EDWARDIAN? NO, "ED-NOIRE-DIAN"!

My articles on identifying the many styles of belly dance got stopped short , because I am in a frenzy of preparing for my May And June gigs at Tribal Fest 11, Fes-Tribale in Quebec, and ABS-Fest in North Carolina. The articles will return soon, I promise!

Meanwhile, I am furiously working on finishing my costume for a fantasy number based upon Art Nouveau images, done a little Noire and with a hint of the dangerous. I have always been attracted to the work of artists from this time period, even as a child. I have based many of my costumes upon this aesthetic, and love the work of Leon Bakst, who was the costume and set designer for The Ballet Russes De Monte Carlo, and the better-known artists Erte, and Alphonse Mucha. As I was working on this costume, my mind wandered to the work of these three incredible talents, for their un-ending inspiration.

This costume is all black covered in gold lace, with rhinestone and turquoise accents. Some of the turquoise stones are actually milky blue antique Peking Glass. The beads are long, tear-drop shaped, and have ornate brass bead-caps, which originally were covered with REAL turquoise peacock feathers! Most of the peacock feathers have worn off, but the beads are still amazing. i could totally see them sewn onto a costume for Nijinsky or Tamara Karsavina of The Ballets Russes.

I have hoarded them for over 25 years... just waiting to use them. In the 1980's, I was exploring what was left of Howard Hughes' movie studio, after the demolition ball had done it's job. In the wreckage, there was a chest of drawers. When I opened a drawer, I found lots of these beads, in various colors- the milky blue, a mauve pink, cobalt blue, and a clear, see-through olive green. They were sewn in rows onto yellowed, decomposing paper. I think they may have been beads for lamp-fringe, I'm not sure if they were used in costuming but they are stunning. Of course, I stuffed my purse full of them, and high-tailed it out of there before I got popped for trespassing!

I am glad they have found a home on my costume, which pays tribute to the time period- The Edwardian Age- when these beads were made. This costume has taken countless hours of work, but it's been so worth it. I hope the spirits of Bakst, Erte and Mucha will smile when they see it.

And now if you will excuse me, I need to get back to sewing and affixing rhinestones!



Photos:
The bra, belt & Edwardian-style tiara of my costume
A costume sketch by Leon Bakst

EDWARDIAN? NO, ED-NOIRE-DIAN!

The articles on identifying the different styles of belly dance have been postponed temporarily, but they will return!

Currently, I am in the midst of a conceptualizing, choreographing and costuming frenzy, preparing for my May and June 2011 shows at Tribal Fest in Northern California, Fes-Tribale in Quebec, Canada, and ABS-Fest in North Carolina. I have been working on a fantasy piece, with a sort of Art Nouveau, slightly Noire feel.

The music and dancing are set, but costume I'm making for these performances is taking a lot of time...with all the detail and time going into this, I'm beginning to realize that I am certifiably insane! The inspiration for this costume comes from some of my favorite influential sources, artists whose work I have always admired, as far back as I can remember. They are Leon Bakst, the celebrated costume and set designer for The Ballets Russes De Monte Carlo, famous artist and fashion designer Erte, and incredible artist Alphonse Mucha. All of them were famous during the Edwardian period, at the turn of the 20th Century.

Though the costume isn't based directly on the work of any of these artists, I have always been drawn to their aesthetic, even as a child, and sometimes get up from my constant sewing and rhinestone affixing to look at their paintings and sketches.

My costume is all black overlaid with gold lace, decorated with rhinestones and turquoise. Some of the long, teardrop-shaped beads used on the belt and armlets are actually antiques from the Edwardian period. They are milky turquoise Peking Glass, set in ornate brass caps, which originally had real peacock feathers glued onto the bead-caps. Some of the beads still have the remnants of the peacock feathers on the bead-caps, but most have worn off due to age.

I have hoarded these beads for over twenty-five years. In the 1980's, I snuck into what was left of Howard Hughes' movie studio
after the demolition ball had done it's duty. Walking among the wreckage, I found many of these beads ( in various colors- like pink, cobalt blue and clear olive green) among the rubble. I am not sure if they were used for costuming or jewelry- I think they may have been beads made for lamp fringe. When I found them, they were still sewn in rows onto crumpling, yellowed paper. Of course, I needed to rescue them!

This costume has taken who-know-how-many-hours of sewing, but it's almost finished...actually, i need to get back to it right now!

THE THINKING GAL'S GUIDE TO BELLY DANCE STYLES PART FIVE: ROM, ROMA OR ROMANY DANCE

This is Part Five in my series of identifying the various styles of oriental dance. As with my previous articles, I will again state that in no way do I consider the following to be a “definitive view” of belly dance in it’s myriad forms…but I do hope this series of articles can provide a thumbnail-sketch frame of reference for belly dance fans, students, and also function as a jumping off point for dance fans and curious dancers of all styles. As with past pieces I have written, please note that many of the names mentioned may be spelled in various ways to phonetic pronunciation and translations. This article is about the influence of the Roma on oriental dance.


Though it is considered politically incorrect and degrading to refer to the Rom or Roman people as gypsies, that is how most people refer to them. Many scholars and historians believe that the Romany people had a profound influence on belly dance as we know it, but because of the lack of written history on these talented nomads, it’s unclear as to what degree.

The Roma are believed to have origins in Northern India, due to linguistics and physical characteristics, and there are still several distinct tribes of Roma in the Rajasthan region. Though it is uncertain why many of them left India, it is believed that they have been nomads for over a thousand years, and entered Eastern Europe in the 1300’s. Because they came from the east, they were thought to have been from Turkey or Egypt, and were apparently often called Egyptians, or “ ‘Gyptians”, which is where the word “gypsy” originated. The Roma people migrated across the globe for centuries, and were often forced to, due to prejudice and persecution. Unfortunately, there is still much discrimination being shown towards these people today. The Kanjar tribe of musicians, acrobatic entertainers and dancers are the branch credited with leaving a legacy of incredible music and dancing that has influenced every country they wandered through, especially in the Middle Eastern, Eastern European, Mediterranean and North African regions.

In Rajasthan, there are many tribes who are considered “lower caste” but eke out a living as their forebears did by performing dance. Some of these tribes are the Banjara, the Domba, the Khalbelliya (famous as snake charmers) the Kuna and The Bopa. The award-winning film about Roma migration, music and dance, “Latcho Drom”, opens with an incredible segment of a Rajasthani Roma woman dancing, doing non-stop barrel turns in an incredible traditional Rajasthani full-skirted dress.

Per se, Roma or Roman dancing is not what the lay person would think of as belly dancing, but it’s easy to see where their influence came in: signature movements connecting Roma dance and belly dance are obvious, in the patterns of the footwork, certain hip articulations, torso undulations wrist circles, and the gestures of the arms.

Even today, there are many Roma among the professional musicians and dancers working as entertainers in Turkey. Though Turkish “Oryantal” (cabaret) dance, with its Arabic influence is much different than it's far more earthy cousin,Turkish Roman dance, there is still an undeniable connection.


In Spain, for centuries as well as up to the present, many of the most celebrated Flamenco artist’s were-and are- of Rom or gypsy descent. It’s plain to see that the technique of Flamenco and belly dance share many similarities, and it is believed that this type of dancing originated during the middle Ages, when the Moors invaded Spain. In southern Spain, a Flamenco variation called the Zambra Mora is performed barefoot, and is sometimes considered to be the “missing link” between Flamenco and belly dance.

In Luxor, Egypt, live sisters that are the last members of the Mazin, family of legendary professional dancers and musicians known as The Banat Mazin. Known internationally as The Ghawazi, the word loosely translates to “invader” or “foreigner” in Arabic, with the plural form being Ghawazi, and the singular being Ghaziya. The Mazin family is thought to originally be of the Nawar (sometimes referred to as Nawari) tribe, and to have perhaps migrated from Persia centuries ago to settle in Egypt. The Mazin family gained much renown for their distinctive dance skills, and speak a dialect much more similar to Rom than it is to Arabic. The signature style of the dance includes extensive work with finger cymbals, and arm positions that are relaxed, and bent at the elbows, very unlike Raks Sharqi. The Ghawazi costuming is also very different- they wear shorter dirndl style skirts covered in rayon fringe and paillettes, with the skirt being worn at the waist as opposed to the hips, with matching tops; sometimes they can be seen in long, gallibiya-style balady dresses. There is also the ever-present taj or crown, unique to the Ghawazi.

The work of the sisters and their unique, deceptively simple genre of dance has been documented and recorded by many oriental dance researchers, including Edwina Nearing and Aisha Ali. Khairiyya Yusef Mazin still lives in Luxor, and is the last remaining original proponent of this lovely style, earthy style.

The link below will take you to a clip from the Golden Age Egyptian film “ Ana Al Dacteur” (“I’m A Doctor”) released in 1953, which features Balady style dancer Nawal El Saghera, as well as the four t Mazin sisters, as well as some male dancers performing tahtib (stick) dances. As a side note, the extremely young and beautiful singer performing is Fatma Serhan. Known as “The Queen Of Balady”, listen to her distinctive voice and you will recognize her work of almost a half a century later, from her performances as Dina’s singer, and their work together on Dina’s signature song, “Tahtil Shebak”!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-t2098G1Ko

Some extremely well known dancers who specialize in Roma dances are Eva Cernik,(Turkish Rom), Artemis Mourat, Hadia, Laurel Victoria Gray (Russian Rom or Tsingani dance); Dahlia Carella; and Aisha Ali and Edwina Nearing for their extensive study of the Ghawazi.
Morocco is not only a splendid dancer and an authority on oriental dance ethnology but is actually Rom herself- her given name is Carolina Varga Dinicu.

Also check out the gorgeously shot 1993 film “Latcho Drom”, a French documentary on the Romany journey, written and directed by Tony Gatliff. Following various groups of Rom from India, Eastern Europe, Spain and into North Africa, and mostly music and dancing, t he title means “Safe Journey” in the Romany language.

And if you get as carried away by all of this as I do, you absolutely must check out Isabella Fonseca’s excellent book on the Romany people, “Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies And Their Journey”, which has had many editions in hardcover and paperback, and is now available for Kindle.

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Photos:
Color photo: Banjara women from Rajasthan
B&W photo: The Banat Mazin