Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Inviting Music of Belly Dancing

Belly dancing music is influenced by Turkish and Classic Egyptian (mere examples here, I could chose Ghawazee, Modern Egyptian, Tunisian, etc) are primarily defined by the music and its interpretation, as well as culture-based costuming. The base movements are the same, the underlying beats of the music are often Middle Eastern (and other traditional non-Western compositions), and the music influences the attitude of the movements and also the type of clothes worn.

Turkish, Greek, Moroccan, even some Bollywood music can be great for belly dance. If you are going to perform to music that does not come from the belly dance music of the Arabic world, do some research first so you create a respectable composition instead of an ignorant mish-mash.

Women created the dance to perform for one another, not to perform for men. Women engaged in what appears to resemble the modern belly dance appear in Egyptian tomb paintings from 5,000 B.C. and in ancient Greek and Indian sculpture. Ritual dances of high priestesses of many ancient civilizations were probably some form of belly dance.

The music that accompanies a dance is, I believe, is what gives it that mysterious, compelling quality. Belly dancing music is exciting, rhythmical and intriguing. Turkish Dance costumes are among the more risqu of the cabaret styles, baring plenty of leg and cleavage. They are usually beaded, but may use coins too. Turkish dancers are often very scantily clad, but that's not a requirement of the style.

Egyptian style movements are very precise, with the hips held under the rib cage. Turkish style often leans the upper torso back, pushing the pelvis forward. Egyptian style movements are very precise, with the hips held under the rib cage. Turkish style often leans the upper torso back, pushing the pelvis forward.

Egyptian dance businesses flourished to meet the enjoyment of the western woman's love of this dance. Egyptian is more artistic than Turkish, it has lot more movements and more difficult system while the Arabian belly dance music is more complex and interesting than the Turkish one. A short Turkish performance might be thrilling, but I could never watch Turkish style belly dancing for hours.

http://www.my-belly-dance-4u.com/pages/music.html

ballroom dance music

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