"Dancing to the Beat of a Different Drum"
By Elviza
Elviza at her Annual "Spooktacular"
Halloween Event
Well here I am finally starting to write my first article for iShimmy! I’ve been mulling it over in my mind for the last few months, and in a way it’s good I waited because during that time I’ve seen several things that touch on the subject. For instance I was pleased to see our most recent featured musician, John Bilezikjian, talking about his interest in various types of music, how it has influenced him and how he has played different styles of music using the multitude of instruments he knows how to play (I seethe with jealousy over his ability to play so many- and here’s silly me just playing my zills!). His article warmed my heart! I’ve also heard tell about more shows and haflas that encourage dancing to pop or rock music, and have seen some interesting songs listed as having been performed.
On the other end of the spectrum I recently read some negative things that were said about a group of belly dancers who were performing to rock music. Now some of these comments were due to the fact that some didn’t particularly care for the choreography, which could be said about any dance to any music of course, but others actually made comments regarding physical aspects of the dancers. I was quite surprised about this because had it been some reporter for a newspaper that had the audacity to criticize someone for their looks (or their dancing for that matter) I can imagine the expletive-filled comments that would have ensued and all the letters that would have been written to the paper demanding to know why they would allow an idiot who knows nothing about dancing to write about a show, and how dare they insult the artist?
What we’re talking about here is belly dancing to music that is not Middle Eastern. Some people feel that this is a sort of blasphemy, but really that’s a bit of an exaggeration to say the least. First of all, there are those of us who naturally react to music from the time we are children. Some of course have more natural ability and rhythm but most kids bounce around when they hear a song they like, and as we get older we play our records and have our bedroom concerts where we sing and dance and enjoy music. In the Middle East it is more likely that the kids are dancing to the type of music that we professional dancers use for our performances, while many of us here in America or other countries never heard most of those songs until we started taking dance classes and were presumably older—so we danced to other kinds of music when we were little. But even kids like my daughter- who started taking belly dance classes at the age of 8 and was exposed to Arabic music regularly at a young age - still likes many other types of music as well, of course. Most kids do if someone doesn’t try to poison their minds against it (and then even more so!).
Symphony "Elviza's Daughter"
Dancing to Shania Twain's
"That Don't Impress Me Much
From the time I was a little girl I was dancing and singing to Elvis, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Little Richard, etc. My first concert at the age of 12 - which I went to by myself - was Ozzy Osbourne. I have probably been to about 100 different concerts in my time - nowhere near enough mind you - and I have danced my behind off at most of them. The majority of these were before I started officially belly dancing - too broke these days to go out much -- so I was just responding because my love of music dictated that I must. No one back then ever informed me that I wasn’t supposed to dance at a rock concert! On the contrary back then everybody danced or at least stood, nowadays oftentimes people sit politely in their seats which I absolutely loathe and don’t understand.
I have a video of an AC/DC concert in Spain, and what I love is watching the audience. First of all there are plenty of girls, secondly every single person is standing up (and there are tens of thousands), and pretty much all of them are singing every word. It’s quite a sight. And I think to myself, here is a group where most of the members were from Scotland, moved to Australia, started a band, were wildly successful here in the states (I’ve seen them several times), and 20 years later they’re in Spain and these young kids know all the words to their songs. Music makes a big impact on a lot of people in more ways than one regardless of language barriers or continental divides.
I had never had any dance training till I took up Middle Eastern dance at 27. The fact that I now know some cool moves means that when I dance whether for fun or for show hopefully it looks a lot better than it used to! Of course I wish I knew more steps, as well as more styles of dance: for instance it’s a little embarrassing being part Cuban, living in Miami, and belly dancing to salsa music because I don’t really know how to salsa (haven’t done this in performance, just out on the dance floor), but does this mean I should sit in my seat all night? That’ll be the day!
Lamis doing "Evil Woman"
The fact is there seems to be some people who feel they must look down their nose at anyone who does something different, and some even feel that they must act as though the only kind of music they even like is Middle Eastern - they wouldn’t dare listen to or enjoy anything else, and most certainly wouldn’t be caught dead dancing to it! Apparently that is supposed to prove their commitment and love for this art. Well, that’s a shame, really. There is so much fantastic music in the world, why would anyone want to cut themselves off from it? It is one of my greatest joys in life to discover new music, particularly when it’s old! I love to stumble across some album from the 30’s or 50’s or 70’s and marvel at how it is that I’ve never heard this before and wow, isn’t this fantastic? I don’t need to pretend that M.E. music is all I like because that does not automatically make me a better dancer or a more committed dancer. I think knowing as many songs as I can possibly listen to makes me a better dancer, not to mention a happier person (which also makes me a better dancer). I’m not saying that everyone should perform to other types of music, of course, or that people who legitimately haven’t been exposed to anything but M.E. music are any less talented. I have the utmost respect for those who specialize in a particular style or genre, and that’s what they love and they represent it well, but they don’t have to treat others as though they are idiots or traitors if they are interested in doing a wider variety of styles or songs. Now obviously this is not to defend people who want to perform professionally yet don’t bother to study, rehearse, or know anything about music and just throw on a song and bop around thinking cuteness will suffice, that is altogether a different subject.
Personally I perform anywhere from two to seven shows per week and almost always it is to Middle Eastern music, so there is no question that I absolutely love it and collect it as obsessively if not more so than other music. But if every now and again I want to dance to a Zeppelin song, well, I’ve been doing so for as long as I’ve been standing upright, its music that means something to me and a lot of other people, why shouldn’t I share that? Do I have to develop a different set of moves and call it something else? I don’t think so! When you watch many of the ‘indigenous’ dances, or the moves people who are innately good dancers regardless of training do, there are similarities. I’ve worked on learning the moves I know and now I can apply them where I think they fit, just as while dancing to M.E. music you either make conscious choices of moves or you let your body react naturally to the song or some combination of both. Technically, belly dancing isn’t supposed to be so technical. Yes, we should always continue learning and practicing and improving, but then we should take what we learn and blast some music and DANCE, like we tell our students to do. We also tell our students that the purpose of this dance is to express yourself and to put your own stamp on what you are taught and make it your style rather than a carbon-copy of someone else. Well my style has been influenced by a lifetime of listening to a wide variety of music that I love and that is why I am a dancer. I fervently wish that I had begun studying this art many years earlier but I can’t change that. At least I can be thankful that in the meantime I went to all those concerts and played all those rock albums (along with some Ravi Shankar and old-timey mountain music) and that gave me my own unique foundation to build on.
Elviza, Dancing to
House of the Rising Sun
I do not usually choreograph my solos no matter what kind of music I’m dancing to, and I don’t dance to the same song every time I perform. I want that natural reaction to the music and I’m not afraid to dance to a song that I hardly know for that reason, for better or worse. That’s not to say I haven’t watched some choreographed solos and loved them, but that’s just not what I’m personally comfortable doing myself. Of course dancing to a song that I know inside and out (especially if I’ve known it for my entire life) will produce a different effect than a song I’m hearing for the first time, and I think there is room to run the gamut in my repertoire and for other dancer’s as well. No dancer should be shamed for wanting to dance to a song they love no matter where the musician performing it was born. And just as I feel a kinship with anyone who is also a dancer, there is a special place in my heart for those that perform to unexpected music, especially if they do it well.
Hossam Ramzy saw fit to work with the guys from Led Zeppelin (among many others). Obviously he was attracted to their music and saw a potential to make the songs have a Middle Eastern flavor and it was quite a success (I saw that concert live, too!). He has also played in jazz bands at one point in his life. This does not detract from his talent or ability to play Middle Eastern music or his love for it, or the fact that he is Egyptian. So why should I have to hide in the closet if I want to dance to one of their songs? Can’t I give a song a ‘Middle Eastern flavor’ by adding my dancing rather than a doumbek? Someone who grew up in the Middle East gets to perform either music they heard as a child or the latest radio hit and it’s okay because it’s from over there, but there is nothing wrong with the reality that you might know and like other songs, too. And in this day and age of technology and Fed Ex kids everywhere are hearing a wider variety of music styles and I think that’s a good thing.
Elviza Dancing to
Rhionnan, by Fleetwood Mac
Luckily, around here everyone has been more than accepting, encouraging and enthusiastic for performances to various types of music, so although I have said ‘I’ throughout this article I am referring to the collective ‘I’ rather then defending myself as I’ve received no negative feedback - yet! I recall the first time I was going to do a ‘weird’ song for an event and I approached the organizer to tell her I was bit nervous and that although the song actually fit the theme of the event I wanted to clear it with her and I had brought a ‘regular’ song to do instead if she was concerned about the audience not liking it, and she basically said ‘who cares what they think!” which made me laugh and broke the tension. Mind you this person is also a very serious, hard-working, and in-demand performer, and of course she cares about doing a good job for the audience, but at the same time you can’t worry yourself to death over every choice you make, if you love the song and dance it well chances are most people will like it, and they did.
Zizi
Dancing to Metallica's "Enter Sandman"
Several professional dancers have wowed me with their performances and music choices when they have had the opportunity to do something different. For instance my friend Zizi, who is not only a belly dancer but an accomplished Flamenco dancer (as well as salsa dancer, dance photographer and fellow huge Elvis fan!!), is certainly very serious about her dancing and always performs lovely choreographed pieces. For one of my Halloween shows she did a salsa number about witchcraft ‘Brujeria’- very cute but not overly edgy considering she was dancing salsa to a salsa song. Imagine my surprise the next year when she emailed me her music and it was Metallica!! I never even knew she would listen to them, much less perform to that type of music. I was excited all month anticipating seeing her dance that number, and it was great fun. Another time I cried when watching a ballerina friend dancing to ‘Dust in the Wind’. She barely speaks English so didn’t even understand the whole meaning of the song (I guess that was like us dancing to songs sung in Arabic) but as soon as the first few notes played and she floated onto the stage. I lost it! How’s that for connecting with the audience? Finally, a couple years ago I took one of my troupe members Kirsty to see Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, and during Willie she said “Now I know I’m really a belly dancer”. And I said “Why’s that?” She said “Because I’m belly dancing to Willie Nelson!” My response? “Yeeeeyyyyyyy!!”-- and by the way- so was I.
