothes. The frightened girl, without stopping her performance, began to rotate her stomach and shoulders to drive away the insect. The audience was delighted and demanded a continuation. This is how the first prototype of oriental dance was born.

In the twentieth century, Hollywood began to gradually promote the popularization of oriental dance. Many movie musicals and shows were created in which delightful seductresses with bare midriffs participated, whose languid glances provoked respectable gentlemen to get rid of complexes and unnecessary details of clothing. The intrigued public did not fail to soon elevate oriental dance to the rank of stage art.

IN In the 60s of the last century, oriental dances were resurrected from oblivion, having migrated from harems to dance studios all over the world. Soon in the USA was born the general name for modern oriental dances is "bellydance" , or "belly dance". The melting cross-cultural crucible of this country allowed new genres and styles to be born.

On at the moment the most common oriental dance styles are Saidi(shepherd dance) , Ghawazee(gypsy dance) , and Baladi(dance of Upper Egypt). Some of these styles are original exotic alloys of various directions and forms: they involve working with scarves, swords and sticks. Certain genres of oriental dance involve decorating hands and feet with henna and special stickers. (bindi).

Soon the style branched off from the main direction of oriental dances Tribal(tribal), which uses movement, music and costumes from a wide variety of cultures and eras, and offers stylistic freedom of variation in the choice of costume. In contrast to bare midriffs and beaded pendants, tribal offers coins, tassels and a covered belly.. Tribal said “yes” to artistic experimentation: he brought fashionable elements of popular culture into the style of oriental dance - tattooing and piercing.

Modern research convincingly proves that Oriental dancing not only helps to increase blood circulation in the pelvic organs and bring all parts of the spine back to normal, but also serve as an excellent prevention of complications during childbirth and qualitatively improve sexual life.

In addition, oriental dances today are one of the best psychological practices for bringing body and soul into harmony. Some dancers are drawn to the stage by the lights of the stage, others by the opportunity to feel desired and seductive, but most women are captivated by the opportunity. finally love and accept your body as it is.

Today it is impossible to give a definitive answer to the question of which type of oriental dance is the best. This dance is not afraid of time, time itself is afraid of its unfading beauty. How I wrote about this dance great poet Islam Jallaladin Rumi: “He who knows the grace of dance lives in God...”

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF RUSSIA

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution

higher professional education

"Russian State Humanitarian University"

Department of Humanitarian and Socio-Economic Disciplines

Test

discipline: "Cultural studies"

On the topic: "History of the birth and development of oriental dance"

Domodedovo 2011

Introduction. History of the origin of oriental dance. Development of Belly dance ("belly dance"). Styles and types of oriental dance in different countries Oh

Conclusion

Introduction

Oriental dance... After these words, our mind’s eye imagines a mysterious beautiful oriental beauty-witch, performing a fabulous dance and bewitching everyone who sees her. It is impossible to take your eyes off her magical movements, sparkling embroidered outfit, and expressive eyes.

Belly dancing...... Have you ever wondered why oriental dances are called so originally? If you have seen a dancer at least once, dancing dance belly, you will never be able to forget the magical impression this dance made on you.

The origin of oriental dance can be compared to the origin of life on earth - many legends, conflicting information and theories, and not a single proof that everything was exactly like this and not otherwise. Apparently, the development of dance was not considered so important event to document its history.

Oriental dance is a mystery ancient culture, a riddle, the answer to which does not lie on the surface. The mystery of the human body. The secret of merging with music, which has completely different rhythms, tones and instruments. The mystery of our energy and how unlocking that energy works wonders.

.The history of the origin of oriental dance

Arabic belly dancing has many roots. Its origins can be traced to the frescoes of the ancient temples of Mesopotamia. The frescoes were preserved beautiful images dancing people. Ancient Egyptian temples also have similar frescoes, whose age dates back to approximately 1000 years before the birth of Christ. It is generally accepted that these frescoes describe an ancient ritual dance dedicated to fertility and the birth of new life.

Priestesses who danced in temples sometimes served as "sacred prostitutes" who through their dance addressed the spirit of the Great Goddess. It is possible that some of the movements of their dance were preserved in the belly dance performed by modern dancers. It is interesting to note that there were different castes of dancers. Ghawazi (translated from the Egyptian dialect - foreigners), who performed on the streets and, as a rule, were not distinguished by education. Avalim, who were dancers of a completely different level. Alme (singular number from Avalim) - this is the name of a dancer who received a special dance and music education. Avalim knew how to play on various musical instruments, were well versed in poetry, and could perform poems and songs of their own composition, like the geishas of medieval Japan. The dance styles of Ghavazi and Avalim were quite different. People who study the history of belly dancing believe that it originated as a ritual in preparation for childbirth. In those days there were no hospitals, painkillers and other medications to facilitate the process of childbirth, so you had to give birth as nature intended.

It is not surprising that women turned into a ritual those movements that strengthened and toned the muscles and thereby made childbirth easier. It is easy to notice that many belly dance movements are concentrated in the abdomen or pelvis. A combination of muscle tension and relaxation, they train the internal organs and tone the abdominal muscles. The wave-like movements actually engage those muscles of the woman that push the baby out during childbirth.

.Development of Belly dance ("belly dance")

The term "belly dance" (beIIу) comes from the Arabic word "beledy", which means "homeland", "hometown". This word refers to music, dance and costume. It has nothing to do with anatomy. Since its inception, "beIIu" has always been a dance of female self-expression and is most often performed in women's company away from men's eyes. "BeIIu" developed into a multicultural art, today known as "oriental dance", during the Ottoman Empire, when women from different countries lived together in harems Turkish sultans and, of course, there was dancing. Undoubtedly, many sultans had the good fortune to enjoy beautiful dance, but the woman herself resembled only a shadow writhing behind the lace covers. The eroticism of belly dance comes from the mystery of the forbidden and hidden.

Men were attracted to belly dancing not only because of its overt sensuality, but also because for them women were surrounded by an aura of mystery: a man did not have access to the part of the house where women lived, and could not attend women's meetings, of which he was an integral part. belly dance. In the 80s of the 19th century, belly dancing, then called the Salome dance, became widespread in Europe. This happened partly thanks to Mata Hari, who declared herself as a belly dancer, although in much more degree she was good at striptease. At that time, mentioning the words “female thighs” and “belly” in polite society was considered unacceptable, since other things might come to mind. And the dancers of that time dressed completely differently than they do now. As a rule, they performed in long dresses, with a scarf emphasizing their hips.

The change in the dance image began much later. From Hollywood. Dance costumes received a touch of glamor. For the first time in Hollywood films, dancers with an open midriff, an embroidered bodice and a belt at the waist appeared. Group oriental dance or belly dancing in many films often did not look very good. It seemed that the dancers, despite all their efforts to perform the same belly dance movement synchronously, were not very technical, although among them there were famous performers oriental dances.

The group oriental dance looked bad because the belly dancers were not familiar with the very idea of choreography. Many famous oriental dancers, such as Samia Gamal, Tahiya Kareoka, Nadia Afek and others, began their careers at Casino Opera. While American oriental dancers began to use the veil as an accessory in dance, Samia Gamal pioneered this in the Middle East.

She actually started belly dancing with a veil on the advice of her choreographer, who wanted her belly dancing arms to look more graceful. There are no videos of the use of a veil in belly dancing before Samia Gamal, although various ancient oriental engravings depict oriental dancers with a veil in their hands. In the 50s of the 20th century, such great oriental dancers as Zuher Zaki, Naa, Aza Zarif, Najwa Fouad, Nadia Hamdi, Fifi Abdu and Rakiya Hassan shone in Cairo nightclubs. At this time, Islamic sentiments intensified in Egypt, which led to a harsher attitude towards belly dancing. However, two new oriental dance centers managed to emerge in the Middle East - one of them was Bahrain, where there were no strict rules regarding belly dancing. Libya became the second center of oriental dance. At the same time, in Turkey, belly dancing developed more in the cabaret style, the costumes of the dancers were more open and seductive than in other styles. It should be said that although many of the famous dancers of oriental dance influenced the style of belly dancing, using a veil, sword or snakes as accessories, they could not have a decisive influence on it ancient art. Belly dancing has been formed over many centuries, each of the eastern countries and nations contributed something of its own to it.

Egyptian dancers partially copied this image by lowering the belt from the waist to the hips below the navel. All this made it possible to see the dance movements much better. In the 20s of the 20th century, Egypt began making films in which dancers also participated. Thus, this was the beginning of choreography in the Middle East. Before this, the entire dance was improvisation from beginning to end. Some changes in "Arab dances" occurred in the 10th-12th centuries. AD The fact is that before the 10th century. AD these dances were performed only by women. From the 10th century AD Men became interested in Arabic dances. They did not dance the dance in public, but appreciating its beauty, they began to teach it to women as teachers and dance masters. The men did not remove the existing movements, but “diluted” them with some steps from Chinese and Thai ritual women's dances. From this period to the present day, “Arabic dance” has existed almost unchanged.

Judging by the surviving historical data, belly dancing was once clearly divided into two types:

The lowest, which was performed by Gavazi dancers (like gypsies) and non-Muslim girls for the public, including for money. This dance was characterized by provocative clothing and rather revealing movements, with erotic overtones.

Higher. Priestesses of temples and girls from good families. In such a dance, all movements were aimed at managing one’s own energy; the dance helped solve spiritual problems, improve health, and not only one’s own. Clothing, accordingly, was more closed and chaste, without sexual aggressiveness. The purpose of this dance was to awaken dormant energy or, on the contrary, to calm it. A woman could perform such a dance only for one man - her husband or in a temple ritual.

Today, women all over the world remembered belly dancing and gradually began to return it to its original form. When a woman falls in love with this dance as an art form, she gradually discovers more and more new knowledge. Having reached a certain level of mastery and having learned the complex art of isolating individual parts of the torso, she begins to use her body in a new way, expressing with it anything... From healthy matriarchal feminine power to refined, sublime flights of the soul. Dance reveals new aspects of her self that she has yet to realize and explore.

Certain oriental dance movements come from the ritual dances of African tribes - they were used to speed up and facilitate childbirth. Apparently, these movements found their way into belly dancing thanks to the inhabitants of northern Africa, who were often captured as slaves and sold throughout the southeastern part of Eurasia. A significant contribution to the development of oriental belly dance was made by Slavic girls, who also did not leave their homeland of their own free will.

III. Styles and types of oriental dance in different countries

Egyptian "style" Relaxed, confident dance, lots of hip movements, but not a frantic rhythm. Mostly fast, sometimes very intricate (orchestrated) colorful music, especially the intros. Lots of Maksum and drums. A short, slow taxi, if there is such a thing. Clear hand placement. Accents, movements and passages, a lot of interaction with the audience. Lebanese More wavy. Graceful arms, straight body position, sharper hip action, often more slow music. More energy, less coquetry. Dancers are more likely to wear high heels than Egyptian women. Local dancers feign a shy attitude, like, “I really don’t understand how my body does this.” But not at all the degree of shyness that occurs in some folk women's dances of Armenia. The "new" Lebanese style is more experimental. This applies to costumes, music, and the dance itself. Everyone wears very high heels or platforms, which spoils a lot of movement because the heels change the center of gravity. Turkish The real Turkish style is very lively, bright and cheerful. More "ground" than the others. Egyptian maksum is not used, but heavy chiftetelli and sometimes fast karsilama (regular or the Sulu Kule variant) are used. Turkish dancers do not change costumes like Egyptians, and they also do not diversify their numbers.

Greek There is no real "Greek" style. In Greece the dance is called "Anatolitiko Horo", i.e. Anatolian (Turkish) dance. It was from the Turks that the Greeks received the dance. Musically, mostly fast or very slow chiftetelli, but also some well-arranged Turkish or Greek melodies, with a more stable, rolling rhythm and almost no syncopation, lots of rumba/bolero, good karsilama, and if the orchestra has a good clarinetist, maybe be a slow taxi. Maxum is a rarity. The American style Veil is an invention dating back to the times when most “dancers” did not have a sufficient repertoire of movements of the Eastern dance itself to perform a dance for 20-40 minutes. In addition, Americans had Hollywood fantasies about the “dance of the seven veils”, thanks to which waving a piece of chiffon (synthetic or real) became commonplace. In Egypt, the veil may be waved a little when leaving (magency), but it is thrown away quite quickly in the middle or at the end of the first song.

Types of dances:

Dance with a scarf

This dance is considered quite mysterious, it can cover something for a while in order to demonstrate it with great effect. It is very theatrical; the dancer must feel the scarf as part of her body, otherwise everything will look forced and insincere.

However, often the shawl is not used for the entire dance; it is danced with it on exit for a minute, and then thrown aside.

Dance with cymbals (Sagat)

Cymbals are an ancient musical instrument in the form of two pairs of wooden or metal plates. Dancers use them as musical accompaniment to their dance. Sagatas are distant relatives of Spanish castanets, made of metal.

The performer manages not only to dance, but also to accompany herself with the ringing of sagatas. The music created by the dancer can be complemented by the tambourine and tambourine.

Saber Dance

This unusual dance looks interesting in contrast: a feminine belly dance and the cold weapons of warriors. Dancers usually use this accessory for balancing on the head, stomach or thigh. It’s strange, but neither in Egypt, nor in Turkey, nor in Lebanon is the saber very popular in dance. But there is male version with a saber, where the saber is waved but never balanced on any part of the body

Conclusion

Today, belly dancing is becoming popular all over the world, excluding the Middle East. Strict adherence to Islam prohibits a woman from being an artist, singing or dancing. Women can only dance in the company of other women (regardless of dance style). Over the past few years, Islamic fundamentalism has gained a strong influence in many Middle Eastern countries. The result was doubt about the permissibility of many forms women's performances and banning them in many Middle Eastern countries. In addition to the States and the Middle East, Belidance is popular in many countries around the world.

oriental dance belly music

List of used literature

1."Belly dance-belly dance" http://bellydance.spb.ru/ (2001)

2. Rosanova O. V. Oriental dance. Secrets of creating a costume, publishing house: Phoenix, 2006, 95 pp.

"Moscow Center for Contemporary Dance"

Introduction

Belly dancing...... Have you ever wondered why oriental dances are called so originally? If you have seen a belly dancer at least once, you will never be able to forget the magical impression this dance made on you.

Oriental dance is a mystery of ancient culture, a riddle, the answer to which does not lie on the surface. The mystery of the human body. The secret of merging with music, which has completely different rhythms, tones and instruments. The mystery of our energy and how unlocking that energy works wonders.

The history of the origin of oriental dance

Arabic belly dancing has many roots. Its origins can be traced to the frescoes of the ancient temples of Mesopotamia. The frescoes preserved beautiful images of dancing people. Ancient Egyptian temples also have similar frescoes, whose age dates back to approximately 1000 years before the birth of Christ. It is generally accepted that these frescoes describe an ancient ritual dance dedicated to fertility and the birth of new life.

Priestesses who danced in temples sometimes served as "sacred prostitutes" who through their dance addressed the spirit of the Great Goddess. It is possible that some of the movements of their dance were preserved in the belly dance performed by modern dancers. It is interesting to note that there were different castes of dancers. Ghawazi (translated from the Egyptian dialect - foreigners), who performed on the streets and, as a rule, were not distinguished by education. Avalim, who were dancers of a completely different level. Alme (singular number from Avalim) is the name of a dancer who received a special dance and music education. Avalim knew how to play various musical instruments, were well versed in poetry, and could perform poems and songs of their own composition, like the geishas of medieval Japan. The dance styles of Ghavazi and Avalim were quite different. People who study the history of belly dancing believe that it originated as a ritual in preparation for childbirth. In those days there were no hospitals, painkillers and other medications to facilitate the process of childbirth, so you had to give birth as nature intended.

The mystery of belly dancing lies not only in the eyes of the dancer, the enchanting atmosphere and magical appeal, but also in its history.

No one can say exactly where belly dancing originated and when it happened. Most researchers are inclined to believe that the birthplace of belly dancing is in Egypt; some believe that it is in Mesopotamia, or perhaps its origins should be sought in India? In ancient Greek manuscripts you can find descriptions of Nile dancers who used in their movements various types shaking and vibration. The frescoes of the ancient temples of Egypt and Mesopotamia, painted a thousand years BC, depict priestesses performing this bizarre dance - a sacred ritual dance dedicated to the fertility goddess, the mother goddess. Peoples of different countries - and already in time immemorial the characteristic oriental dance was performed in North Africa, Greece, Rome, and Babylon - called her differently: Anahita, Isis, Ishtar, Aphrodite. The “conductors of the dance” between these countries were the gypsies. But not the modern, familiar to us, “Roma”, but “Sinti” - another linguistic group. In Egypt they were called "Ghawazi" - "strangers", and they came to the Nile Valley from India. Traveling from region to region, they brought with them the culture of belly dancing, supplementing it with new movements in each country. By the way, later in Spain - again with light hand gypsies - this intercultural mix became the basis of flamenco, only the emphasis shifted from the stomach and hips to the legs and arms.

But let's return to the East. Over time, “religious matriarchy” was replaced by patriarchal religions, paganism was supplanted by Christianity and Islam, and belly dancing turned from a ritual act into social entertainment. A number of researchers even reduce belly dancing to the level of “harem fitness” - they say that the wives and concubines in the harem had nothing to do, and it was necessary to take care of the beauty of the body, so they practiced belly dancing in order to while away the day with a fun activity and keep their body in shape . But even in a harem, belly dancing had an important sacred task - to prepare a woman for pregnancy and childbirth. Specific dance movements engage the internal pelvic muscles - the same ones that help the baby leave the uterus - and thanks to this, childbirth is easier and more painless. The role of belly dancing is not limited to pure physiology - for example, in some Egyptian villages, women still gather in a large tent and dance around a woman in labor in order, on the one hand, to help her morally, and on the other, to greet the newborn with joy so that he lives a happy life.

The “harem period” of the history of belly dancing is the most controversial and vague. The fact is that Islam prohibits portraying people, women are prohibited from dancing for anyone other than other women or their husbands, and strangers are prohibited from entering the female half of the house (“haram” in Arabic means “forbidden”). Therefore, there are no drawings of that time depicting dancers, nor descriptions of their movements. The little that gives us an idea of what was happening behind the walls of the harem is either the memories of the wives of European diplomats, or the figment of the imagination of artists and writers, who often have not even been to the East. Should we believe them?

And in Egyptian chronicles, mention of the Ghawazi can be found only in the last two hundred years. These people did not strictly adhere to the canons of Islam, they danced in the streets with their heads uncovered - naturally, such behavior caused displeasure religious figures, and it was forbidden to write about Ghawazis. The first drawings in which you can see the costumes of that time - narrow fitted caftans and wide trousers - were made by European travelers in the mid-nineteenth century. These costumes strongly resembled Turkish folk clothes - which is not surprising, since Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1517 to 1805 - and the Turkish costume, in turn, borrowed a lot from the Persian. With their “immoral” behavior, the Ghawazis, who danced for money for the soldiers of the Turkish army, incurred the wrath of not only the faithful Arabs, but also the Turkish Pasha - and were exiled to the south of Egypt to Esna.

The second birth of belly dancing took place in the middle of the nineteenth century - unprecedented interest in it flared up in Europe after the French conquest of northern Africa. All kinds of oriental shows became popular - although, admittedly, it was often just a cheap imitation without the slightest hint of culture and deep meaning belly dance The first show with real oriental dancers was shown in Paris in 1889, and in 1893, the American impresario Sol Bloom brought a troupe of performers to the World's Fair in Chicago folk dances from North Africa and came up with the colorful term “bellydance”, literally “belly dance”. That same year, Oscar Wilde's play Salome was banned in London for its "depraved dancing" - which only fueled interest in it.

But everything looked then, in comparison with both antiquity and today, quite chastely - dancers performed in long, closed dresses, and only a tied scarf accentuated their hips. However, this was enough: the femme fatale spy Mata Hari literally enslaved the hearts and will of the powers that be with her oriental dances. Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. found inspiration in belly dancing. Denis and Martha Graham.

Hollywood gave belly dancing its current glamor. It was in Hollywood films that dancers first appeared with an open midriff, an embroidered bodice and a belt at the waist. Egyptian dancers partially copied this image; the belt was lowered from the waist to the hips, revealing the navel - this way the movements looked more impressive and were easier to see. Cinema also laid the foundations for choreography in belly dancing - before the dance was pure improvisation from start to finish, and looked somewhat inconsistent in the group performances captured on film.

In Egypt, cinematography flourished in the forties of the last century, and directors, of course, sought to make films with the participation of famous dancers. These films generated genuine interest in belly dancing far beyond the Middle East. Women and even men of Western countries wanted not only to watch colorful shows, but also to dance this bewitching, mysterious dance themselves. This interest has not subsided to this day.

Victoria Pyatygina