Belly Dance - Over 100 Years with the Wrong Name

Belly dancing is practised and enjoyed by people around the world, but few realise that the name they lovingly know it by was really just an accident.

Rightfully, Belly Dance should be known as Oriental Dance or Raks Sharqi, "Dance of the East", a collection of similar dance styles that originated in the Near East, Middle East and/or Far East. There are actually more names that could be used depending on the individual styles such as "Baladi" meaning "dance from the country" or the Turkish and Greek name "Oryantal Dansi" meaning "Dance Oriental".

So, where did the name "Belly Dance" come from?

This genre of dance was not properly introduced to the Western World until the 18th century and even then was rarely seen until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1893, Oriental Dancers performed at the World Exposition in Chicago and caused quite a stir due to cultural attitudes of the time. This was further exacerbated by burlesque performers, who took aspects of the dance and created their own titillating routines that bore no real resemblance to the traditional dances of the East but convinced Westerners that it was a sexual and immoral dance.

In a French review, a similar style of dance was labeled "Danse Du Ventre" or "Dance of the Stomach" which is believed to have quickly developed into the name Belly Dance. Even today that name causes dismay among lovers of Oriental Dance who see it as tainting the origins of the ancient art form.

Belly Dance is not even a good description. Belly Dancing does require movement of the abdominal muscles but is a dance of the whole body, incorporating upper and lower body muscle isolations, graceful arm movements, hip rolls and pelvic tilts.

However unsuitable the name might be, Belly Dance is known and recognised the world over. Instructors may prefer to label their classes "Oriental Dance" or "Raks Sharqi" but the recognition that the name Belly Dance brings will continue to ensure its use, at least in the West, for many years to come.

Issy Hart writes about the art of Belly Dancing, including Belly Dancing Costumes and Belly Dancing Music Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Issy_Hart

Dance till you drop

Electrifying music, foot-tapping dance beats and unlimited masti. When it comes to all this and more, Venom is definitely the place to be iwith the DJs ensuring the revellers enjoy themselves to the hilt. Party-hoppers, who had come dressed to kill, made sure they made most of the music as they hit the dance floor with a vengeance and were seen partying as the night got more and more groovy. Those who were too tired to hit the dance-floor, decided to relax over drinks and snacks or played billiards. A reveller admitted, “Dancing is a great stressbuster. Not only do you feel great, but it also helps you lose weight!” Surely, when it comes to de-stressing, it’s always great to dance your blues away. So, dance till you drop!

Hip-hop dance instructor teaches in Cottonwood

A Cottonwood resident who has studied and taught dance all over the South County is going back to his roots teaching hip-hop dance at the Cottonwood Community Center. Max Friedman took his very first dance class the center.

The dance teacher said that years ago, he wasn't thrilled with the idea of taking a dance class, but once he did, he didn't' want to stop.

"I always thought dancing was kind of like a girls thing. I thought I was supposed to play football or basketball or something," he said. "But I found I wasn't too bad at it and I enjoyed it, so I kept with it."

Five years later, Friedman is passing on skills to Cottonwood children and teens.

There are currently about five children in the class, and the instructor said there's room for more.

During his Monday class, Friedman teaches hip-hop dance moves and incorporates them into routines. The teacher also makes sure to start the class with stretches, and at the end of class, he gives his students a more-complicated dance move to practice during the week.

One of Friedman's favorite parts about teaching dance is watching his students pick up on the dance moves.

"It reminds me when I first started hip-hop. 'When I would get a move down was like, Yes, I finally got it," Friedman said. "It makes you feel good when you master something like that. I enjoy helping kids get there."

Another reason why the instructor enjoys dance is because it builds self-confidence.

"I've had friends that are really shy, and when they started doing dance they totally came out of their shell," he said.

"If you are out somewhere and people start dancing, you are not just sitting on the side feeling uncomfortable," Friedman said. "Once you get it down, you are no longer scared to get out there."

By Breeana Laughlin (Contact)

Cypher Documents Break Dance Comeback

Hip-hop began not just as a music genre but as a cultural movement. From soundsystems to DJs and repurposed vinyl to graffiti, insurrection and break dance, it attacked the mainstream using a variety of invigorating elements.

But some elements have survived time's arrow better than others. Changes in hip-hop's tastes dealt break dance, better known as breaking, a pretty rough body blow. Especially since the arrival of gangsta rap, which looked upon dancing as something that got in the way of drinking, jacking and mostly wasting everyone's time. Yet breaking survives and, with the thankful resurgence of conscientious hip-hop, is increasing in momentum.

And that velocity makes for some pretty pictures.

Good thing Touch Me I'm Sick shutterbug Charles Peterson was around to take them. The man whose photos helped document the grunge phenomenon is adding hip-hop to his portfolio with Cypher, out now from New York's powerHouse Books. It shows off what happens when a ring of revisionist breakers forms and sets about defying gravity and the human body's structural integrity.

Peterson used medium format cameras for a larger-than-life feel, and it works. Meanwhile, Jeff Chang's deep introduction, like his other valuable writing, adds the kind of cultural context needed to remind the world that hip-hop is much more than Flava Flav and 50 Cent. Much more, indeed.

Ballerina sticks to her fashion/style

MARITONI Rufino-Tordesillas fell in love with ballet at eight years old. It was what would take her all the way to New York.

In 1986, I got a call from my father saying a family friend would be apprenticing in the Big Apple, and asking if she could room in with me. When the apartment’s doorbell rang, I opened the door, saw this girl, and gasped, “Madonna!”

But it wasn’t Madonna. It was Maritoni, attired head-to-toe in the “Like a Virgin” outfit made famous by Madonna.

The sight of a young (just a few years younger than I) die-hard fan was both amusing and ever-so-refreshing.

In New York, off Maritoni went every day to the Neubert Ballet Institute at Carnegie Hall, where she had a scholarship. She studied under Steffan Hoff, a contemporary of Mikhail Baryshnikov at American Ballet Theater.

In 1989, she danced with the Eglevsky Ballet of New York. In 1993, she passed the Royal Academy of Dancing examinations, with honors in the intermediate majors. In 1995, she came home and taught in Philippine Ballet Theater (PBT), where she was school principal from 1998 to 2000.

Her roles as principal dancer for PBT included Cio Cio San in “Madame Butterfly,” Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet,” “Cinderella,” Raymonda in “Andres KKK,” Carmen, Kitri in “Don Quixote,” Odette in “Swan Lake,” and Giselle, to name a few.

Partnered with international guest dancers like Wes Chapman, Parrish Meynard, Timothy Melady and Charles Askegaard, she performed with PBT in the US, Mexico, Japan and Singapore. She also dabbled in musical theater, and was a favorite among local choreographers like Gener Caringal and Edna Vida.

Like in the pursuit of other dreams, there were disappointments. The ballet industry at the time had no support and funding. Excellent dancers did not get substantial salaries and, above all, lacked recognition. Access to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, as far as transportation and affordable tickets were concerned, was difficult.

Seeing classic ballet performances was never a part of school activities, so the industry had no exposure to potentially talented young dancers.

Inner peace

Maritoni hung up her pointes in 2000 and established Danspace, teaching children ages three to 14. (The students of the school are entered into the assessment program of the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet.)

Simultaneously, she discovered Asthanga Yoga. With a certification from the Centered Yoga Institute in Koh Samui, Thailand, she became one of the founders of Yoga Manila.

Because she teaches two to three yoga classes daily, her schedule dictates that her wardrobe exude comfort over fashion. Yoga wear comprises 90 percent of her clothing. Jeans are a staple, with knits or vintage tops, while simple, short shifts allow her the ease she needs.

Maritoni may have had her disappointments in the ballet industry, but she continues to hope, and meanwhile teaches us to center. She believes in focusing on her priorities. As a mother of two, she says her family comes first. She follows an “early to bed, early to rise” regimen, so she can spend valuable time with her kids.

Because Maritoni has been doing, and is doing, what she loves, she has that inner peace we are all striving for. And, just like Madonna, Maritoni will continue to do what she loves, always finding a sense of fulfillment in the process.
By Rina Silayan-Go
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Airborne Toxic Event: Literate Dance-Rock

Spurred by a string of bad news in his personal life, novelist Mikel Jollett turned to writing songs instead of prose for relief, and within months, The Airborne Toxic Event was born. Shaking up standard rock with the addition of viola and trumpet, The Airborne Toxic Event has become a fixture of the L.A. music scene within just two years. In a session with host David Dye, the band weighs in on the media's hefty comparisons between its work and that of artists such as Leonard Cohen. Jollett also explains his songwriting process, noting that it's not too far off from his prior occupation, since he composes songs as short stories.

Pole dance your way to fitness

A CHANCE to pole dance your way to fitness is now available in Loughborough. Mel Bailey has been pole dancing for two years and decided to start teaching her own class with the help of her sister Emily Sharp. To launch the class Mel had an open day for people to go along and see what it is all about. She said: "I decided to start the class because I had done it as a hobby for about two years and I just said to my husband that I would like to teach. "I wanted to start up on my own because I enjoyed it that much. "It keeps you quite fit. I have always been sporty and active and I used to do kick boxing and aerobics so I thought I would try something different so that is why I started up pole dancing. "I do it more as a fitness thing rather than because I want to work in a bar. "It is just a bit of fun." The First Class Fitness and Pole Dance classes take place on Mondays from 7pm to 8.30pm and Saturdays from 10.30am to noon at Unit D1E in Cumberland Trading Estate, Loughborough. Mel added: "Quite a few of my friends suggested that I start a class and they said they would come along and my sister helps me out as well with the teaching."