Oriental Dance goes back to many countries. Inevitably throughout the years it has gone through many changes and alterations. Originally neither its purpose was the same nor its costuming it has evolved as everything else. Let us take things from the beginning.Before the 19th century oriental dance could be traced in the Arabic tradition and culture and was danced at the family celebrations, weddings and other occasions. It was more or less a “family affair”. Sometimes, like nowadays, they would hire a professional dancer to entertain and enchant the guests.
During 1800 European writers, while traveling in search for different countries and traditions, became fascinated with the colors and the scents of the Orient and mainly with this ancient dance which was wrapped in mystery and showed not only the feminine nature but also the passion that connects each part of the body with the rhythm and the music. Thus, the Middle East became the place of inspiration for many artists (painters, writers atc,) and as consequence the touristic development was rapid. People from all around Europe visited the exotic Middle East to discover and admire the landscapes and the people. So Oriental Dance became one of its touristic attractions. The first night-club created for this purpose was in Cairo, Egypt in 1920 and later in Beirut, Lebanon. In Turkey there wasn't room for such luxuries due to the political problems and changes. Since those days a new music market has been created in Arabia.
Around 1940 the first movie industry sprang up in the Arab world with Cairo and Lebanon being the centers of the whole venture. So the Arabic dance and music changed beyond all recognition. The first music Stars like Farid al-Atrache and Mohamed Abdel Wahab emerged well as the dazzling stars of Arabic Dance like Tahia Carioca, Samia Gamal in Egypt and Nadia Gamal in Lebanon. Oriental Dance in that way, ceased to be performed at family celebrations behind closed doors became more glamorous and a significant part of the Arabic Art. Naturally, this advancement did not occur in the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Turkey) but only in Arabic countries. That's why the term “Arabic dance” prevailed over the “Oriental Dance”.
In 1960 there was a change on scenery again which lasted until 1980. The civil war in Lebanon and the slump in Oriental Dance as it was performed exclusively at shady bars in Turkey, made Egypt the birthplace of many great Stars (who performed at the most luxurious 5 Stars Hotels) like Soheir Zaki, Nagwa Fouad, Lucy, Nadia Hamdi and Fifi Abdo, the most famous place on earth for someone to enjoy the authentic Arabic Dance. That's why the Egyptian Oriental Style has so far been the most important one. That was also the time when Arabian Artists started to immigrate to European countries, to America and to Australia seeking a better and brighter future contributing at the same time to the enormous publicity and to the improvement of this art's image. Unfortunately, since 1990 the Arabic Dance has started to create problems to Muslims, in particular to extremists who have forced many Arabian Artists to give up their art craft. Many Stars such as Soheir Zaki and Nagwa Foad resigned from the Arabic stage in the early 90's because according to their beliefs so much violence wasn't worth the try. Others like Fifi Abdo and Dina have hired personal bodyguards to protect themselves. Nowadays, in the 21st century, the Oriental Dance enthuse people around the world so much that the quality and the standards of the Dance has gone up a great deal and are becoming higher and higher all the time. Once one enters the beautiful world of Oriental Dance, she will be surprised by the numerous styles inherent to this craft. I can assure you that the differences are huge among them. In the time the Styles vary and fall into special categories. Here we will touch upon the most important ones.
|
more related links: |
|
