DANCERS BACKSTAGE RITUALS PART 18: AMANI JABRIL

Amani with  her band Mazaag:George Sedak & Jonaton Gomes Derbaq

Amani Jabril is a sizzling blonde fireball on stage as well as in “real life”. Though she’d been on my radar for years, I hadn’t seen her dance live until the 2011 Las Vegas belly Dance Intensive. Her two performances, a raucous shaabi number in the evening Pro Show and an uber-juicy Egyptian number on the festival stage the next afternoon raqqed my world…and I wasn’t alone! The audiences for both sets were eating her up and howlin’ for more! 

In June 2013, we met again on board the Queen Mary, as instructors for MECDA’s Cairo Caravan. Once again, her performance blew me away- but even before she danced, I was stalking her…not a difficult task considering her cabin was across the hallway from mine!  Her interpretation of Arabic music is incredible, and she has that hard-to-harness, luxuriously laid back Egyptian thing going on like its second nature.  In fact, even though I knew she came from Georgia, I was taken aback to hear her bona fide Southern Belle accent when she spoke- that’s how transporting her performances are!

 

Amani & me at Cairo Caravan 2013

Again that night at show, she killed it with a completely jaw-dropping contemporary Egyptian piece, in a stunning nude net gown with insane sparkly star-shaped cut outs over her girly curves. Her interpretation of Arabic music is incredible, and she has that hard-to-harness, luxuriously laid back Egyptian thing going on like its second nature. This isn’t surprising, cause she’s danced and taught across the Middle East and North Africa, including stints in the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.  She was also one of ten professional dancers chosen to participate in Mahmoud Reda and Farida Fahmy’s Egyptian Dance Intensive, held in Cairo. She also spent the better part of July 2013 in Iraq, researching Iraqi kawleeya, an indigenous gypsy dance that’s akin to khaligi with lots of intricate foot patterns and lots of hair –tossing.

 Though kawleeya is kind of trendy right now (especially among Russian belly dancers) it might seem somewhat crazy for a dancer to pick war-torn Iraq to conduct her field research… but this woman is not just a super-hawt dancer; she’s a smart cookie, too. Amani has a Master’s Degree in Anthropology, and is a Middle East specialist, and she teaches at Atlanta’s Kennesaw University.        

Amani at BDUC photo: Carl Sermon

In fact, she’s so knowledgeable and talented, I’m co-hosting her in early November in Los Angeles, to teach at Dance Garden   on the 2^nd and 3^rd and perform with her band Mazaag (featuring George Sadak and Jonatan Gomes Derbaq) at Skinny’s lounge November 4^th. Scroll down to bottom of this page for info on that.

But let’s get to Amani’s Backstage Rituals, told in her very own words:

“When Princess Farhana invited me to share my backstage rituals, I began to seriously think about what I would write about and my thoughts turned to those important practices I turn to time and time again that help me to cultivate a strong performance.

 I’ve come to think of these rituals as the ground in which my performance is rooted. Actually, this starts weeks and even months in advance working through music and refining movement so that I can be well prepared for whatever a show might demand. The day of any performance, however, there are a handful of steps that I take to get myself stage-ready.

These include: a long nap to energize and reset; then it’s time for make-up and hair, done alone and by myself; after a bag check, I commute to my gig while listening to lots of fun music; after arriving in the venue, I really take time to look around the space and check out my audience; after that, it’s a matter of staying loose and relaxed; finally, before I step into any performance, I say a little prayer, and just take time to breathe. Like most of you, preparing for performance requires preparation of mind, body and heart and I have become rather attached to my pre-performance routine.

So what happens when you are tossed headfirst out of your normal environment and the rituals you regularly turn to for comfort are unavailable to you?

I have been very fortunate to be given opportunities to study, perform and even teach dance in the Middle East. My experiences in Egypt, the U.A.E. and Lebanon have been very rewarding but they have also come with some truly unique challenges, especially when it comes to maintaining my grounding rituals.

The story I would like to share with you is of one performance while I was in the Middle East and the preparations leading up to my five minutes of fame on national television. To tell you the truth, it has taken me several attempts to write this post. Recalling the events and trying to find the best way to relate them you brought back all the acid butterflies, the tension and doubts I had in those moments. While I am happy to be able to share this story with you, I am also challenged to be able to relate the whole story to you from my point of view while respecting the privacy of others who played a part in the story. Names of people and places have been changed or simply omitted for this reason.

As I mentioned earlier, my typical performance day would include a long nap to charge-up and reset before I begin to get into make-up. This particular performance day, however, I had spent with friends walking around the downtown of a certain Middle Eastern city. Our hotel was easily located across the street from the theatre where we were working from and the neighborhood included many wonderful little cafes and shops. Within walking distance from our neighborhood was the corniche where you could take in the breathtaking view of the sea while strolling past private beach clubs and high-end seafood restaurants, smaller coffee shops and the odd fresh juice or flower vendor.

We had arrived in the city only a few days earlier and were starting to get a feel for the atmosphere of the event we were at. Checking in and meeting the Sponsor the day before, I was greeted with a contract that I was expected to sign. Of course, contracts are a regular part of any working relationship and can be pretty mundane, but this one was unique.

This particular agreement detailed what dance movements were considered unacceptable and those, like big hip-circles and belly work, that should not be performed at all. Wow! What was this? Was I expected to agree to these conditions because I was going to be part of a televised show? Was this actual censorship or was it one man’s ounce of power and sense of aesthetic being held over our heads? It was hard to tell, but it certainly gave me a sense of what working here was going to be like.

The next day, performance day, we set out downtown. At the top of my shopping list was double-sided tape to help secure the costume I’d be wearing later that day in the show. I loved the curve-hugging costume in question; a beautiful dress with just the perfect amount of lift, cutouts in all the right places, but still covered enough to appease more conservative tastes. Just in case.

 Earlier that day, my costuming and music choices had come into serious question, which had led to an impromptu inspection and criticism of both. As I understood it, the Sponsor was concerned whether or not my costume and music would be appropriate for the televised performance I would later be seen in. Standing there, feeling their critical gaze upon me, and the entire contents of my suitcase, I started to worry what would happen if they did not like my costume selection. I had worn the same thing in another Middle Eastern country without a problem. Would they simply cut me from the show if they deemed my costumes unacceptable? Finally, my favorite dress, the one with cutouts in all the right places was “Ok’d”. Still, they had serious reservations about the cut outs on the thighs and the plunging neckline. In fact, it was suggested that I cover-up the cut outs completely. Instead, I employed copious amounts of double-sided tape up and down the thighs and around the neckline so that the dress wouldn’t move an inch or expose any more flesh than tolerable.

After finding the tape, we made it back to the hotel and were able to settle in for a bit. Finally! I could get back into a more normal routine, get a nap and get my head in the game. Only moments after closing my eyes, however, there came a knock at the hotel door. It was my new friend Sheila staying just down the hall, “Are you sleeping? Aren’t you getting ready?” It didn’t seem like she meant to let me go back to sleep, so I got up, plugged my curling iron in. Sheila chatted and chatted as I started in on my make-up. I never realized until then how private putting on make-up is for me. Now, the only person I can comfortably share that with is my husband. Otherwise, I truly prefer to be totally alone with the mirror and my thoughts. Well, that wasn’t going to be an option here, clearly.

“So what music are you dancing to? Let me hear it!” Sheila demanded. Wow! That was bold! Yes, folks, here is where I just kind of lost my mind. The day had simply piled up around Sheila’s and me friendly, but totally intrusive demand just sent me over the edge! Despite years of experience I lost it and started to cry. My new friend, really not understanding how tensions surrounding the show had piled up and not understanding that she was intruding on my backstage preparations, looked me in the eye and told me to stop crying.

“You don’t think that Dina cries do you?”

 I had had enough. “Of course she does!” I snarled,

“She just doesn’t let anybody she her do it.”

My well- intentioned friend stayed for a few moments more and then departed in a huff. I certainly didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I was glad to see her go. Finally, I could just be alone to prepare. I repaired my face and packed my bag for the trip across the street to the theatre. “

   ##     

 AMANI JABRIL & MAZAAG

CD RELEASE PARTY

MON, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 AT SKINNY’S LOUNGE

Featuring ROXXANNE SHELBY, KAMALA ALMANZAR, DEVILLA, NASILA and PRINCESS FARHANA… WITH LIVE MUSIC BY AMANI’s band MAZAAG!!!!

  DOORS:  6:30 PM    SHOW 7:15 PM   $15.00

Skinny’s Lounge

 4923 Lankershim Blvd.

North Hollywood, CA

For more info on Amani, visit her website:

http://www.amanijabril.com/

 See Amani in action here: http://www.youtube.com/user/AmaniJabril

Amanai & Mazaag’s workshops at Dance Garden, Los Angeles

 Nov. 2: Iraqi Kawleeya and Nov 3, teaching with Mazaag

http://www.dancegardenla.com/events.html 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

THE THINKING GAL'S GUIDE TO BELLY DANCE STYLES PART 3: FOLKLORIC DANCE

This is Part 3 in a series of articles I am writing on identifying the many styles of belly dance. As with the past two pieces, I will offer the disclaimer that in no way is this intended to be a comprehensive view of oriental dance in it's myriad styles...just a thumbnail sketch. It is my intention merely to provide a frame of reference for beginning students, and also a jumping off point for curious dancers of all styles. At the end of this article, I have mentioned many dancers who are specialists ( and/or authorities) in the various styles discussed, so you can do more research on the subject if you choose to. Please note that in this article (as with previous articles) many of the performers names, as well of the names of the dances themselves can be spelled with many variations, due to phonetic pronunciation and varied translations.


FOLKLORIC DANCE: To put it plainly, folkloric style dancing generally refers to simple and traditional folk dancing performed by and for the people, in their country of origin. A folkloric dance usually stems from a tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation, as opposed to a dance that has been than created artistically by a choreographer or professional performer.

The steps of folkloric dancing are usually pretty basic and repetitious, and done in a straightforward manner, thereby making them easy to perform for people of all ages and skill-levels. Folkloric dances are usually- but not always- done in groups; they are also sometimes performed in pairs or by an individual. Folkloric dance is the type of dance you would see at family functions or social occasions, done for fun by people with little or no formal dance training… but it can also be seen at theaters, pageants and festivals, presented by professional or semi-professional troupes and solo artists.

As for folkloric dances performed alongside belly dance, or done by belly dancers in the context of an oriental dance show, there are so many traditional dances from all the countries of origin, it would be a huge task to list- not to mention describe-them all!

In the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, men and women do many folkloric dances together, like the Turkish Kasic Oyunu (wooden spoon dance), the lively Egyptian Hagallah, or some styles of Levantine Dabke, while others dances are segregated by sex, like Raks Khaligi, the women’s social dance of the Arabian Gulf, or the Gawazee-style dances of Egypt. Occasionally, it is traditional- and socially accepted- for male dancers to dress up and perform as women, like India’s celebrated Goti Pua dancers.

Many traditional folkloric dances are done in lines, like the Greek Kalamatiano, or the fiery Dabke, which loosely means “stomping the feet”. Dabke is a dance with many variations from The Levant- Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria. Other types of folk dances are done in circles or semi circles, like the Hora, (the actual word means “circle”) a traditional Romanian dance that is the National Dance of Israel, and is almost always enthusiastically performed by crowds at Jewish weddings the world over.


Some folk dances portray a story relevant to the culture of its country of origin; others act out a display of strength and prowess or even a mock battle, such as the Egyptian Saidi dance Tahtib, where men skillfully manipulate large sticks or canes; the Turkish Kilic Kalkan, which is an Ottoman Empire- era sword and shield dance, and the Saudi Arabian Ardha, where lines of men face each other wielding swords and twirling rifles.

Other dances may depict an every day activity, like harvesting crops; or fetching water from a well, such as the Egyptian fellaheen (country people) jug dance Raks Al Balass, which is typically performed by groups of women. Another water jug dance is the Tunisian Raks Al Jazur. In this dance, men and/or women balance a water jug on top of the head, while dancing quickly with Tunisian-style hip-twists. The Moroccan Raks Al Saniyya is also balancing dance done by men or women, wherein the dancer performs while balancing items-sometimes an entire tea set complete with glasses and a tea pot- on top of tray, which is perched on the head of the dancer, while floor work and other feats of acrobatic skill are executed.

Celebrating an individual’s masculinity or feminine allure is also a popular theme in many folkloric dances, such as the Persian Raks Al Bezak, which features female dancers miming the act of a woman putting on make-up. A traditional Turkish Roman (Romany or “gypsy” style) dance is performed by a single male, who primps and preens and concludes the piece by actually putting his shoe in his belt-line and doing a series of pelvic shimmies, accentuating his macho attitude…among other things! The Persian dance Baba Karam is also a playful display of masculinity. In the West, women in male drag often perform this cheeky character dance. A co-ed flirtatious dance is the Egyptian/Libyan Hagallah, where a young woman dances while a line of kneeling or standing men clap and sing, celebrating the coming of age.

After all this posturing and flirtation takes place, you can bet there’ll be a wedding in the near future, and of course it goes without saying that many folkloric dances are traditionally done at weddings. There are quite a few North African folk dances celebrating nuptials. Raks Al Shamadan, a traditional Egyptian dance where the shamadan (a large candelabra balanced on the head) crowns the heads of dancers illuminating the happy couple during the zeffah ( bridal procession) for their first appearance as husband and wife. The Moroccan Schikhatt is done by women-usually hired performers- at weddings. Lead by a Sheikha, the Schikhatt dancers sing and dance, artfully re-creating the sort of movements the bride will expected to perform in her matrimonial bed later in the evening. Even today, many Arabic weddings the world feature a belly dancer. There are many beliefs surrounding this custom: that it’s good luck, that it functions as a fertility ritual, or just the mere fact that it’s an entertainment tradition that nobody really thinks twice about. In the Middle East, well-off families often hire the most famous belly dancer they can afford to perform at weddings, as a type of status symbol. Household names like Dina, Nawa Fouad, Lucy, and Fifi Abdou ( among many others) have all performed at many private weddings.

Folkloric costuming for dancing is as varied as the countries it comes from. Obviously, people doing a celebratory folk dance at a party would not be wearing a costume, per se, though if you happened to drop in on a house party in an Upper Egyptian village, and the revelers were dressed in their every day gallibiyyas, it might seem as though they were costumed.

In general, folkloric costuming is usually traditional dress, from the dance’s country of origin. For one example, female Tunisian folkloric dancers wear a draped, toga-like garment called a malia, which is fastened with embellished silver pins called fibulas, and tied at the hips by a rope or woven belt, decorated with mozuna discs, which look like big metal sequins. For another example, Egypt’s Melaya Leff, dance depicts a modern day coquette from the Mediterranean port of Alexandria, looking for a husband among the sailors and fishermen. As the dance progresses, the dancer lets her melaya (wrap) artfully slip on and off, revealing herself to the men, “by accident” because although she wants to flirt, she wants to be seen as a good girl and wife material. Under her melaya, the dancer wears a short, colorful, ruffled, nearly Western style dress and slip-on heeled shoes colloquially called “ship-ship”. Compared to this tarty get-up, Saudi Arabian folkloric costumes are preternaturally elegant: traditional thobes are diaphanous, heavily embellished, usually made of silk or feather-light chiffon, and so long that they actually drag on the floor. Meanwhile, an Uzbek dancer in the Ferghana style wears a costume composed of an A-line calf-length tunic worn over a simple long dress, pantaloons, a small embroidered cap with an attached flowing veil or scarf sitting pertly on top of her long, braided hair, and a very heavy necklace, almost like a breast-plate. Comparing any of these historic costumes to each other is impossible because they are all so different. The only similarity is that they have is that they are all considered to be folkloric dress!


Folkloric dance for the stage is usually replicated as faithfully and authentically as possible, but sometimes, when performed inaccurately, or when elements of pure fantasy are thrown in, I have heard people refer to it as “fake-lore”! When folkloric dancing is reproduced but altered for modern stage presentation, whether by adding a set choreography and interesting staging, or by using modernized or flashy costumes, it becomes known as “theatrical” folk dance.

A terrific example of theatrical folkloric dance is The Reda Troupe. In 1959, the legendary Mahmoud Reda debuted his troupe. He had combed his native Egypt, looking for folk dances to preserve and replicate for the stage. In order to make the simple dances hold the attention of audiences, he added in many elements of Western style dance and, especially noticeable in the carriage of the dancers, in the performer’s arm work (much more stylized than the original folk versions) including an elevated as opposed to flat-footed stance, and by using arabesques. Some of the Reda Troupe dances were traditional, but others, like the Malaya Leff, were dances Reda choreographed himself, to represent the flavor of a certain region of Egypt, in this case, Alexandria. Though now considered by many to be traditional, the Malaya Leff was originally choreographed by Mahmoud Reda for the Reda troupe’s star dancer, Farida Fahmy, who was also his sister-in-law.

The Reda Troupe was endorsed by the Egyptian Ministry Of Culture in 1961, and for years traveled the globe extensively. With his innovative, groundbreaking choreographic work and direction, Mahmoud Reda influenced not just folkloric styles, but also oriental dance in general. As of this writing, he is still actively teaching all over the world.

Folkloric dance is also often incorporated into cabaret-type belly dance show, in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in Western countries. Because of the nature of nightclub shows, many troupes use modernized, abbreviated or sparkly versions of the original costumes. An oriental soloist may also perform a traditional dance such as Raks Assaya or Raks Shamadan, but due to logistical reasons (such as limited time for costume changes) might perform the dance to the traditional music but wearing a two-piece cabaret-style costume, as opposed to folkloric dress.

Many amazing artists working today specialize in folk dances of the orient. For Egyptian folkloric dancing, you cannot go wrong with watching vintage clips of The Reda Troupe; they set the standard for everyone who has followed in their pioneering footsteps.

American Egyptian-American performer Karim Nagy, in addition to being an unparalled drummer, also performs many types of Egyptian folk dances. Egyptian dancer Mohamed Shahin is terrific, proficient in many of the folk dances of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and Tito of Egypt is also incredible- especially in his lively Saidi Raks Assaya and Tahtib styling. More noted Egyptian folkloric stylists include Dr. Mo Gedawwy, Atef Farag and Magda Ibrahim; Hassan Khalil, Nabil Mabrouk, Medhat Fahmy, Ibrahim El Suesy, Ahmad Shalaby, and Hoda Ibrahim…to name just a few!

Some American authorities on North African folkloric dances are Morocco, Aisha Ali and Sahra Saeeda- all of whom have done extensive fieldwork and made visual and/or acoustic recordings of indigenous dances.

Meera and the identical twin sisters Veena and Neena Bidasha are well-known Indian- American dancers who specialize in performing many types of Indian folk and classical dances, in addition to belly dancing. For a real treat, check out Queen Harish, “The Whirling Desert Drag Queen”. Born in Rajasthan, he starred in the award-winning film ”Gypsy Caravan” and performs all over the world.

Tayyar Akdeniz is a much-respected Turkish folk dancer and instructor, and Artemis Mourat is an American dancer incredibly well versed in Turkish Romany style.


Laurel Victoria Gray and Caroline Krueger are both American authorities on Silk Road (Uzbek, Tajik, Persian, etc.) dances and widely respected. Iranian- born Mohammed Khordadian worked extensively in the USA performing and teaching Persian folk dancing and Dr. Robyn Friend is also an authority on the genre.


Photos:
Top: Sahra Saeeda and male dancers posed for Hagallah from Mersa Matruh, Egypt
Bottom: The legendary Mahmoud Reda