“Same Old Thing?”

By Nizana

Staff Writer, Nizana

Ok, so I saw a post someone made about being tired of seeing the same old thing with belly dancers. It got me to pondering later as I didn’t delve deeper as to what she meant. Did she mean particular styles like Egyptian or Tribal Fusion? It couldn’t be folkloric, because you don’t see as much of that any more and that encompasses a really wide variety of styles, costumes and music. Was it dancers copying other dancers in general? What is the “same old thing” and what is the best thing about seeing something different? What would she want to see different?

On the one hand, there are a lot of similarities in many aspects of the dance. After all, it all fits under the “belly dance” umbrella (although I personally like to add what type of belly dance is being presented from an education standpoint.) That’s what makes it belly dance. On the other hand, for real?? With as much one-upsmanship that has gone on creatively, what can be mixed with belly dance that’s out there? In addition to various other dance forms that span the spectrum fused with it, I’ve seen everything from yoga and karate to hip hop and comedy thrown in. Not to mention the personalities, accessorizing and variety of a non-fused/blended routine.  

I find value in both the “same” and the “differences” and personally see both at events I attend for the most part. I of course, like most people, do prefer we all don’t show up to the same event wearing the same costume dancing to the same music... On the other hand, if we did, I suppose we all have good taste in that case?? Regarding costumes, some of the bedlah and Egyptian costumes are to die for and the funky look of leather and lace and corsets can also be very enticing. I love the Latin Arabic or a Dunyavi look now and then, and for designated alternative-ok events, can go alternative. Personalizing and accessorizing can individualize the foundational pieces that are considered belly dance “costumes.” This makes them different while still fitting the style of belly dance being presented. Everyone has their favorite style or styles within the genre. 

If it wasn’t costuming, was it technique or presentation or something else that she was tired of seeing the same of? I have seen some music, routines or combos over-utilized here and there. Trends come and go. There’s always a fever going round out with some hot prop out there. And then it’ll go away for awhile and a bunch of dancers will simultaneously go “hmmm, we haven’t done or seen such in such in awhile” and everyone shows up with that going on…ok, we have 6 sword numbers tonight! Or maybe she means repetitive combos, like you see a troupe do a choreography of 16 counts of the same thing, change positions or angles and do 16 more counts of the same thing, repeat ad nauseum….or soloists doing only the same choreography year after year. Ok in those cases, I totally get her point.

There are some things I personally would like to see the same. For example, if the program or announcer reads that the dancer will perform a Khalege, I want to see movements and costuming that are specific to that style. While there is room to make it your own, the actual movements and music that make it Khalege are the same.  Certain things being the same make them what they are.

This overall style of dance allows for both sameness and differences and lots of room for personalization. For the purists, they can perform the same way as the dancers and peoples they studied before them and those who want to be more creative and grow the art form to something more individual as an artist have the room to do so as well. That alone makes for not everything being the same. Everyone has preferences. We all have feelings about what we feel is “assembly line” or when it might be “too different” pushing it to where it’s no longer belly dance. We have our perspectives on what is redundant and what we prefer and what we don't.  And we probably have our own definitions of what's the "same old thing." I appreciate both the “Golden Age of Belly Dance,” the now, and the future of belly dance, with (most of) its similarities and differences!