Here in my town there is one place which regularly offered bellydance classes on different levels. Places like the YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) and The University Georgia's Continuing Education Center occasionally offers classes.
I own bellydance exercise video cassettes and a DVD by bellydancing twins Veena and Neena Bidasha and Suhaila Salimpour . I think bellydance should be learned by all women in America. Too many of us have been come so liberated that we lack that grace and femininity and Romantic aspect that I feel a woman needs in the way she moves. I have noticed graceful aspects in women while living in Turkey and Botswana. You rarely see it here.
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is a Balkan nation bordered by Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece. The country's population consists of Macedonians who are Slavic people, Albanians, Turks, Romani people (Gypsies), Serbs, Valachs (similar to the Romanians) and others. I never expected that Macedonia has a tradition of bellydance. Usually when one thinks of bellydance the Middle East, Turkey, and on slim occasions India are thought of. Bellydance is rooted in these countries, but it also has roots in Macedonia and Greece.
Bellydance probably was brought to the Balkans by the Romani people. The art of bellydance is thousands of years old originating from tribal, temple, ritual, and social dances and even in exercises to prepare women for childbirth. Two years ago when looking for CDs to add to my collection of Arabic music I ran across this unexpected find.
Below I have included two videos of bellydancers in possibly Macedonia. Notice that Balkan bellydance music has slight similarities in rhythm to Middle Eastern bellydance music, but the instrumentation is different. Brass instruments like trumpets, saxophones, trombones, and clarinets are played in this form of bellydance music. Macedonian bellydance was a refreshing surprise for me. If you notice in the two clips at the end, there is a kind of vivaciousness in Macedonian bellydance that you do not see in its' Middle Eastern or Indian counterparts.I learned in Turkey that though there are plenty of places to see bellydance especially in cities like Istanbul, Turks are not interested. Why? Their answer is, "That is for the tourists."
I have not gone to a bellydance performance yet in Turkey, but in 2006 I went to a bellydance charity performance here in my town to benefit African children. The dancers performed mainly Indian forms of bellydance.
8 comments:
Dear Sincerae,
I would like to ask you to change the title of your post, because even though you are correct mentioning Skopje, as FYROM, since the name issue is not resolved yet, you have to understand that there is no "Macedonian" nation! Skopje people mainly are Slavic, Albanian or Turkish.
Macedonians were a greek tribe in the ancient times that were placed mainly in the north of our homeland. Today, Skopje (FYROM) holds just the 1/10 of that geographical region... which means absolutely nothing.
There have never been a "Macedonian" nation, culture or language or tradition about anything... including belly dance!
(Please refer to this site in relevant, as an example: http://barackobama.wetpaint.com/thread/720684/macedonia?t=anon)
The capital city of Macedonia was Vergina and a visit there, just a visit, can prove that the "Macedonian language" was the greek language and only.
Of course, i am not supposed to practice politics here. Please do accept my apology. But you must understand that this is a very sensitive issue...
On the other hand, during the Othoman occupation that lasted more than 4 centuries, it was inevitable all the people in the Balcans, including Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria etc, to adjust oriental elements to their respective traditions and daily life as well.
Still, today, no matter if you travel to Serbia, Skopje, Albania, Bulgaria, Monte Negro etc, you will find similiraties that will surprise you.
Regarding belly dance, and I agree with everything you mention, I believe that Turkish people and especially those from Anatolia brought belly dance to the west, which for me is excellent since is a very sensual dance that reveals the feminine beauty...
Hi Christos,
I had heard something about the dispute a few years ago, but the Balkans are totally off the radar now in the US especially since The War on Terror began. Except for the elections, we only get news about poor Britney Spears' continuing problems and the housing crisis here (too Americans got houses and now are losing them).
I will change the title and put FYROM in parenthesis. I did not want my blog to be fully political because I am more of an art, literature, and history person, but I do put a little light politics here as seem in my posts on Barack Obama and Nickolas Sarkozy. They are political figures. Also the post above can be viewed as a little political too, but I don't like to over do politics. Politics can be a little depressing at times.
I always try to be as positive and compassionate as possible. So no problem or offense. I try to be a very forgiving person:)
Actually I thought a slash would be better since there is the dispute:)
Actually, the term FYROM, contains the geografpical term Macedonia, so having both of them with or without parenthesis or shlash or whatever is too much!
Yes, indeed, it is not that easy to follow news about what is happening thousands of miles away!
Nevertheless and speaking about the Greek-Skopje dispute, any attempt by anybody to steal names, culture, tradition... while international community is really concerned (don't forget that the name issue is to be resolved within the frame of the UN), is a matter that anyone should protest or at least express some scepticism on the subject till its final solution.
Believe me, with or without solution, Greeks and Skopje people will have to live together. They already live together. But on the other hand, there must be respect to the identity of your neigbhour!
I do understand their need to obtain an identity, because they don't have any, but this doesn't mean that I can accept any "high hope" they have...
I will stop here and I will say nothing more, because I do have to respect you and your blog na dit was not my intention to start a political dialogue:)
Sorry about that!
Poor Greeks.Not even by them self they dont know what they are.MACEDONIANS?GREEKS?MACEDONIAN-GREEKS?I KNOW JUST ONE THINK.THEY DONT KNOW TO SPEAK MACEDONIAN.SO THEY ARE GREEKS.DONT BE SO CONFUSED PLEASE.IF YOU ARE MACEDONIAN PLEASE RECOGNIZE THE MACEDONIAN PEOPLE LIKE MINORITY IN YOUR GREECE AND SUPPORT THEM.YOU ARE LOST.YOU ARE JUST COUNTRY WITH BIG FEELINGS FOR EVERYTHING MACEDONIAN BUT NOT EVEN A WORD YOU KNOW TO SAY ON MACEDONIAN.SO,FOR WHAT KIND OF MACEDONIA YOU ARE SPEAKING ABOUT.LEAVE MACEDONIA AND MACEDONIANS TO BELIEVE YOU ARE GREEKS.BECAUSE THE WAY YOU STARTED YOU WILL BE LOST NATIONALITY PUNISHED BY GOD.I WISH THAT FINALLY STILLERS OF HISTORY.AS ALWAYS.NATIONALITY READY ALWAYS TO CRY.PARAPONIARES.KLEFTES.MALAKES.
Anonymous,
I think we could all use a little more compassion...
Anyway, my original post was about BELLYDANCE/ORIENTAL DANCE. I can understand a little of both sides in the issue. But politics is a necessary evil that I only dabble in. I am no expert. My outlook is less political and more social long with art, literature, and history.
Those videos look fun, but the dancing is not as graceful as Turkish belly dancing.
Perhaps those ladies were amateurs, I do not know, but the Turkish ladies elegantly define each thrust and movement.
But they were still entertaining.
Yes Ardent,
This version of bellydance is more lively. I haven't seen the Turkish version of bellydance but I am thinking it is more like that of Veena & Neena and Suhaila Salimpour, more Middle Eastern.
I have seen the Indian as I mentioned in the post, and it is slightly different from the Middle Eastern, more sinuous and slow. They even stop slightly and pose during the dance.
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