Raks al-Dounya

The Newsletter of the Classical Middle Eastern Dance Studio

October-November 2003 issue:

Features:

News:

Mediterra: John, Neil, Tim Turkish music -- Live at the Café Istanbul!

We'd like to welcome Mediterra, a live music ensemble playing Turkish and Arabic music in Wichita. Mediterra was founded in March 2003 by Neil Cadle, John Axtell and Tim Seitz, and they are delighted to add flutist Anne Crane.

Come hear Mediterra at the Café Istanbul, have dinner, and enjoy watching us dance! We perform once each month, with seating at 6 for the 6:30 show, and at 8 for the 8:30 show. See you next on Sat., October 25. Café Istanbul is at 120 N. West St. Call 944-7330 for reservations. This place books up!

Some of the instruments you'll hear Mediterra play:

The Saz: A member of the long necked lute family, dating to Babylon and Sumeria. It's probably descended from the Kopuz, believed to have had mystical powers to protect a warrior in battle. In the 17th century the dervishes in Anatolia used it to play hymns.

The Kaval: A Turkish shepherd's flute of plum wood, with a natural, mystic sound. To hear the kaval, click here.

The Bendir and Tar: These are frame drums, perhaps the oldest instruments on earth.

Riq and Doumbek: “The riq at many points in history was the 'glory' instrument—more prestigious than any other percussion instrument in the band,” writes musician Jeff Senn. Today, he adds, the doumbek—a goblet shaped hand drum--has become the drum of choice among many Middle Eastern percussionists. Do come and enjoy!

Safira at Fazil's Rehearsal Studio Belly Dance in the news

Belly dance is an art form that's 4000 years old. Pharonic tomb paintings, ancient writings and statues tell us that the dance has changed little in all these millenia. Today, this ancient dance has gone mainstream. Now stars and media personalities have discovered that it's a great way to release your inner Goddess, have fun, and be fit at the same time.

Carol Ann Weber, in FitnessRx Magazine, writes of her experience in belly dance class. At first she feels klutzy, then “something magical happens. . . . I'm reborn as a brilliantly colored hieroglyph with Cleopatra eyes, dancing with veils and finger cymbals. I forget about trying to coordinate the movmements and allow my inner Goddess to take over. And trust me, She knows exactly what to do.” Her article's in the Oct. 2003 issue, p. 182.

Cher, Britney Spears and Shakira wear belly dance hip belts and costumes in their videos, and a dance group called Bellydance Superstars has been touring with the music festival Lollapalooza. To see photos of belly dancers at Lollapalooza, click on “Kansas City” and “Columbus” under the 2003 concert listing.

Seventeen Magazine includes instructions for basic steps: “Belly dancing is the latest way to shape up and have fun. . . . The basic moves are easy to learn at home and can be a great workout for your legs, stomach, and butt. It's also a big self-esteem booster.”

Come join us in belly dance class. You'll be part of a tradition that's thousands of years old yet is new and exciting.

Tahira Tango Orientale

Tango began in the 1880s in the kilombos of Buenos Aires, and was danced by immigrants from Africa, Turkey, Italy, Ireland, England and Germany, with the women who helped them forget their loneliness. In about 1920, a group of Argentine intellectuals, on holiday in Paris, decided to have fun teaching the “indecent” tango to their Parisian friends. To their surprise, writes Showgate.com, the tango became a hit in the Paris ballrooms. Later, Parisiennes traveled to Argentina, bringing with them their love of the tango, and the dance became popular in the cabarets and theatres frequented by Argentinean high society.

Today there are many forms of tango, including Argentine, International and American style, and tango is popular around the world. (Remember Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman?) Elena Lentini's Middle Eastern dances include tango, and Egyptian pop singer Natacha Atlas blends tango rhythms with her characteristic Middle Eastern sound.

Dance Connection, a Wichita ballroom studio, will be working with Classical Middle Eastern Dance to blend these cultures in our 2004 Concert on Saturday night, Jan. 24. You can look forward to a Spanish hat dance by Elena, music by Natacha, and choreography and performance by Dance Connection's Exhibition Team. Want to tango yourself? Email LouAnn Schmidt, Dance Connection's director!

Je'Sennia The mysterious veil

As far back as Alexandrian Greece, dancers used veils to conceal and reveal their personalities. A famous little statue in the Metropolitan Museum of New York embodies this mystery as she moves inside her veil. The little dancer wears the veil pulled tightly across her face and body as she completes a step that is frozen in bronze.

Today, dancers also use the veil to enhance the feeling of the dance. In 1940s Egypt, a Russian dance master persuaded the movie star Samia Gamal to dance with a veil to improve the look of her arms. The veil was a success, and dancers both in Egypt and around the world began using the veil not only to drape the body but to accent its movements. Students at CMED are learning that the veil is an extension of the dancer's personality—it dances on air, turns beautifully and ripples as it walks. Veil work is one of the most beautiful and fun parts of our dance.

Je'Sennia of Akai Silks has sent us a shipment of unique hand-dyed veils in personalities that are groovy, classical, impressionist and watercolor. We're excited to have her silk artistry in the studio. Come in and take a look. There may be a personality there for you!

La Belle Otero, Folies Bergere, c.1900 Who was Little Egypt?

We know that the first belly dancer arrived in America's Wild West in 1881, when she performed at the Birdcage Theatre in Tombstone, Arizona. But our dance was most vividly brought to the American public at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. There, Little Egypt performed at “A Street in Cairo,” and was the most talked-about entertainment of the fair. Tickets to see her cost as much as 70 cents, while other acts charged only 25 cents. At this exorbitant price, Little Egypt, who was really Fahreda Mahzar from Syria, sold out her shows. The New York Herald-Tribune wrote, “She drew more attention than the seventy-ton telescope or the six-block-long Manufauctures and Liberal Arts Building.” Do we have to wonder why?

After Little Egypt, belly dance performers became popular in America. Some called themselves Little Egypt, and danced the burlesque. Others danced the authentic dances of the Near and Middle East. Thomas Edison filmed one of the real dancers, again named Fatima, in 1896. She wears a blouse, skirts, vest, sleeves, and jewelry—yet hers was one of the first moving pictures ever censored. Safira has this film in the studio, complete with the black bars placed in front of her hips to protect the innocent.

To read more about Little Egypt, see Serpent of the Nile: Women and Dance in the Arab World, by Wendy Buonaventura. It was the source of this article. And if you want to know even more about Little Egypt, read Looking for Little Egypt, a book by Donna Carlton. To learn more about The Birdcage, visit "The Mystery of Little Egypt" by Jamila Salimpour.

New Classes Starting!

Our studio is at 212 N. Market, Suite 314, in historic Landmark Square in Wichita. This beautiful old building has a lobby of checkerboard Italian marble, a wrought iron and marble stairway, and brass chandeliers. It also has modern elevators and air conditioning! You can park in the lot immediately north of the building. Click here for a map.

See us belly dance in Wichita!

At the Café Istanbul, 120 N. West St. Call 944-7330 for reservations.

  • Sat., Oct. 25. Seating at 6:00 for the 6:30 show
  • Sat., Oct. 25. Seating at 8:00 for the 8:30 show

At Abram Café, 6249 E. 21st St. North. 688-1551.

  • Friday, Oct. 3. Show at 7:00 p.m.
  • Friday, Nov. 7. Show at 7:00 p.m.

Theatre Night is coming up!

Make plans now for our 2004 Concert at Newman University! Have a pre-theatre dinner of Turkish food at the Café Istanbul or Lebanese food at the Byblos Deli, 3088 W. 13th St. Tickets are $8 and will be available Nov. 1 at Istanbul, Byblos, and the CMED studio.

  • Saturday January 24, 7:30 p.m.
  • DeMattias Performance Hall, Newman University
  • 3100 McCormick Ave., Wichita, KS

We hope you've enjoyed this note. We welcome your comments and suggestions for future newsletters.

Thank you for reading our newsletter. The best of luck in your pursuit and enjoyment of dance in all its forms,

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