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About Middle Eastern Dance and Afra's personal dance style

I am a firm believer in 'truth in advertising' therefore I want to be very clear exactly what type of dance I perform. Oriental Dance which translates from the Arabic 'Raks Sharki' or 'Raqs Sharqi', or from the Turkish 'Oryantal Tansi' all of which mean literally 'Eastern Dance'. When I am not performing my own interpretation of Egyptian-style Oriental Dance I label my performances as experimental or fusion. These performances might contain Middle Eastern dance movements but they are not Middle Eastern dance. (see below an also here).

What is Oriental Dance? Oriental dance has a confused and colourful history, but what is currently performed in the big 5 star hotels and nightclubs of Egypt developed from about  the 1920's into what we recognise today. Many Egyptians if asked where the dance comes from will often say it's Turkish or Ottoman, but ask around in Turkey and the answer you will most likely get is that it was the Arabs/Egyptians who invented this dance! Who is right? Well, when you find out please let me know! Modern Egyptian dance probably developed from the time when Badia Masaabni first opened a proper nightclub in Cairo that featured dancing as well as variety acts. Many of the earliest stars came from backgrounds connected with Ballroom Dancing and Hollywood musicals played an enormous role in influence, with top dancers & choreographers often citing their admiration for American dancers like Astaire/Rogers and Gene Kelly. In the 1950's a theatrical version of the dance emerged that again was heavily influenced by ballet/Hollywood, and indeed the national Troupes were encouraged to do this in order to give the folkloric dances that inspired their repertoires a form of 'credibility'. Today modern Egyptian dance, which is the style that most influences my own dance, still demonstrates its these influences, with arabesques, turns and many of its arm positions,and its general sense of elegance and style etc. Egyptians also often incorporate other styles too, so you will occasionally see a little bit of Latin America appear from time to time as  well. The three main stars of the 'Golden Age' of Egyptian cinema - Na'ima Akef, Samia Gamal and Taheyya Karioka all used dance movements and music from other countries in their dance. In fact Taheyya Karioka got her last name because she had become well known for being an exponent of the Latin American dance the Karioka. This still holds true today with bits of Samba, Rumba and other Latin dance movements popping up in many of the current dancers' choreographies.

What Oriental Dance is not.It is not a striptease, or any sort of dance where the performer removes all their clothes.  Neither is it a 'dance of seduction' performed by women as a 'come on' to men. Myths abound that this dance was done by women living in the harem as entertainment for the sultan. There is no truth in those myths at all. The harem was the province of the sultan's concubines (and occasionally his wife), his mother, male eunuchs and younger male offspring of the sultan. The concubines went from the harem to the sultan, not vice versa.

Oriental Dance is not a polite name for prostitution. Part of the problem with this association stems back the the late 1800's when the dance was first misnamed 'belly dance' or 'danse du ventre' by American entrepreneur Sol Bloom. Bloom coined the phrase to add a bit of titillation and excitement to encourage people to visit the Midway Plaisance at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, where there were depictions of towns, villages, cafes, music and dancing from numerous other countries, including the Middle East. You can read more about this by visiting Shira's website: http://www.shira.net/streets-of-cairo.htm Unfortunately the misnomer of 'belly dance' has been stuck with us ever since!

Sadly in Islamic countries and also conservative Christian & secular nations, any job that involves performing in front of strangers (especially men) is frowned upon. So many dancers are often labeled as prostitutes, simply because they appear in  public as entertainers. This is because it is viewed as something that only women of 'bad character' would do. This stigma includes singing and playing a musical instrument in public too. Most Egyptian performers use stage names, rather than their real ones, either because they wish to protect their families or because their families are less than happy with their chosen profession. Whilst people enjoy seeing an Oriental dancer perform (weddings, special occasions, etc.) no one would want the dancer to be his or her daughter.

So what exactly does Afra perform? As I said earlier, my own dance style is greatly influenced by modern Egyptian, but I have developed my own interpretation of this over the years. Whilst staying true to the concepts of 'feeling & being the music', my interpretation of it is my own and not a copy of any other dancer's style. My movement vocabulary comes from a wide source, and as mentioned elsewhere on this web site I have had the pleasure of taking workshops and studying with many influential dancers and teachers. I am addicted to props and have a wide variety of dances using them in my repertoire - swords, canes, veils, fans, shammodan (candelabra) Wings of Isis, dancing on glasses to name but a few! I have a deep and abiding love of Egyptian Oriental dance and it's music, I consider it food for the soul!

However, I also like to produce non- traditional work, which should be properly labeled dance theatre or experimental dance. These pieces tell stories, have political messages or are a collection of abstract moving images centred around the emotions that the music brings out in me. I am always keen to try new things and often experiment with my dance, but I am very careful about labeling things correctly. As I am primarily an improvisational dancer I prefer to go where the music takes me and moves me to - this applies to both traditional Oriental Dance and my more experimental pieces.

Current works include; - 'The Siren' - the image of a deity brought to life for a brief moment of power (this has proved enormously popular and features Afra painted gold!).''The Bride' a dark, brooding and spooky gothic-inspired piece, with a hint of menace thrown in for good measure. This one is very popular for hallowe'en parties and events with a gothic theme to them. 'Water' - the story of a water nymph. 'The Chair' a very powerful piece dealing with the pain of bereavement. 'Can I Escape?' - how modern life can pull you down or in different directions, and dance can give you a joyous escape from the mundane. 'Gaia's Gift' - the magic of rebirth. Most of these numbers are not suitable for parties unless you are looking for something a little different or 'edgy'. They are best suited to performances in a theatrical setting, but can be adapted for other dance environments with sufficient notice.

I hope that this article goes some way towards explaining things but please get in touch if you wish to have anything  clarified. When booking Afra for a performance you can ask for a pure Oriental set, an experimental/dance theatre set or a mixture of the two. Given appropriate notice Afra can produce an experimental/dance theatre number (or numbers) on a specific theme to suit your event.

If you'd like to see and read a little more about experimental and dance theatre works based a middle eastern dance theme take a look at these sites:

Amara - Director and Producer of An Evening of Experimental Middle Eastern Dance
Desert Sin
BelCobraDance

Email Afra if you'd like more information: afra@afraalkahira.com