Belly Dancer USA 2011

Well, we made it back all in one piece from our road trip to Oregon for the Belly Dancer USA Competition.  What a wonderful adventure!  We didn't come back with any trophies, but for our first time out, I couldn't be more pleased.  My dancers danced beautifully - the best we've ever done, I think.  Even more than that, they were so incredibly sweet to one another.  They were supportive, kind, patient and generous - and willing to jump in when we had a four-alarm belly dance emergency.  Not only that, the dancers who couldn't go and stayed behind have been cheering us on, sacrificing class time, and filling in as stand-ins during practice for this past month.  What an amazing group of women.

Here's a sweet picture of the ladies preparing backstage.  Thank you, all of you!

Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

One of my former students, Lindsay, is in college in New York and was working on a paper on belly dancing.  She interviewed me as part of her research and I thought her questions were so great and I had such a great time answering the questions that I thought I would post the interview here. Thanks, Lindsay, for such thoughtful questions!

1. How many years of dancing experience do you have?

I have been studying belly dancing for 16 years.  (I've done other forms of dance such as ballet, tap and jazz for about 30 years.)

2. What is your favorite genre/style of belly dance?

classical Egyptian cabaret

3. What sparked your interest in belly dance? Were there any people (dancers or not) who helped influence your decision to pursue the dance?

I was studying kickboxing and learning to fly airplanes and when a friend of mine suggested trying belly dance, we joked that belly dancing is exactly what I need if I'm going to be an international spy. I took my first class with Zaphara, a well-established instructor, on a whim, and fell in love with the dance form immediately.  I loved the music, the costumes, and the wonderful sisterhood with women of all ages, shapes and phases of life.  I soon gave up kickboxing to avoid bruises, and gave up flying airplanes to avoid going broke. Zaphara's belly dance class changed my life. To this day, I am still close friends with Zaphara and I call her my "Greek Mother." 

4. What was the skill-building and overall learning process like for you? What have you found most helpful in studying belly dance?

The format of Zaphara's classes is very loose.  She generally starts each class with about 5-10 minutes of instruction on a particular move or style of dance or a rhythm.  Then she plays music and lets the whole class improvise until we stop for a cool down at the end of the hour.  Generally the most experienced dancers practice in the front of the room so the newer dancers can learn from them.  It was a great way to learn in the beginning.  Zaphara is also very good about providing performance opportunities for her students.  Her troupe performs at festivals throughout the Puget Sound area and any student willing to get a costume usually can start performing within a year.  That also was a great incentive for me to learn how to dance, and it was great to practice performing live.  Zaphara's technique of teaching, though not very structured or rigorous, allowed those with a knack for the dance to grow quickly. 

I practiced with Zaphara exclusively for about a year or two, and then started taking classes with other instructors now and then as well.  Later, when I decided to pursue belly dancing professionally, I found that I wasn't growing in Zaphara's classes anymore and that I needed more structured classes.  But I will always be grateful to her for giving me a perfect beginning in this dance form.

5. What prompted you to continue on to the professional level?

After about five years of belly dancing, I still thought of belly dancing as a hobby, just an exercise class I enjoyed and the performances were just a crazy thing to do with my new dance friends.  Due to a change in my job and relationship, I decided to give belly dancing a break for a while.  I didn't realize until I tried to give it up how integral belly dancing had become to my life.  It became clear that belly dancing was something I was meant to do - it came naturally to me and it made me feel complete.  Maybe the way a bird feels when it is flying. I only stayed away for about nine months, and I missed it every day that I was away from it.  When I jumped back in, I decided to take it more seriously.  I began practicing every day, taking workshops from master instructors whenever I could, and eventually started competing. It became very important to me to honor this dance form that brought me so much happiness, so I strived to understand it more deeply.

6. Why did you start teaching belly dance? What is your main motivation for teaching?

Honestly, teaching came as a way to heal pain.  I had just ended a 3-year relationship and was in the midst of resetting my life.  Since belly dancing had already brought me so much happiness, I turned to belly dancing again during this difficult time and decided to share it with others.  The first quarter I taught, I only had one student.  But I saw how much it transformed her, how much it meant to her, and in turn, I felt immensely responsible to continue.  As I write this, I can see from where I am sitting the gift that my first student gave me - a beautiful pink and purple beaded ornament.  Over the years, my students have brought me more gifts than I can count.  Flowers, jewelry, chocolates, fresh fruit. The gifts always humble me - I am but the conduit for this amazing dance form.  The gifts show how grateful they are that belly dancing is in their lives, and I feel the same way.

7. How has belly dance influenced your life "outside the studio"? How does belly dance affect how you perceive the body (particularly the female body)?

In a way, belly dancing got me through college. My love of the dance and the culture lead me to take classes in Middle East history and politics and to study Arabic. While my masters was in public administration, I'm now looking at getting a second masters in international studies with a focus on the Middle East.  While I would never say this in a job interview, performing and teaching has given me confidence to do the public speaking and facilitation required of my current position as a public information officer.

As far as body perception, belly dancing has given me a much more broad appreciation of what it means to be a woman.  My students range from age 16 to 60+, from slender to full-figured.  Some are just starting out in life, some are moms, some are grandmas, some are fighting cancer.  We all dance and we are all beautiful.  My own body had changed quite a bit in the last year with pregnancy and the birth of my son.  I wouldn't say that I am completely immune from pressures of our own culture, but I feel belly dancing has made me love my body, love the female form, for the love, power and sensuality it can convey.

8. How do you feel about the term "belly dance"? Do yu ever call it something different (examples: Arabic dance, Middle Eastern dance, Raqs Sharqi)? If so, in what context? Why?

Personally, I have chosen to use the term belly dance often and proudly.  Even though the term comes with its own inaccuracies, it encapsulates how I see this dance: as a long term dialog between the Middle East (primarily Egypt) and the West.  From the famous dance of "Little Egypt" to what is performed in restaurants and clubs today, this dance has evolved through influences from many cultures. For example, I was having lunch with Mahmoud Reda a couple of years ago and I asked him who his greatest inspirations are.  Thinking he would mention Egyptian greats like Samia Gamal, he surprised me with his answer: Gene Kelley and Fred Astaire. Mahmoud Reda - the pioneer of Egyptian dance theater - was inspired by American dancers and cinema.  And likewise, great American dancers like Ruth St. Denis and onward have had a love affair with this captivating dance form emerging from Egypt.  To me, the term "belly dance" is a good term to use to refer to a dance that has been beloved, shunned, misinterpreted, and lauded.

From time to time I probably say "Middle Eastern dance," particularly in professional settings associated with my "day" job. Unfortunately, there are still some negative forces acting on the dance that give it a stigma.  Probably two major ones are 1) our country's Puritan roots that create suspicion about dance in general, and definitely disapprove of a dance of female sensuality and 2) the dilution of belly dance by dancers who perform publicly but are not at a professional level (and yes, I was one of those early on...cringe!)  These negative forces have begun to fade over my 16 years in belly dancing, so perhaps someday I will always proudly say that I am a belly dancer, no matter what context.

9. How have you seen belly dance perceived/interpreted by people in the US who are not belly dancers? Are these perceived notions of the dance generally positive, negative, or neutral? Is the typical Ameriacn perception different from typical perceptions in the Middle East? Do you feel there is a stigma associated with the term "belly dance" here?

I mentioned in the last answer that there are some negative forces that act against American perceptions of belly dance such as our Puritan roots and dilution of the dance through public performances by dancers of varying quality.  Like anything that is different from the norms we grow up with, we first try to understand through the prism of our own beliefs and culture. However, over time, and with greater exposure, our understanding broadens.  I think it has been like this with belly dancing.  In American culture, we've historically only had these small glimpses of what belly dancing is: Little Egypt, women in James Bond movies, street fair performers.  Those images then get tossed into a soup that only vaguely understands Middle Eastern culture: images from Disney's Aladdin come to mind.  With so little exposure, it's no wonder that belly dancing has often been misunderstood in the US and confused with other types of performing, such as stripping.  However, I've felt like things have changed over the last decade.  Belly Dance Superstars have brought quality belly dance to large audiences in the US, famous performers such as Shakira have incorporated belly dancing into their acts, we are more connected than ever to a global society through social media, and world music and dance are increasingly embraced by the mainstream, such as with the rising popularity of ZUMBA.  It's an exciting time to be a belly dancer.  With greater understanding of the dance comes more sophisticated audiences, which in turn demands a higher quality of dance from those who perform.

As far as differences between perceptions in the Middle East and the US, certainly each region views belly dancing through their own cultural lenses.  Because it is so diverse, it would be difficult to answer accurately for the whole Middle East, but my understanding is that even with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, belly dancing is still recognized as a deeply rooted part of Middle Eastern culture.  While it may be increasingly taboo to perform publicly or in co-ed settings, my sense is that wherever there is music and friends, women will still move their hips in celebration.  However, the impact of Islamic fundamentalism and social conservatism should not be overlooked. I have heard from Middle Easterners and those who have travelled to the Middle East to study dance, that in a way, the West is keeping belly dancing alive while it is threatened in its home countries.  Whether this is true or not, it places a responsibility on us as American dancers to honor the dance, its roots, and bring it to audiences in a way that builds respect and understanding.

10. How would you describe the belly dance communities of which you are a member? If you have experience with other kinds of dance, how are the communities for those dances different or similar to belly dance communities?

The Seattle area belly dance community is very close-knit.  Generally, as professionals, we all know each other and often collaborate on projects. While informal, there's somewhat of a hierarchy based on longevity and expertise.  My generation is still performing in the restaurants and clubs, but many are starting to step out of the circuit and focus only on teaching or are retiring all together.  It's exciting to see the new crop of belly dancers emerge.  I'm proud of what my generation of dancers brought to belly dancing in Seattle and I can't wait to see how the dance evolves with the new dancers on the scene.

Overall, I would say the community is very supportive, with a healthy dose of competitiveness. The community is diverse in terms of age and class, though it isn't always reflective of the ethnic diversity in Seattle.  Hopefully that will continue to change over time.

11. Do you feel that there is a "pure" form of belly dance? What makes one variation of belly dance traditional and another "altered/new/modernized/impure"? Do you think authenticity and innovation are at odds here, or can a style be both innovative and authentically "Arabic"?

I mentioned in an earlier question that belly dancing has evolved over time through many cultural influences, and that it reflects an ongoing dialog between the Middle East and the West. While that creates a wide canvas for the dance, I believe the canvas does have edges that are defined by emotion and a vocabulary of movements. It's hard to define exactly, but for anyone who has studied belly dancing seriously for a number of years, we understand intuitively where those edges are, particularly for Egyptian "sharqi." When I think of the emotional range, I think of the emotions often conveyed in songs sung by Um Kulthum: a million different nuances of love, loss, longing and triumph. The vocabulary of movements comes from a century of masters of the dance form such as Samia Gamal, Mahmoud Reda, Dina, Fifi Abdo, Ibrahim Farrah, Raqia Hassan, Sohair Zaki, Nagwa Fouad. It is a dance that has traditional, earthy roots, with strong influences of ballet and some flamenco. 

There is a lot of diversity within these parameters, but it is clear what belly dancing is and is not.  As dancers, it's critical that we understand the boundaries and how they might change over time.  It is perfectly fine to borrow from other influences, but we are responsible to educate our audiences about what we are doing.  A dancer might be inspired by belly dancing, but want to change the emotionality, bring in jazz or rock, fuse Chinese fan dancing into it, whatever. The miracle of art is that creative expression knows no boundaries. It is up to the dancer to be honest with audiences when they are diverting from the emotions and movements of what we know as belly dance.

12. In your experience becoming a professional dancer, what was the biggest challenge you encountered along the way?

I think the biggest challenge was in understanding and accepting my own limitations.  For a year of my life, I took a break from full time work and decided to focus solely on belly dancing.  I came very close to making a living with it, but it wasn't easy.  A gig would fall through or students wouldn't show up for a class, and suddenly I wouldn't be able to pay rent. It became very stressful and made it difficult to fully enjoy dancing.  I came to the conclusion that I actually like living a dual life as someone on a career path separate from dance, but who transformed into glittery belly dancer during my off-work hours. Like Wonder Woman. Dancing as a career works for some.  For me, I like having a foot in each world and I have found that I enjoy both - full time work and dance - more because of the balance they bring to my life.

13. Is there anything else you want to tell me (and my class of 15 girls!) about belly dance/dance/life in general? :)

Hmmm...I think I've pontificated enough!  There is some French phrase that I can't remember at the moment (maybe because it is 3 am) but it's something to the effect of "what the young can do but do not understand, the old understand but cannot do."  In other words, our bodies and minds are constantly changing through our lives and every stage has its victories and challenges. Enjoy all of it.  I'm so proud of you!

Thank You, Dancers!

What a great show last Sunday!  I'm so impressed with all of the dancers who graced the stage...almost 50 of them!  Not only did we bring immeasurable beauty and love to our audience, we also raised over $1400 for Refugee Women's Alliance.  Not too bad for a Sunday evening.  Thank you to everyone for the hard work and dedication it took to prepare for the show.  Love to all!

For my dancers, all of our pieces are now posted on our very own YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/AmiraAndDancers.  Enjoy!

Amira’s Belly Dance Spectacular 3! Sunday, May 15

Amira’s Belly Dance Spectacular 3!

A Very Special Show for Amira’s Students and Friends

Sunday, May 15, 2011

6 to 7:30 pm

Carco Theatre

1717 Southeast Maple Valley Highway ~ Renton, WA  98057

 

Join us for a fabulous evening of dance and celebration as we showcase years of hard work, dedication, and inspiration.  Featuring Amira’s Dancers, Dahlia & Students, Suzanna & Tawasol Dance Ensemble, Katia & Raks Maleka, Mirabai, Layla, and Emerald City Zumba.

 

All proceeds benefit Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWA), a multi-ethnic, community-based organization that provides comprehensive culturally and linguistically appropriate services to refugee and immigrant communities throughout King and Snohomish Counties. Website:www.rewa.org.

 

Tickets are $7.50 in advance (by May 8) and $10.00 at the door.  For more information and to purchase tickets, call Amira at 206-351-4740 or email amiraofseattle@aol.com.

 

Soft Underbellies

Just a little over four months have passed since my son was born.  I have a beautiful, chubby-cheeked boy who smells of sweet milk and whose smile grows out of the left side of his mouth. I love him with all of my heart.  Still, when I am alone and getting dressed, it continues to shock me how foreign my body feels to me.  I have been a belly dancer for 16 years now, rarely shy of showing my curves whether at my lightest or heaviest.  Adorned in sequins and beaded fringe and rhinestones, I always felt beautiful.  A few extra pounds earned through chocolate and wine were not just forgiven, but celebrated once Middle Eastern rhythms reverberated through every inch of my being.  And yet, now, it is so hard to admit it, but I am suddenly ashamed.  Nine months of pregnancy, glorious as they were, left my belly stretched beyond recognition, striped pale purple and pink. The shape is odd to me - loose and then pulled tight at the scar where my son was pulled out into this world while I lay unconscious.  This is not the belly I have danced with for 16 years.

One of my students is battling cancer with grace and bravery.  She told me today how important belly dancing is and that she has been ordered by her doctors to keep it up. Cancer can make a person feel like their body has betrayed them.  Belly dancing, however, reminds us to appreciate the body.  Rather than hating what the body is doing, belly dancing has the power to elevate and make us love our bodies for allowing us to move beautifully, sensuously, and within a circle of friends who love and accept us.

I have so much to be grateful for, especially my students who continue to inspire me. This is the only body I have.  I think I can learn to love it again for the experiences it provides me.  Whatever the condition of my belly, I am still moving through this world as a belly dancer, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend, and a teacher surrounded by extraordinary women.  I can live with that.  No, I can more than live - I can shimmy through my days with a smile and a full heart.