DANCERS BACKSTAGE RITUALS: ALLI RUTH OF HELSINKI, FINLAND

 

Alli Ruth by Atelieri O. Haapala, Helsinki, Finland

 Every so often, I’ll meet a dancer whose onstage persona is so completely unlike the way she is in real life, it really throws me for a loop. One moment we’re backstage acting like complete idiots, giggling over silly things while compulsively shoving carrot sticks into our mouths.  Then, she performs a set so amazing, that when she finishes, I’m so blown away with utter fangirl appreciation, I almost feel too shy to talk to her!

 

 Alli Ruth is that kind of dancer.  Even though we’ve been pals her for years, and I’ve seen her multiple times in ratty sweats with no make up, an Ace bandage wrapped around an injury, swearing like a truck driver, I can never quite reconcile her fun, down-to-earth true self with the preternaturally elegant creature I’ve just witnessed bringing the house down onstage.  And   not only that, in her real life, she’s a librarian! To see her performing classic American and Turkish style floor work is like having a private audience with a goddess!

Photo: Atelieri O. Haapala

Alli Ruth lives in Helsinki, Finland, where she teaches and performs her specialty-and passion- American Cabaret style belly dance. She herself calls what she does “AmCab Fusion”, because  she isn’t  nearly old enough to have ever performed this style back in it’s Seventies heyday!

As White Kali in a Desert Sin performance

After moving to Finland in 2010,she realized that dancers from across the continent of Europe had a hunger for this uniquely American style, so she began teaching what she’d grown up with as a dancer. She came to belly dance in 1998, in her native Los Angeles, learning from   the masters of the American Cabaret (also known as Vintage Orientale) genre, including the late, great Diane Webber, whose unique style and considerable influence inspired another of Alli Ruth’s mentor’s, LA-based dancer Anaheed.   Dance mother to many in Southern California, Anaheed invited Alli Ruth to appear with The Perfumes Of Araby, a troupe founded by Diane Webber. In 2001, through Anaheed, she met and began dancing with Elayssa of Desert Sin, a gloriously theatrical “alternative belly dance” troupe whose influence is still widely felt in the Tribal Fusion community, and as Alli Ruth says, “whether they realize it or not!”

 

With Princess Benu in Istanbul

She has also seriously studied with other legendary AmCab performers such as Cory Zamora, Alexandra King and Princess Benu of Turkey, plus the Queen of Floor Work (and inventor of many of it’s staple moves) Anahid Sofian of New York City. Alli Ruth’s teaching and performing career  abroad has been as busy as it has been fulfilling; though like any dancer worth her salt, she considers herself a student and constantly attends workshops, classes and private lessons. By doing this, she is also preserving   a distinctive and exceptional American contribution to belly dancing.

Here, in her own modest words, is how Alli Ruth prepares for her show-stopping performances:

“I try to do as much of my makeup and prep at home, especially if I don’t know the backstage conditions, or don’t have a backstage at all. This too allows me to change my mind, for example about an eye shadow color at the last minute. I enjoy socializing backstage and would rather relax and talk to, or assist other dancers than be stuck in the mirror. It also makes more time for warming up. My warm up consists of lots of relaxed shimmies, “African Stretch” for the spine (Diane Webber used to make us do it every class), large loose hip circles, lunges and ankle, shoulder and wrist circles. 

Alli Ruth at Sutdio Iqaat, LA photo: Kat Bushman

My costuming style is what they used to call “Mixy Gypsy” so I never wear the same exact ensemble. I also never know exactly what I’m going to wear in advance. I’m famous for being frantic about “what to wear” and changing my mind about details up until the last minute. My breast size fluctuates greatly, leading to hasty alterations. My lifesaver mom is accustomed to my begging her to stitch bra hooks, and over the years I’ve taught a couple boyfriends how to use a needle and thread. Because I improv, I also have the opportunity to change my music up until the last minute, particularly if the organizer doesn’t need it in advance. What I’m getting at is that I have total ADD, which I struggle with when it comes to show prep.                                                                                                 

I’ve learned to not make or watch recordings of myself within 3 days before the show as it inevitably results in a self-critique that will cause me to change my mind, if not fall apart entirely. Also, to have many bra hook options on both the back and neck straps of my bras. I of course have a prepped gig bag and even extra, extra things that other dancers may have forgotten themselves (Belly dance karma!). 

Because I do floor work, one of the most important things is to know the condition and material of the floor to help determine the bottom half of my costume. Harem pants can get pulled by carpet (I’ve heard of dancers literally pantsing themselves) but carpet can cause serious burn on a bare leg. Some settings may have floor that is too harsh-such as pavement, be too small or placed in such a way the audience wouldn’t see you on the floor. Sometimes, floor work won’t work which factors into my music selection. 

I’m always way more nervous in the days before the performance and on the day of the show than I am when I’m about to go on. The main thing I do in the moments before coming out to dance is taking deep breaths and remind myself, it’s simply about sharing a dance. I try to remember that nobody cares so much about me that they’re going to go home and think for days about how I may have messed up; they have their own lives and concerns and nobody wants me to fail. I try to quiet my ego and dance for the joy of it. I think of all the happiness and fun I’ve experienced myself when watching other dancers and the gratitude I have towards them for this. It’s simply my turn to do the same for others, to share. This really keeps me calm and ensures a good experience. 

After my performance, it’s like I got something out of my system and just wants to return to being “Al”-my nickname amongst friends. I almost always, immediately tear off my bra and throw on a t-shirt -or a comfy cover up if I’m coming out from backstage, maybe crack a beer or pour a glass of wine.

I like dancing most at private events, where I can come both in and out as the belly dancer …and the mystique of the backstage, behind-the-scenes stays in my own home.”

 

The Snow Queen: photo by  Irina Alanko

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  Sunday, October 4, 2014

Hardcore Floor: Old School AmCab and Classic Turkish Floor Work With Alli Ruth

You’ll learn ascents, descents, back bends, layouts, and some nearly extinct (and very wild) Turkish moves and Rom gestures for floor. Floor work for both drum solo and taxim will be explored.

1:30-4:30pm

Dance Garden

3191 Casitas, Ste 112

LA CA 90039

ONE DAY ONLY, $50.00

To register, contact Devillaraks@gmail.com

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The Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion For The Serious Dancer is now  available wholesale for dance teachers and studios. To find out about wholesale order,  visit www.princessfarhana.com and click on the “email” button at the top right of the home page.

  

DANCERS BACKSTAGE RITUALS PART 14: TURKISH DANCER OZGEN

Internationally acclaimed dancer Ozgen is one of those rare performers whose got it all: his stage presence and awe-inspiring technique are nothing short of dazzling, and he’s got the kind of dark, sultry look that literally makes the ladies swoon. A choreographer as well as a great instructor, his wide repertoire includes everything from Turkish Oryantal to ballroom dance, ballet, contemporary and burlesque, as well as Arabesque- a slinky, retro style of belly dancing that was popular in Turkey during the 1970’s. One of his specialties is  authentic Turkish Romany (Gypsy) dancing- and it’s also become one of his signatures- but more on that later!  

 Ozgen has danced pretty much his entire life. Born in Cyprus, he began learning Turkish folk dances when he was just a little tot. He excelled and kept dancing, which landed him a spot in the Turkish production  “Hurrem Sultan”.  Soon after that, he joined the music and dance extravaganza “Night Of The Sultans” in Istanbul.  For the past fifteen years he’s been teaching workshops and performing all over the world, and   he also runs “Oriental Istanbul” a Romany dance intensive that takes place every year in  the city, before going to Erdine  to celebrate Herdelljez, the Romany  springtime festival.

 Ozgen and I  met in 2008 in London at The Shimmy Shake Show, where we were both performing. The Shimmy Shake Show was a groundbreaking event in the UK- it was the first time that belly dance and burlesque were being presented together, and nobody in the cast was certain what the audience  reaction would be. Held at the glorious and quite notorious Madame Jo-Jo’s in Soho -which, back in the day had  been a burlesque theater- the show sold out immediately, much to the disappointment of   those in the line that that snaked at least a full block down the street.

  As I pushed my way through the crowd into the dressing room, two things happened simultaneously:  The show’s producer Sapphira immediately popped a bottle of bubbly and  handed out champagne flutes among the performers for my birthday toast, and as this was going on, she introduced me to a tall, dark and handsome man…Ozgen. 

We got along like gangbusters right away, giggling like a couple of   rookie chorus girls as I fumbled to secure his  costume belt  with a safety pin- there’s nothing like meeting backstage just before the curtain goes up to dispense with any sort of formalities!

 I could already tell Ozgen was totally cool- nice, smart and really funny. However, I really wasn’t prepared for what I witnessed onstage as he danced…he was truly incredible.  That evening, Ozgen performed a Turkish Oryantal piece as well as a dangerous fusion dance that included a thick length of rope as a prop.   Between twirling it as a lasso and binding his own wrists, Ozgen had every woman in the 85% female audience in the palm of his hand.  I fully expected to see masses of panties tossed onstage a la'  a vintage Tom Jones concert!

 Ozgen and I stayed in touch, meeting up  whenever I came to the UK, both socially and for gigs at dance festivals.  In 2009 at Festival Fantasia we worked together and I got to witness firsthand Ozgen’s infamous Shoe Dance.  Hours before he even went on, all the festival attendees were giggling and whispering about the macho Turkish Romany performance he was going to do that night…which concludes with the afore-mentioned shoe   being taken off his foot and   getting tucked into Ozgen’s belt front and center, as he thrusts his way through a series of earthy pelvic shimmies!

   Though it sounds like a raunchy adult-oriented performance, the so-called Shoe Dance is actually a fairly traditional Turkish Rom dance. Sometimes, the dancer even will substitute a beer or wine bottle for the shoe!  That night onstage, the reaction to Ozgen’s   Shoe Dance was more like an early Elvis or Beatles concert than a belly dance show.   The audience was going so batshit crazy   I was kind of shocked that an ambulance didn’t show up to cart some of the hysterical women away!

 Even though Ozgen is literally awe-inspiring onstage and has legions of fans drooling over him, in his every day life, he’s pretty low-key.

 Here’s what he has to say about the way he likes to prepare for his shows, in his own words:

“ I have been dancing maybe from five years old in a group or as soloist, but I still get stage fright before I go to dance.

I quite like the stage fright, because its shows the respect to the audience and to yourself. I see that in a good thing for a performer, because sometimes dancing IS   their life. Or dancing is   the only thing in their life that they put so much emotion into, and   dancing becomes the love of their life. So going onstage, it’s almost like you see your lover for the first time, so like a school child you get very nervous and shaky.

On the day of the show, or the day before, ideally, I don’t eat any bread or food that will make me feel heavy. I check my music, costumes and all to see if they are still there and working!

I don’t want to be ready to dance and have my make up on and then wait hours and hours. I do very little make up anyway, so it’s not a problem. I do my make up    about 30 or 40 minutes before I will dance, and I am dressed fully in costume 10 or 15 minutes before the show.  When I dress in my   stage gear, it’s like someone else in that costume, not me, so it’s better to put on just before the show!

Oh, my God I go in to my zone back stage and don’t like talking too much. If someone tries to have conversation with me, I normally don’t understand what he or she is going about. I prefer to be alone, or with someone who isn’t stressing out, and I never practice my music. I do semi-improvisation when I dance, and I truly believe in  “The luck of the amateur”, so I like improvisation, or to not to know what I am doing every second of the song.

 I am spiritual, as all artists are, so I try to think of   being in Istanbul to get in to the oriental mood.   Very often I think of some old-time Turkish belly dancer, and like a child, I talk with them and sometimes I dedicate my performance to any dancer that I have liked from past.

Sometimes I remember my mistakes from a previous experience, and before   I go to the stage, I try not to repeat them.

 Often before I perform, I feel very shy to go to dance, as I am quite a reserved guy…but when I hear my music and first step to the stage it all changes.

 It’s almost like I am walking to my home and my comfort zone, so it all goes better and then DANCER OZGEN appears and Real Ozgen (me) disappears! “

-Ozgen

  Ozgen is  currently on tour in America.  He is teaching and performing on the following dates:

September: 22 -23 in San Jose-Halanda Studio http://www.halanda.com/

September 25-30 Los Angeles : Workshops at Dance Garden on  Wed., Sept. 26 (evening)  & Sat. Sept.  29 (afternoon)

 Ozgen's only LA appearance is on September 27 at Skinny’s Lounge, North Hollywood, with Helena Vlahos, Rania, Dilek, Atlantis, Marque Bissell, DeVilla & Isis-Siren-Sekhmet, Jenna & of course lil' ole me... Princess  Farhana.  All info here:

http://www.facebook.com/events/408498625852677/     OR   www.princessfarhana.com

Info on Ozgen’s  Oriental Istanbul  2013 Festival is here: 

http://orientalistanbul.org/Hidrellez.asp

…. and last but not least:  THE SHOE DANCE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHp5vg6HWvg

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