Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
More bellydance paper dolls
These are from Liana Kerr. Cute costumes -- but I would say that. I have a hip scarf quite similar to this one:
Monday, 26 April 2010
Cleopatra paper doll
Friday, 23 April 2010
Hakim and Olga Tanon - "Ah Ya Albi"
This is the first song I ever performed in public to. I might have enjoyed it more if I'd seen this video first!
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Stars of the 1940s: Tahia Carioca
If the 1944 date is correct, Carioca (1915-1999) would have been about 24 years old at the time this performance was filmed.
This rather interesting article about her dancing from the Millicent and Carla Fran blog makes some of the classic assertions about belly dance (it developed as a means of assisting childbirth, for example, and Carla Fran trotting out the 'coin belts originated as a way of displaying a dowry' myth in the comments), but I really appreciated this post because its well written and includes clips -- always handy when discussing a visual art form!
From the 'Legends of Bellydance' DVD.
Monday, 19 April 2010
The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
I know no one reads this blog, but if you happen to be in the UK tomorrow night with access to a TV, you could do as I plan to and watch a repeat screening of The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan on More 4:
"The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan reveals a dark side of Afghan culture which has up to now remained hidden. A tradition known as Bacha Bazi (literally 'boy play'), which was banned by the Taliban, is spreading through the country and exploiting the desperation of many poverty stricken children."
If you can't watch the doco, Reuters carries a story about the "bacha bereesh" (boys without beards), as does the dear old Guardian (where would I be without them?) -- though their take is, if anything, much bleaker.
Update: Wikileaks cables have now shown that foreign contractors working in Afghanistan were implicated in Bacha Bazi. Interior Minister Hanif Atmar was worried enough to approach the US and ask that the story be 'quashed' in case deaths followed the revelations.
Pic: Ghaith Abdul Ahad/Guardian
Friday, 16 April 2010
Nawa el Saadawi: Egypt's radical feminist
Nawal-el-Saadawi is profiled in today's Guardian and the piece opens with her declaration that she is becoming 'more radical with age'. Yeah, me too!
Image source: Guardian UK
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Monday, 12 April 2010
Sex sells
Another disappointing example of the near-pornographic imagery used to sell belly dance albums in the 1970s.
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Saturday, 3 April 2010
Just Because
Just Because is a UK-based charity set up by raqs dancers to help fund breast cancer screening and treatment for women in Egypt. As you can probably imagine, like many other countries Egypt doesn't tend to put women's health issues at the front of the funding queue.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)