Essential conversations (thanks, Gabrielle!)

Piece from the Booklet

"The Secrets of Egyptian Dance" to be delivered on my upcoming COURSE in LONDON this 1,2nd JUNE!

 








"An old tape recorder on his hand, blushed cheeks and blinking eyes that resembled the ones of a princess on her first ...

meeting with her Prince Charming; something forbidden and sacred in the air.

- Juju... I come to say good-buy to you. – Mohamed announced with a heart breaking expression on his lovely face.
- Oh...thanks. But we will keep in touch, don´t be sad.
- (...) – a long silence united us.
- Uh...hmmm... I want to tell you a secret. – He hesitated.
- Well, sure: go ahead.
- But first promise you won´t tell anyone, specially my mother: she would kill me if she knew...
- All right, I promise I won´t tell a soul. What is it? You got me curious, “ya wad” (Egyptian expression that comes from “ya walad” = “oh boy”)!
- I am a Dancer like you but... only in secret.
- (...) – My poker face and another weird and long silence joined us for the evening.
- What do you mean: “in secret”?!
- I mean that nobody knows. I have danced like Naima Akef since I was a baby but only when I am alone at home or at my friend´s bedrooms. I wish I could be a professional like you, I wished...- He sighed while swaying his head in the fashion of a tired, dashed mad man.

By this time, I knew a bit about the infamous stigma associated with dancers – both female and male – so I didn´t ask the silly questions: why can´t you be a professional Oriental Dancer? Why dance hidden?
It was widely known, not a secret (like Mohamed´s passion for dance and his Naima Akef impersonation): everybody was clear and loud about dancers and their loose morals, prostitution side activities and other sweet kinds of fame that lingered above the profession for too many centuries.
Words were useless – we both knew it. Action spoke for them, as it happens in all crucial matters.
The show started without further ado or any need for presentations: Mohamed put the tape on and moved around in my living room in what seemed to me like a crazy butterfly epileptic attack.
My face´s expression must have been priceless, you can bet on it.: speechless, between pity, tenderness and curiosity, I watched a full length performance that was so unexpected and authentic as it was precious. After the first shock of Mohamed´s lack of coordination and technical skills, I started to look beneath and beyond the surface and that´s when MAGIC happened: it was not him who was dancing but HIS HEART, completely exposed on that living room: authentic, overflowing with LOVE and PASSION for the music: DIVINE. I also noticed how AUTHENTIC and PERSONAL were each one of his movements – even the ones I could consider clumsy, out of tempo, whatever my “educated dancer” attitude could grab to criticize. He was HIMSELF – complete, no excuses, shame, masks, arrogance, wanna be attitude: just HIMSELF and OUTPOURING with LOVE-LIFE.
How stupid could I be?! My presumption almost tricked me into laughing at this boy´s dance lesson – just because he was less than perfect in his “technique and body control”. But, thanks the Lord, I was rescued from my own arrogance just in time to come face to face with God and SEE* - through this unexpected Master – the CORE of Egyptian Dance."

By Joana Saahirah of Cairo

 

 

***Conversation (between me and the wonderful Gabrielle Schrötter) that was born from this text I wrote:

 

Gabrielle: Yup, this is the magic! Is it only my impression that this is more and more rare the more a dancer focuses on technique? Behold, without a minimum of technique, you just can't express yourself... But: technique without personality/heart does not leave a lasting impressiong, personality/heart without technique can.

 

Me: You mention "a minimum of technique" - disagree. In order to grow as a DANCER - ARTIST (as opposed to a spontaneous dancer who enjoys dancing JUST for the family and friends) you DO NEED a GREAT -and always better - TECHNIQUE. A minimum just won´t do the trick - specially if you´re a pprofessional or would like to be called one. Technique is the visible TOOL a dancer uses to express about 50% of her THING-LIFE. The other 50% may be composed out of VERY essential things (that this piece of the booklet "The Secrets of Egyptian Dance" talks about): personal charisma, energy, feeling, ability to be vulnerable and COMMUNICATE our thoughts, sensations, feelings, story, soul with others; the ability to TOUCH people´s hearts and souls through our dance. These two sides of the coin (50% techinque PLUS the other 50% that gather all those invisible perks) are ESSENTIAL. One without the other will stop you from being an ARTIST-DANCER. This is my opinion (in a few words;).

 

Me: P.S. Notice that "having the technique" developed does not presume you USE ALL MOVEMENTS at the same time but that your body is trained-educated with a wide range of vocabulary that offers you expressive tools that will serve in the right amount and time. Also notice that this episode that happened with Mohamed (it´s a true story, by the way) did not mean I found out technique is not importante. I would never hire Mohamed to dance professionally, for instance. I would never tell him: "you´re a pro, man" because I didn´t think he was. But he could TEACH ME SOMETHING that was beyond technique and that I could ADD to my knowledge of dance. That´s what I meant.:)

 

Gabrielle: exactly: both sides of the medal must be developed! To me, as a member of the audience who appreciates ruhi misr, the "50 % thoughts, sensations etc." is more important than a lack of technique. Just state of the art dance technique is aerobics on stage. I notice so many Western dancers focus on technique and leave the other 50 % behind. See my point?

 

Me: I see your point and respect your opinion but disagree, partially, again. You say: "Just state of the art dance technique is aerobics on stage." - this is not NECESSARILY correct. When a GOOD technique is developed then it becomes LANGUAGE (like words you learn when studying a new idiom) - not aerobics. That kind of "technique" is still not complete, under-developed and immature. REAL TECHNIQUE, when integrated and deeply worked in, becomes LANGUAGE (as rich as your vocabulary and talent can permit).

 

Me: Then I agree with you: "I notice so many Western dancers focus on technique and leave the other 50 % behind." This is - sadly - correct and it´s something I try to work for everywhere I go. I go towards the "ruh masri" (as you so tenderly mention) BUT always making a POINT about EVERYTHING - all sides of the coin - we MUST (or can) develop. Technique that does not feel, look or work like "aerobics" is one of them.

 

Gabrielle: Just finished doing the laundry :-) and had a few mor thoughts on our conversation: I *really* like the "technique becoming language" thought! Yes!! This is it!! Now you even managed to put a most complicated subject into three words, you are the best, dear Joana Saahirah!

 

Me: See it as learning a new idiom (english, german, italian, portuguese, arabic, etc). First you learn the ABCD...so forth; then you start to learn how these letters join in order to build small words, then more complicated words until you start to build simple phrases. Then you reach out for more complex combination of words, phrases, interaction between both and so forth. You practice it, you start to break the language rules when you have dominion over it and, ultimately, this new language becomes such na organic part of you that there´s no more thought in the process of TALKING: it becomes a LANGUAGE you spontaneously express yourself through. THE SAME WITH ORIENTAL DANCE (and the language we are learning - or remembering, as I prefer to cal it - is the LANGUAGE of the HUMAN SOUL). NOW: THAT is THE POINT of Egyptian Dance;).

*

 

Thanks, Gabrielle, for inspiring this chat (I am sure lots of dancers will find it interesting).