Ghawazee

Workshop Resources: Ghawazee & Turkish Oryantal Dance

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Leah and Lynette perform at the International Belly Dance Conference of Canada, Toronto

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GHAWAZEE  RESOURCES

Terrific dance scenes and interviews can be viewed in this 1981 video “The Romany Trail: Gypsies of Africa” – Please note, the narration is dated and sometimes simply wrong (particularly about the Zar). The Banat Maazin dance at 11.52, and another Ghawazee troupe at 21.40.

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Glimpses of “Ghawazee” costume history

Mid 1800s:

1890s:

1920s:

1960s Banat Maazin:

1960s Khairiya of the Banat Maazin

Recent image of Khairiya of the Banat Maazin 

This excerpt is from a 2017 wedding party featuring Khairiya, of the Banat Maazin family. She is the last one of their famous dance troupe who continues to perform. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RsNjyOYVXA

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You can find lot of information about the Banat Maazin and Ghawazee online eg. This wonderful first-person account of meeting Ghawazi in Egypt, with historical photographs and references. The six part article was written over several decades 1970s to 1990s by Edwina Nearing. The link below takes you to Part 1, with links to the other sections at the end, thanks to the dance magazine “Gilded Serpent”.http://www.gildedserpent.com/articles25/edwinaghawazich1.htm

Another inspiring article reviews 19th century historical travel writing: https://www.gildedserpent.com/cms/2012/04/16/when-victoria-was-queen-and-the-ghawazi-ruled/

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If you’d like to see more video, costuming, etc. about Ghawazi, check out this (and other) Youtube playlists:

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TURKISH ORYANTAL RESOURCES

Here are some video examples of Turkish Oryantal.  You can find many more by searching Youtube on an artist’s name or the dance form. (I particularly recommend everything featuring dancers Tulay Karaca or Nesrin Topkapi, even though the video quality is variable.)

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Vivacious Gigi Dilsah dances Turkish Oryantal in this video with lots of sparkle, drama, surprise, floorwork, and hair tosses! https://youtu.be/_QOgaJ1tQVc?si=dVOUNZUNVLEupMf0

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Here’s an Oryantal piece by Artemis Mourat, she starts with Turkish Roman and flows into an Oryantal performance. https://youtube.com/watch?v=1Lzf38FlQrU%3Fsi%3DW9FkgqIqYwfQiCZa

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Elegant, exquisite Tanyeli! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLjQe3IwXkY

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MUSIC SUGGESTIONS

For the Turkish Oryantal choreography, we danced with “Söylim Mi” (Shall we tell?) by Asena.

There are a great many inspiring Turkish musicians and ensembles. Here are some that I used for warm-ups, stretching exercises, learning Oryantal vocabulary, and improvisation activities during my workshops: Burhan Ocal and the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble, John Bilezikjian, Ney Defteri, and the albums Second Nature by Minor Empire, and Gypsy Fire by Omar Faruk Tekbilek & Richard Hagopian.

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ReOrient present Ghawazee dance at the Duncan Showroom, 2019

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The dance in these videos is an interpretation of an historical style of dance and costume common in Egypt in the late 1800’s and into the 20th Century. Our choreography is based on historic photos and travellers’ writings about the Ghawazee, and our studies with Aisha Ali, Banat Mazin troupe members, and others.  The Ghawazee continue to perform today, though with different costumes! Many Ghawazee, and in particular those we studied for this piece, are members of Domari and Nawar tribes – that is, Middle Eastern branches related to the “Romani” (peoples who have asked to no longer be called “Gypsies”).  Ghawazee has been translated as “Invaders of the Heart” – but the word has some negative connotations, as it represents Egyptian women who dance to entertain. 

We are members of the B.C. dance collective “Re-Orient”, and we hope our performance, and these videos, will broaden your perspectives on Arab and Turkish arts and societies.  Videos are by Eric Boucher. 

Belly Dance Fact & Fiction: References

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OPA Showcase Lecture/seminar, Victoria BC – presented by Lynette Harper Ph.D. November 2013

References – Books (*specific articles cited)

Belly dance around the world: New communities, performance and identity. 2013. Caitlin E. McDonald & Barbara Sellers-Young, editors. Jefferson NC: McFarland & Company.

* What is Baladi about al-Raqs al-Baladi? On the survival of belly dance in Egypt, Noha Roushdy.

* Performing identity/diasporic encounters, Lynette Harper

* 1970s Belly dance and the “How-To” phenomenon: Feminism, fitness and Orientalism, Virginia Keft-Kennedy

* Local performance/global connection: American Tribal Style and its imagined community, Teresa Cutler-Broyles

* Quintessentially English belly dance: In search of an English tradition, Siouxsie Cooper

Belly dance: Orientalism, transnationalism & harem fantasy. 2005. Anthony Shay & Barbara Sellers-Young, editors. Costa Mesa CA: Mazda Publishers.

* Introduction, Anthony Shay & Barbara Sellers-Young

* Belly dance: An urban folk genre, Najwa Adra

* Body, image, identity: American Tribal Belly dance, Barbara Sellers-Young

* Spirit from the body: Belly dance as a spiritual practice, Donnalee Dox

Belly Dance Reader. 2012. Editors of the Gilded Serpent. Fairfax CA: Gilded Serpent.

* Belly dance & contemporary dance studies, Barbara Sellers-Young

* Orientalism: Zumarrad’s completely non-scholarly quick and dirty guide, Brigid Kelly

* “Harem Girls,” dance in historical harems, early 1700’s – early 1900’s, the perpetual masquerade, Andrea Deagon

Dancing fear & desire: Race, sexuality, & imperial politics in Middle Eastern Dance. 2004. Stavros Stavrou Karayanni. Waterloo ON: Wilfred Laurier University Press.

Gypsies and the problem of identities. 2002. Adrian Marsh & Elin Strand, editors. Istanbul: Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul, Transactions vol.17.

* Introduction,  Elin Strand & Adrian Marsh

* On Romany origins and identity – questions for discussion, Ian Hancock

* The current situation of the Dom in Jordan, Allen Williams

Looking for Little Egypt. 1994. Donna Carlton. Bloomington IN: IDD Books

Orientalism (25th Anniversary Edition). 1994. Edward Said. New York: Vintage Books.

Scheherezade goes West: Different cultures, different harems. 2001. Fatema Mernissi. New York: Washington Square Press.

Serpent of the Nile: Women and dance in the Arab world.  1989. New York: Interlink books.

Visibly Muslim: Fashion, politics, faith. 2010. Emma Tarlo. Oxford: Berg.

We are the Romani people. 2002. Ian Hancock. Hatfield: University of Hertfordshire Press.

You asked Aunt Rocky: Answers & advice about Raqs Sharqi & Raqs Shaabi. 2011. Morocco (C.Varga Dinicu). Virginia Beach VA: RDI Publications.

References cited – journal & internet articles

Dancing around Orientalism. 2006. Donnalee Dox. TDR/The Drama Review, Vol.50 no.4 (Winter 2006), pp.52-71.

Feminism and belly dance. Andrea Deagon. http://people.uncw.edu/deagona/raqs/feminism.htm (downloaded 18 Nov.2013)

In search of the origins of the dance. Andrea Deagon. http://people.uncw.edu/deagona/raqs/origins.htm (downloaded 18 Nov.2013)

Naked belly dance in Egypt? Part 1: Are they really belly dancing? 2009. Andrea Deagon. The Gilded Serpent, http://www.gildedserpent.com/cms/2009/10/19/deagonnakedbdpart1/ (downloaded 18 Nov.2013)

Oriental dance: Myth and reality, the harem slaves. 2002.  Jalilah Lorraine Chamas. The Gilded Serpent, http://www.gildedserpent.com/articles20/jalilahharamslaves.htm (downloaded 18 Nov.2013)

 

Romani dance workshops

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Ghawazee Sparkle & Turkish Soul

A short introduction to movement in two distinctive Roma styles. Strengthen your dance vocabulary, skills, and knowledge in a session contrasting the sinuous embellishments of Turkish dance styles with the quivers, shimmies and “earthquake tremors” of Egyptian Ghawazee dance. Read review. Teaching level: Multilevel (beginner through advanced) Length: 1 1/2 hours

Interview with Lynette Harper

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Sahda,  June 2007 By NILA 

What attracted you to bellydance, and made you stick to it?

Dance is life! Returning home from a Middle East journey in 1976, I discovered the bellydance craze had hit Vancouver – and knew I’d become part of it. Sometimes I wonder if I would have stuck to Middle Eastern forms if I wasn’t Lebanese, since their stylistic conventions often feel like constraints. But there’s an enormous power in the traditional forms, and they can lead us to diverse avenues of expression and experimentation. I find new stuff emerging from the Middle Eastern/European music scene is terrifically inspiring!

Do you have a favorite style/styles to dance?

Yes, many! I’m still swept away when dancing with Turkish Roman (gypsy) music, inspired by its virtuosity, free and spontaneous improvisation, rich melodies and that romantic, emotional sensibility. These are qualities I value in dance! I enjoy improvising in Turkish styles, but I also revel in distinctive traditional forms: the sparkle of Ghawazee shimmies, the ‘mathematical’ precision of raqs sharqi, the intensity of zar ritual movement. Right now I’m developing a Saidi dance ‘persona’ – going beyond my current understanding of the earthy, flirtatious and sensuous movements of the Saidi, to acknowledge my aging body and incorporate some of that wisdom I’m supposed to be gaining!

How did Earthfire come about?

Serendipity! A convergence of women with fabulous dance talents and stage presence, in a small B.C. town. Swimming after rehearsals, striving for shared goals, respecting each others’ abilities and artistic visions. It all came together when Signy Cohen, of Tofino, asked me if I knew some dancers who could put together a show for their summer festival. Six weeks of intensive rehearsal later, an ensemble was born! The name came later. Though we now live in different cities and countries, we still dance together any chance we get!

Excercise form you recommend to keep in shape for the dance.

Dance warm-ups, strengthening and stretching exercises from a range of dance forms are useful! I try to keep up with exercises developed by contemporary dancers in particular, since they emphasize incredible strength and flexibility. There are so many options to explore – right now, when my research work keeps me sitting at a computer most of the time, I’m finding the intensity of Pilates Reformer work provides a nice balance with Middle Eastern dance.

Who is your favourite all around dancer?

Every dancer that is caught up in the joy of the dance, who is able to lose herself in movement and music.

Recommended reading

Books I find myself returning to: Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks (readable insights into the complexities of women in Islam); Serpent of the Nile by Wendy Buonaventura (solid historical background of the dance, with great pictures); Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins (catches the essence of the dance – and it’s a great read!); and The Creative Habit: Learn it and use it for life by Twyla Tharp (inspiration from one of the great contemporary choreographers of our time) For a nice light read, Keti Sharif’s Bellydance book is terrific; and on the other end of the scale, Dancing fear and desire by Stavros Karayanni provides a sharp postcolonial analysis of dance and identities.

What are your plans for this year/what should we look out for?

So many plans! The highlight of my dance year is the Island Dance Retreat in August, spending 5 days dancing with women from all around B.C., eating Middle Eastern food, working and laughing a lot. This year Bronwyn and I have developed ideas about symbolism to integrate in our team teaching. I also plan to finish my doctorate this fall, so that I will have more time to spend teaching, creating & performing dance – and to visit former Earthfire dancer Ferda at her home in Turkey!

 

Exploring Tarab with Lynette

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Spring 2007  OPA! News, Victoria      by Sidona

On February 18th members of Women of Widad piled into a van to take the trip up to Nanaimo to attend a workshop with Lynette Harper. 

 We were excited and all felt that we needed a burst of dance energy after the long winter and also to beat the February blues. When we arrived at the Harbour Dance Centre in Nanaimo we were pleasantly surprised by the sunshine streaming through the windows and bouncing playfully off the hardwood floors. One of the topics discussed was “Tarab” and none of us really knew what that meant.

Lynette started with a warm-up with all of us in a circle facing each other. We moved on to “Turkish Curves” using a smoky Turkish song that really got us into that slow syrupy movement. She started with some examples and then had each of us pick a part of our body to focus on for several minutes. IT was a real joy to explore our inner emotions and combine it with a dance. Lynette promotes dance as a whole woman experience. In her workshops you are pushed out of your comfort zone in a comfortable way. She then did a mini-Ghawazee workshop called “Ghawazee Sparkle”.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on “Tarab” which when translated means “Art is Feeling” or is also described as a “musically induced state of ecstasy”. The dancers were asked to describe what they felt when dancing and words were tossed back and forth like, Freedom, Revitalized, Divine Feminine, Health, In my Veins. We moved energy to different parts of our bodies and explored alone and with other dancers using “light” and “heavy” movements, infectious music and complementary movements. It was a delight and as a group we all felt richer as dancers and as women.

It is vital to express our full selves as we dance and Lynette facilitated in her warm and welcoming way an excellent day of playing in the sun. As we drove home we felt fuller and more complete as dancers. Thank-you Lynette!