Raqs Europa

I originally created Raqs Europa in 2008. There's a version of this dance on the 2009 World Dance New York Fantasy Bellydance perforamnce DVD; the performance in this clip was filmed on Oct 1, 2011, at the Venus Uprising "Bad Girls and Guilty Pleasures" showcase.

Raqs Europa is a belly dance fantasy inspired by the glamor of nightclub floorshows from the early twentieth century. The name of the piece is an allusion to the Arabic name for Oriental dance: "raqs sharqi," the dance ("raqs") of al-Sharq ("the East").

The music for this project was a custom commission; it was composed and produced by Jeremy Bloom, based on my requests for structuring and instrumentation. MP3 download available at beyondthebalkans.bandcamp.com.

Amazing costume construction by Erica Young, who engineered and fabricated a lovely garment from my barely legible stick-figure sketch.

Thanks to videographer Renée Renata Bergan.

Travel Steps

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Knowledge of Good and Evil

...And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden. The Lord God commanded, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of knowledge of good and of evil thou shalt not eat. For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Now the Serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, “Ye surely shall NOT die. God doth know that in the day ye eat from the tree of knowledge, then shall your eyes be opened.”

I developed the dance “Knowledge of Good and Evil” between 2009 and 2011. This clip is from its first performance: a contribution to the “Objects of Desire” showcase, presented by Venus Uprising at the Merce Cunningham Theater in New York City in April 2011. The music is “Ketto” by Bonobo, from the album Days to Come. The Serpent was danced by Amador S. Juarez.

Inspiration

My creative process for this dance began entirely with the music. When I first heard “Ketto” I loved the unique sound and was intrigued by the possibility of using its distinct sections to support a dance with a strong narrative component. As a starting point, I focused on the abrupt transition that ends the track, where full lush music suddenly falls away to stark echoes, evoking a feeling of being pulled from a dream. From here I imagined Eden, and went on to adapt the story to the structure imposed by the music and to my interest in an esoteric interpretation of this familiar tale.

Story

“Knowledge of Good and Evil” can be most simply seen as a depiction of Eve’s fall. I designed the large piece of fabric in this dance as a representation of Eden itself, but a viewer accustomed to the conventions of belly dance might automatically see this fabric as Eve’s “veil.” (While Eve is never “veiled” by the fabric, the choreography in this section is built on movements from the veil repertoire of American Cabaret belly dance.) Especially in this light, tragic narratives emerge, with the Serpent playing the role of betrayer, seducer, bully, or thief. When the music falls away to hollow echoes, Eve too is fallen and hollow, not only naked but also empty.

“Knowledge of Good and Evil” can also be seen as an allegory of enlightenment.

The dance opens with technical choreography that is not emotionally expressive. Harp-like instrumentation sounds a series of arpeggios with unexpected accidental notes that make the otherwise idyllic music sound vaguely off. Eve’s movements are languorous but contained in a way that renders them flat. She draws decorative shapes in space, and her character is pretty but one-dimensional.

The Serpent, considered as a subversive character rather than as an evil one, whispers truthfully to Eve: the apple brings not death but higher consciousness; it will “open” her eyes. When she accepts, her character comes to life. Eden unfolds around Eve as her newfound “Knowledge of Good” reveals to her that she is in paradise. But, lost in ecstatic dancing, Eve doesn’t notice as Eden slips away. Alienated from the flow of the natural world, she is suddenly confronted by “Knowledge of Evil.”

In this version of the story, paradise can be regained. With open eyes, we see that we may pay attention, learn to recognize and appreciate the “good” that is always with us, and cherish the things we love; or we may flounder in banality of the mundane.


Costume

I designed and created the costume for this dance. The foundation is a pair of store-bought leggings and the “Clear-Back Bra” manufactured by The Natural/Coconut Grove. I created a belt, then lowered and re-shaped the waistband of the leggings to match the belt’s top edge. I also shortened the leggings to calf length. I used the fabric I had cut off of the leggings to cover the bra, then added a second layer of the mesh fabric I used for the belt.

The bra, belt, and headpiece are finished with appliques from B & Q Trimmings, 210 W 38th St. I also used barrette blanks (to anchor the butterflies in my hair) from Toho Shoji, 990 Sixth Ave. My Eden veil fabric came from NYC Fabrics, 256 W.38th St. (All addresses are in New York City).

Hair

During my performance in the “Objects of Desire” show, I heard more about my choice of hairstyle than about any other aspect of my dance. Much of this commentary came in the fun form of a progression of cast members squealing “buns!” and rushing at me with squeezy hands. But I was also asked over and over again why I wasn’t dancing with my hair down.

I put my hair up mostly because I thought Eve looked more bare with her shoulders and back uncovered. But my hairstyle also reflects my preferences and what I value in dance performance: I didn’t want to obscure the movements in the opening choreography, and I didn’t want to simplify the veil section to accommodate the unpredictability of flying hair. To me, a dance designed around loose hair would have been less interesting.

I’m aware that Princess Leia also wore her hair in two buns, but I thought in the context of this dance and costuming the hairstyle would convey more of an art nouveau quality. Apparently not. [Sigh], no, [eye roll], I don’t have any news from the rebel alliance.

The buns are created by a twirly plastic device called “MagicBun.”

Drum Solo Workshop on January 29

Drum Solo: Soft, Clean, and Powerful
Saturday, January 29, from 5:00 – 7:00, at Creative Vibrations, Astoria
$45

Learn secrets to create a powerful stage presence without the aggressive styling and hard edges that make dancing look frantic or flat.

I will teach a complete two-and-a-half minute drum solo, adaptable for Egyptian or Fusion performances. The choreography goes light on the shimmies and locks and instead uses a mixture of crisp and juicy movements that reflect the musicality of the drum, showcasing your technical skills without sacrificing warmth and expression. We will focus on music interpretation, analyzing the relationship of each combination with the rhythm and soloing pattern it accompanies. Notes, including a music diagram, will be provided.

Music: "Ismail," from Beata & Horacio Cifuentes, Oriental Fantasy
Vol. 9 -- Heartbeat of Cairo.

A hafla will follow the workshop. If you would like to perform, sign up ASAP to reserve your spot! To register for the workshop or perform at the hafla, contact Lalita: call 347-345-6095 or email info@yogaastoria.com

Creative Vibrations is located at 22-55 31st St., 2nd Floor, Ste. 200, in Astoria Queens. If you’re in New York but think the location doesn't work for you, try double-checking the address on-line or check the travel time on the MTA’s Trip Planner. The studio is literally AT the Ditmars Blvd stop on the N or Q train (a 23 minute ride from Times
Square), and you can exit straight from the station to the studio--you don't even have to walk outside.

December classes and January Workshop in Astoria

I'll be substitute-teaching on Wednesdays for the first three weeks in December.  The level of the class is open -- I'll teach for whomever shows up, but I'm hoping to include some intermediate/advanced material.  Then, on Saturday, January 29, I will be giving a workshop to teach a short drum solo choreography.    The classes and workshops are both happening at Creative Vibrations Yoga Studio, 22-55 31^st St., 2^nd Floor, Ste. 200, Astoria.  (If you don't know Queens, don't worry.  The studio is literally AT the Ditmars Blvd stop on the N train (a 23 minute trip from Times Square), and you can exit straight from the station to the studio--you don't even have to walk outside. )

Wednesday classes (12/1, 12/8, and 12/15) are from 7:00 - 8:25, and are $17 each.  The Drum Solo workshop (1/29) is from 5:00 - 7:00.  The cost is still TBD and registration is not yet open -- if you'd like me to send you an email when the details are final, please let me know.

Belly Dance in Poland

On October 22, 23, and 24, I had the pleasure of teaching a series of workshops in Bochnia, Poland.  The weekend concluded with a performance.  During my trip, my hostess, Amar, also treated me to a day of sightseeing.

Having lived for many years in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a Polish enclave in New York City, I thought that I knew a bit about Polish culture, and expected to be in a somewhat familiar environment.  My initial impression of Poland, changing planes at Warsaw’s airport, was that I had come to an entire country of Greenpoint.  The terminal is filled with Citibank advertising and liquor stores (albeit duty-free), and the pale pinched faces of my fellow travellers would not have been out of place on Nassau Avenue.  Fortunately, to my profound relief, things were very different when I touched down in Kraków, and by the time I arrived in Bochnia (about 25 miles to the east), I felt like I had arrived in a storybook.

New artistic belly dance choreography: Dream Waltz

*********UPDATE, June 10, 2013:   There's a new video of a more recent performance of this same choreography, embedded at the end of this post. Better video quality, a performance costume rather than rehearsal clothes, and I am ten pounds lighter. I know you say you don't notice and you don't care, but I know that not all of you are telling the truth.******

 
I recorded this classroom clip of myself on September 29, 2010.  I’ve added this choreography to my list of workshop offerings, and I will be teaching it on October 24 in Bochnia, Poland.

The music is Dansbanan by Swedish ensemble Detektivbyrån.

“Dream Waltz” is belly dance as magical realism:  a glimpse of the extraordinary shimmering through everyday reality.

For most Western audiences, belly dance, with its associations of gypsies, midways, exoticism, glamor, and glitter, carries some inherent suggestion of magic, although it may most often be magic of a duplicitous variety.   “Dream Waltz” builds on the magic in the familiar associations of belly dance, but its open lines give the dance a clean airy feeling, and the winsome music and styling suggest freshness and innocence.  Rather than trickery and veiled shabbiness, the charm of “Dream Waltz” is pure delight.

In Dansbanan, one hears overlapping suggestions of the ephemeral and liminal, evoking a fuzzy feeling of searching through emotion and memory.  The ragtag instrumentation (including plaintive accordion, glockenspiel, and a guy keeping time on a pair of scissors) creates an impression of vagabond musicians, and there’s a further suggestion of an old-fashioned carnival: the ping of the glockenspiel sounds like turn-of-the-century mechanical instruments or musical automata.   But, while the sound of Dansbanan is thin, outmoded, and unconventional, it is still warm and familiar: the use of struck, improvised, and “toylike” instruments also brings to mind children at play.  Rather than eliciting sinister and shadowy associations of the supernatural, Dansbanan inspires the “sense of wonder” so often associated with children.  Impressions of the fantasy “gypsy” and child converge, and one imagines the freedom and fragility of impermanence and a social position on the edge of society.  The rollicking waltz rhythm adds a final layer of bittersweet, simultaneously creating a joyful lift in spirit and a wistful nostalgia for an idealized past.

Piercing through the fuzzy tangle of emotional associations, the tones of Dansbanan are sweet and clear.  The music is full of fast changes played with precision, and the choreography, too, is packed with layered moves and frequent and fast transitions.   But nothing in the dance is abrupt:  the regular rolling pulse of the music and the absence of large or flashy movements create a hypnotic effect.  The unity between music and movement lull the viewer into a deeper reverie and the juxtaposition of clear and fuzzy impressions make the dance feel full and deep.

For students, I’ve uploaded a music diagram and reference notes.  “Dream Waltz” can stand on its own without elaborate staging, but by varying the costume and context, the choreography could be adapted for a variety of fantasy styles:  carnival, midway, or circus; Victorian, music hall, or "steampunk;" fantasy "gypsy;" or "raqs europa" style belly dance.    

UPDATE, June 10, 2013:  

Please forgive the somewhat overwrought tone of this post's language. I don't mean to be self-important, but this blog has taught me that people are much more disposed to appreciate the thought and enormous effort that goes into these dances after after I bluntly spell things out. I would prefer that it did not fall on me to hard-sell you on my work. In a perfect world, commentary and interpretation would be provided by the people whose actual job it is to promote and deconstruct dance—publicists and dance critics. But in the real world apparently it's me or no one, so I guess it's me. I assure you, I am not this pompous nor didactic in real life. 

Anyway, here's a new video of this choreography:

For more information about this new video, see http://autumnward.blogspot.com/2013/06/new-videos-of-old-dances.html