Dec 11 Jan 12 MEDANZ Newsletter

ISSN 2230-357X (Online)

ISSN 1177-2808 (Print)

MEDANZ News Middle Eastern Dance Association of New Zealand December 2011 - January 2012

The committee would like to offer its sincere apologies for the delay in getting the 2012 Festival booklet and the December / January newsletter out to you all.

Unfortunately due to a series of mishaps and cascading events coupled with life generally getting in the way, the publication date was pushed further and further out. We are very very sorry for any inconvenience this as caused.

We also have a confession to make. We have had to make an ever so slight change to the dates of the festival. We have added another day - the Monday - to the line up.

When the initial planning for the festival took place we took heed of members comments on their feedback forms and reduced the actual number of classes per day as well as set aside a dedicated lunch break. This way, the festival wasn’t such a pressure cooker of classes. It was also intended to make the Dunedin festival smaller this year, never dreaming that we would have so many wonderful teachers willing to travel to Dunedin to share their knowledge. Boy did we get it wrong!

So we then had to decide whether to refuse alot of brilliant teachers and have the small intimate festival we initially thought of or take the gamble that if the teachers were willing to come, the students would follow. There was alot of discussion over this but in the end we took the gamble. The small Dunedin event became the large Dunedin event.

We know that this change has caught some of you, who have already booked your flights and accommodation, out and for that we are very sorry.

We have put in place systems to ensure that this will not happen again . The weekend will be decided early on but the length of the festival will not be set in concrete until the festival format is finally confirmed.

Oh and one more apology - we are sorry for the really hard time you are all going to have choosing which class to take and which class to flag - Good luck with that!

Information Centre

2

Presidential Ponderings

3

Lifetime Awards - your turn

3

Harmonising Moves from the core

4

Life Time Award - Liz

6

Nomination for Committee

7-10

Life Time Award - Judith

12

Raqs or Raks - pt 1

13

Raqs or Raks - pt 2

14

What's On - NZ

15-16

Web Site

Committee Details

www.medanz.org.nz President - Karen Walworth

User Name: medanz

nzbellydance@gmail.com

Hm: Cell:

Password: bellyroll

(07) 823 7232 (027) 448 9001

Vice President & Librarian - Bronwyn Mohring yrth@callsouth.net.nz

Hm: Cell

How to contact us

(03) 471 0247 (027) 234 1024

Secretary - Dianne Thompson bengaleez@kinect.co.nz

Hm:: Cell:

MEDANZ Suite 3051 P O Box 13-240 Johnsonville Wellington 6440

(07) 378 1127 (027) 874 1087

Treasurer & Membership - Lynley Murphy blaicombe@gmail.com

Hm: Cell:

(07) 886 7742 (027) 454 0478

Dori Bestmann

Committee : committee@medanz.org.nz

dori@counterweight.co.nz

Cell:

Librarian: library@medanz.org.nz

(021) 029 78803

Amanda Bound ajb@rmy.co.nz

Hm: Cell:

Membership : membership@medanz.org.nz

(06) 758 1097 (027) 478 9029

Petra Cowell pcolwell@xtra.co.nz

Newsletter : newsletter@medanz.org.nz

Hm:

(03) 478 0012

Pip E-Lysaah

Treasurer : treasurer@medanz.org.nz

elysaah@gmail.com

Cell:

Bank Account Details: 12-3011-0758507-

(021) 542 013

51

Include your name and reason (ie: sub / festival /DVD etc)

Contributions, including original articles, photos, reviews and letters are VERY welcome Email to: newsletter@medanz.org.nz All contributions will be deemed to be authorised to be reprinted on the website.

Material does not necessarily represent the views of MEDANZ members, or those of the MEDANZ committee.

The cut off date for the February / March newsletter is: 20 February 2012

Page 2

MEDANZ News

December 2011 / January 2012

For many of us 2011 has been a long year of ups and downs (and sideto-sides depending on where you live) - we now say goodbye to 2011 and welcome 2012 and hopefully this will be a new year full of dancing friendship and good times and a few less disasters About now our Hudra vendors, who may have recovered from Christmas are going what to take to festival, what are people going to want? Let the committee know and we will see what we can do about putting together a list for sellers As a dancer I sit here and wonder what new goodies they will be selling this year, what items will be back from last year…. And of course looking forward to next festival For dancers many of us will be shaking off a long holiday away from dancing and thinking about getting back to teaching or attending our regular classes/dance sessions, and perhaps feeling guilty because you didn’t do that practice that you intended while it was the holidays, but hey it was the holidays, they are over now and there is no point in worrying about the past – better yet worry about the now and what you are going to do in the future and make that happen, dwelling in the past doesn’t help anyone. Right now what was that bit of music I was after to choreography…. On the top of my mine is Wizards of winter, by Trans Siberian orchestra but that was dancing Christmas lights…. Yes our family are one of them annoying ones that do the big Christmas lights display so after I finish writing this it is down to pull some more lights off the house, we are almost there to packed up and away till next October.

Hope to hear from you soon Yours in Dance Adilah/Karen

Life Time Membership Nominations - its YOUR turn to contribute Once again we have included the two life time nominations we are to consider at this year’s AGM to remind everyone of these two fantastic people and all the wonderful things that they have done for MEDANZ. I think we can safely say that without them - there would be no MEDANZ or at least not the MEDANZ we have today.

We are inviting all members to share some of their anecdotes concerning Judith and Liz - it would be lovely to have stories about their early days that we can tell all at the presentation ceremony.

If you have anything at all send it to our President - Karen - at nzbellydance@gmail.com before 31 March.

December 2011 / January 2012

MEDANZ News

P age 3

Harmonising Moves from the Core

Dallia

I have started learning the art of Raks Sharki with a dear Egyptian teacher in Germany in 1996. Travelling extensively interrupted my learning, but I always picked the dance up again. Now I am director and principal teacher of a bellydance school in Auckland, NZ; Oasis for Dance.

One of my goals is to change the perception /status of bellydance in society and that always meant to me to teach some sort of dance technique. That’s why I always look into other body therapies that complement bellydance, at the moment it is Feldenkrais.

ESTODA (Essential Technique of Oriental Dance) was started by Yasmin al Ghazal, a warm and passionate German teacher, living and teaching in Spain. I myself came across this technique while googling on German websites, looking for inspiration. Yasmin is such a genuinely generous person and allowed me to stay with her for 3 weeks in her apartment for an intense 1:1 training. And intense it was; 24/7; but in the end I was able to pass my exam for the ‘Basic Trainer!’; even with a good mark. I am the first official ESTODA teacher in Oceania. The training I went through only covered double combinations and I am planning to go back for more. (last sentence could be better taken out) Spain was lovely, even though it was Winter, but sightseeing was not part of my agenda. I had the pleasure to teach one of Yasmin’s classes which was great. My Spanish is very rusty and I didn’t know the particular accent they used, but we managed really well.

The new technique really challenges the way I have been dancing for the past years and I realised I had become a bit of a dancer who did not engage her core muscles enough.

Knowing ESTODA gives me confidence to teach my students a safe technique that empowers them even more to take control of their bodies. Once the basics are understood everyone can easily create their own new moves. Have you ever watched a performer and been thinking ‘how did she do this’?

Understanding ESTODA does help to analyze those moves and repeat them yourself.

Too many good dancers have great emotion and stage presence, but are let down by beginners technique and don’t even realise it. A belly dancer's goal is to BE the music, so the audience can connect and see the music expressed through her, but this cannot be truly achieved unless she is in control of her body. While many dancers may think they have good technique and control, in studying ESTODA (Essential Technique of Oriental Dance) I have discovered that this is not necessarily the case, and worst still, many dancers may doing long term damage to their bodies.

ESTODA was started by Yasmin al Ghazal, a passionate German teacher, living and teaching in Spain.

The premise of ESTODA is harmonisation – doing all moves on three physical axes; vertical, horizontal and sagital, and three curves around them; twist, rock, seesaw. Working with these axes allows you to work with gravity (not against it), making the moves balanced giving the benefit of visual beauty and protecting your body.

ESTODA is not an entirely new technique but rather an extension on what dancers already know. Most bellydance moves can be described by the system, and infinite new moves can be created, by simply combining the 6 essential moves that work on the 3 axes and 3 curves. I find this particually exciting as the system allows me to be as creative as my imagination while still ensuring that when I dance I dance with beauty and balance for many years to come.

I’m not the only one to find this system beneficial, dancers such as Mahmoud Reda have also approved the technique. I want more dancers to be empowered by harmonisation and for this reason, I am the first to be using the ESTODA principals in my dance and teaching in Oceanica

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MEDANZ News

December 2011 / January 2012

Dancing with harmonisation has four key benefits



Safe body moments, that protect especially your back, and reduce the risk of injury



A deeper understanding and awe for your body and how it moves



More visually pleasing for the audience, with clear, balanced, well defined movements



Wonderful for troupe dance, as even total beginners can easily synchronise moves

Balance is a big desire in anyone’s life. Starting to balance your body when you move does impact on a balanced mind also. Balance in movements will naturally lead to safe execution. For example hip drops, are not achieved by initiating the move from the dropping hip, but by using the working leg (where your weight is) instead to drive a seesaw of the hips up and down. This creates instant symmetry in the hip movements, stability and even more important: protection for your back. Unbalanced hip drops create unnecessary pressure on your discs and potentially leads to back pain, as the central point of the seesaw is off centre.

As a dancer you do not have to put up with pain, look after your body. Many dancers are biased to one side or have some kind of damage in their body. Of course, flexible and strong muscles are essential for maintaining a healthy dance career, and so does the safe execution of repetitive moves. As harmonisation builds on what you already know it can be learned by any dancer, no matter how long you have been dancing for, or what style you dance. It will take some practice to adapt, but is certainly work it for the many benefits.

As a teacher this technique has made it so much more logical and simple to teach students of all levels.

For example take the horizontal figure 8, it is simply a horizontal axis slide and a twist after each other.

As the movements, are in 1 to 1 timing, they are perfectly even, ensuring the dancer is always in time.

Here we would slide on 1, twist on 2, slide back on 3, twist on 4.

The other key benefit for teaching I have found is the difference it has made for my student performances. They are now dancing on a totally different level, with more control and respect for their bodies as individuals, but also a synchronicity as a troop. With everyone's body ‘speaking’ the same language, all movements, easily become in perfect timing – as long as they can count the music, they can get it with this technique. It is so exciting to watch even beginner students doing any move with the music and in unity with other fellow dancers. I love the aesthetics of a group of women dancing the same move in perfect tune to the music.

As performers, many of us do movements without thinking, it just happens. But to understand the moments, and how they work with your body, ensures that you are doing the full moment, and opens you up to new possibilities. Also when you struggle with a particular movement, this technique can help you quickly identify what needs working on.

I am not suggesting the using this technique should be the only focus, of course emotions, characterisation and the use of energy are all very import elements of performing. What I am saying, is that technique is the basis of dance and must not be forgotten. A believe that harmonisation via ESTODA is one of the best answers I have found to balancing technique with performance while still looking after my body. I am passionate about this idea, and welcome any dancer to contact me for further discussion or opportunities for workshops.

luxurious 100% silk mesmerising exotic

Ultimately I have a vision of bellydance being lifted so we can be as respected as other dance forms. I see harmonisation as a way I can help contribute to this.

Individually hand dyed and made in New Zealand Sahher1@gmail.com 021 20 60 333

December 2011 / January 2012

MEDANZ News

P age 5

We are thrilled to nominate

Liz Irvine aka Fatina as a Lifetime Member of the Middle Eastern Dance Association of New Zealand

Liz joined MEDANZ in 1994 which means that this year she has been a member for 17 years.

She has spent more time on committee - particularly in Executive positions than any other member of MEDANZ. Committee 1995 / 96, President 1996 /97, 1998 / 99 and 2006/07, Vice President 2004/05, 2005/ 06 and again 2007/08. For that madness alone she deserves a Lifetime Membership.

From the time Liz became a member of MEDANZ, she threw herself onto the committee and was keen to participate actively in the organisation. In addition to committee work, she was also responsible at some stage for other jobs that are vital to keep MEDANZ ticking over - librarian and newsletter editor. She has shown herself to be a strong leader in the shaping and development of MEDANZ and was always a gentle but firm guide to fellow committee members.

Liz always had a clear vision but combined this with an open mind to the thoughts and ideas of others. It was no wonder that the committee were always sorry to see her term finish.

Liz actively taught throughout New Zealand, holding workshops from north to south - always in popular demand for her humour, experience and great teaching ability. She is one of the few New Zealand teachers that have taught workshops in Australia. Liz was always keen to bring in overseas dancers to New Zealand such as Shamira, Barbara Wolfkamp (a founding MEDANZ member and first teacher for Liz) from Australia as well as Tina Hobin from England and Belladonna. She was also involved in the significant Australasian tour for Shareen El. Festivals never seem the same without Liz and in the entire time festivals have run - including the earlier shows we used to have - Liz has only missed three festivals - and only due to exceptional circumstances.

Liz is a well known and very popular member of MEDANZ . She has been and continues to be part of many many dancers lives. She is a treasure in to the New Zealand dance community. We are sure you will agree that no-one deserves this honour more. many thanks to Bev Dowling for compiling this

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MEDANZ News

December 2011 / January 2012

December 2011 / January 2012

MEDANZ News

P age 7

Role of the MEDANZ President

Desirable Attributes



Leadership



Strong Shoulders - Thick Skin



Diplomacy



Sense of Humour



Organisational ability and/or great delegation skills

The role of MEDANZ President has grown in significance over the years as the Association has developed and grown. You are the fulcrum and leader of a committee of diverse people with wide ranging opinions and passions. Your leadership style will set the tone of the group and how well the team works together to achieve goals as well as add value to the MEDANZ membership.

Responsibilities



Ensure the MEDANZ Constitution is upheld



Ensure responsibilities of an Association are met. Financial records must be submitted to the Companies Office on a yearly basis as are any constitutional changes. Ensure these are submitted after the AGM is held each year.



Expand knowledge and resources of the Association so each committee can build on the experience of those that came before them.



Ensure MEDANZ complies with the requirement of ‘legal deposit’ - where a copy of our newsletter is forwarded electronically to the National Library each month.



Lever the full resources and passion of the committee and listen carefully to direction expressed by membership. Action appropriately when required.



Keep your eye on the future and your foot in the past !

Page 8

MEDANZ News

December 2011 / January 2012

Role of the MEDANZ Secretary Desirable Attributes



Able to deposit cheques



Can cope with pressure



Able to keep accurate records

Being a member of the Executive MEDANZ Committee, the role of Secretary can be demanding, especially as Festival approaches. You need to be able to take accurate minutes of all monthly Committee meetings and especially AGM.

Main Jobs include:



Keeping records of all correspondence, subscriptions and registrations received



Writing outgoing correspondence and keeping records of everything sent



Use of the MEDANZ laptop, contain copies of all templates and the history of the Society

Skills:



Reasonable proficiency with data entry is essential. You do not have to be a PA but having good written English and a clear head is a necessity.



Being able to keep accurate files both for the Committee and the membership as a whole.

Role of the MEDANZ Membership Person The person overseeing the MEDANZ membership list can be either an ordinary committee member or can also occupy an executive position (President, Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer) if they have enough time and energy to invest.

It is an on-going job with occasional bigger workloads at subscription renewal time and closer to Festival.

Main Jobs include:



Update the members database when membership forms are received



Producing/updating yearly backups and related analysis of membership list (quite straightforward)



Producing full membership lists when requested by members



Producing all relevant information for newsletter mail outs including labels etc



Checking up on details of individual members as requested by either them or the committee

Skills:



Reasonable proficiency with Word and data entry in Access is essential. You do NOT need to know how to create mail merge but you will need to understand what they do and how to use them.

The latter is easy to learn if you are familiar with formatting documents in Word in general.



Other general computing skills - such as being very familiar with organising data, files and folders will make this job much easier but is not essential.

December 2011 / January 2012

MEDANZ News

P age 9

MEDANZ COMMITTEE NOMINATION FORM 2012 / 2013 PLEASE NOTE:



All nominees must be full and financial members and must sign either this form OR send written confirmation that they are willing to stand.

   

Nominees for President must have served one full year on the Committee.

Presidential term is for a maximum of two years No person may be on the committee for more than four (4) consecutive years.

This form must also be signed by the nominator (who can be the same person as the nominee) and the seconder. Both must be full and financial members at the time of the AGM

NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MARCH 16 PLEASE SEND TO SUITE 3051 º P O BOX 13-240 º JOHNSONVILLE º WELLINGTON º 6440

 

A vote will only be held if there are more nominations that positions to fill Nominations from the AGM floor itself will only be called for if the positions on the committee have insufficient nominations

COMMITTEE POSITIONS President º Vice President º Secretary º Treasurer º up to 4 ordinary committee members

Nomination Form for MEDANZ Executive Committee - 2012 / 2013 President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer (circle one)

Nominee

I agree to stand for the position

Mem No

Nominator

Mem No

Date

Seconder

Mem No

Date

Nomination Form for MEDANZ Ordinary Committee Member - 2012 / 2013

Nominee

I agree to stand for the position

Mem No

Nominator

Mem No

Date

Seconder

Mem No

Date

Page 10

MEDANZ News

December 2011 / January 2012

Members - we need your help We on the committee are aware that some of you feel that our website is in dire need of an overhaul So we are asking YOU what you want changed - what you want kept and perhaps what should be there that isn't.

Email your suggestions to our President (use her personal address - that way she will definitely get it)

We also feel that MEDANZ needs to be promoted from within - so we are thinking of putting together a promotional 3 fold pamphlet - nothing huge - but telling people what benefits there are from joining MEDANZ. Just the sort of thing to have on show at your classes - at shows and to give away to people you meet out and about.

What do you think should be in the pamphlet - we on the committee have our ideas but we would love to hear your suggestions as well.

Again - email our President with your ideas.

are n e h W ittee m m Co

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kype) S ( y r a Febru ) 9 1 y Skype ( h c r Sunda 18 M a y a g you d n i n h t Su y an by the have d u e o s y s u If e disc ee k i l d l it t wo u Comm retary c e S the Email

December 2011 / January 2012

MEDANZ News

P age 11

We are thrilled to nominate

Judith Varga aka Kashmir as a Lifetime Member of the Middle Eastern Dance Association of New Zealand

Judith joined MEDANZ in 1995 , making her membership 16 years duration! She has been an active committee member serving five terms on the committee between 1998 and 2004 including two terms as President (1999 - 2001) and one term as Treasurer (2001/02). Perhaps Judith can be best summed up with an excerpt from Brigid Kelly’s Presidents report of 2001/02 Judith has probably worked harder, longer and on more projects than any other committee member and it is in no small part due to her work that the association is now a substantial national organisation with two - soon to be three - major festivals under its belt.”

Even when not on the committee, it is often felt that she is still a shadow member. Her input is frequent with questions raised for the committee to consider as well as being an active participant of AGM’s - even when she physically cannot be there. Always ready to volunteer for jobs that need doing, Judith shared many a thoughtful opinion whether she was on the committee or not.

Judith was responsible for our first website in 1999 and continued to maintain it until 2002. She was Newsletter Editor from 1999 to 2001 often writing most of the copy herself. And she held on to much of the historical information of MEDANZ thus provide a home for our records.

While we used to have a festival of sorts with workshops etc, it was Judith that stepped it up and made it what we have today with the first new look festival held in Christchurch in 2000.

Judith has a strong sense of policy and even now is the committee’s go-to girl if there is a problem or lack of knowledge on the formalities, rules and regulations of business meetings. She was a major player in the re-writing of the constitution in 1998/99 and the amendments in 2004.

Judith took great pride in developing the teacher’s registry and maintained and updated the teachers list until just recently when the committee took over the task.

In conclusion, Judith more than meets the criteria for lifetime membership. With her on-going input into the development and evolution of MEDANZ and the dance itself within New Zealand, Judith’s input sets the bar for what is expected when the requirement to “contribute significantly in their own time to MEDANZ growth and development” was inserted into the constitution.

Judith Varga is definitely deserving of this honour. many thanks to Bev Dowling for compiling this

Page 12

MEDANZ News

December 2011 / January 2012

Raqs or Raks

Judith Varga

Judith has studied Arabic off and on for over 10 years. In addition to spending over a year at the University of Canterbury learning to read and write Arabic script, Judith has studied three spoken dialects of Arabic (Saudi, Lebanese, and Egyptian). Although her spoken Arabic is very rusty, she maintains her written skills with the occasional flip through one of her many Arabic dictionaries or grammars.

Many years ago I wrote a short article for the MEDANZ newsletter about the best transliteration for the Arabic ( ‫رق‬r eh qaf sad) – which means “dance”. Years have passed and new people have joined – and most probably they don’t trawl through the old newsletters. Nevertheless, I was saddened when suggesting raqs is a closer match than raks to be told it is common in Google. Yes, and so are many English misspellings, bad grammar and unintelligible punctuation. It doesn’t make it right – any more than the numerous sites rehashing urban myths and conspiracy theories are right because they are numerous.

Basically, transliteration should enable you to work back to the original word. Arabic has two sounds – qaf and kaf which are pronounced differently. Spelling it “raks” suggests the word is reh kaf sad (– (‫رﻛﺺ‬but there is no such word.

So why is it used? Morocco suggests it is because most Americans are mono-lingual and cannot handle q’s. I would have hoped New Zealanders have more respect for other languages.

Next, spelling it “raks” suggests that the pronunciation should be something like “racks” – but as qaf is a dark letter which affects the vowels, seeing “raqs” means you know it should sound more like “rocks” – only with the “k” sound deep in the throat. But wait, there’s more. Qaf is also a letter with huge variation between dialects. In addition to the guttural k sound, it can be pronounced like a “g” or even a stop. None of these variations occur with the kaf.

I’m sure someone is reaching for their pen to say there are a number of ways to transliterate Arabic – and I agree – but all of them distinguish the qaf and the kaf with a q and a k. (Now strictly the sad should also be marked to distinguish it from the sin – this is variously done with a dot or a slur under the s or by bolding it or even using a capital S – ie raqş, raqs, or raqS. However, I take on board that going outside the standard Roman alphabet can be problematic) So, can we please respect the language that much of our dance came from and spell it raqs (and raqs sharqi). And while we are at it, it is “taqsim” ( ‫ﺗﻘﺴﻴﻢ‬teh qaf sin ya mim) – nothing in Arabic is transliterated with an “x”.

Shukran, Kashmir

December 2011 / January 2012

MEDANZ News

P age 13

Raqs or Raks - Pt 2

Ahmet Kadi (Adana - Turkey)

The traditional dances of the Middle East (also known as oriental dance) span a large variety of folk traditions throughout North Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia (Greater Persia), sometimes also to the inclusion of South Asia (Greater India).

"Belly dance" is a western term properly applied to raqs, which is the Arabic for "oriental dance", but strictly a style developed in the interbellum period for professional performance in cabarets and the early Egyptian film industry on the basis of traditional Egyptian dance, by Samia Gamal, Tahiya Karioka, Naima Akef and others..

Raqs is the style more familiar to Westerners, performed in restaurants and cabarets around the world. It is more commonly performed by female dancers but is also sometimes danced by men. It is a solo improvisational dance, although students often perform choreographed dances in a group.

Ghawazi: traditional performative dance of the Egyptian Dom people Raqs (Arabic - "oriental dance") is the classical Egyptian style of belly dance that developed during the first half of the 20th century.

Based on the traditional ghawazi and other folk styles and formed by western influences such as marching bands, the Russian ballet, Latin dance, etc., this hybrid style was performed in the cabarets of interbellum period Egypt and in early Egyptian cinema.

The style is often considered the classical style of belly dance, although that term historically referred to the ghawazi style, and today covers a much wider range of Middle Eastern dance as well as Western styles developed from them.

Raqs was developed by Samia Gamal, Tahiya Karioka,Naima Akef and other dancers who rose to fame during the golden years of the Egyptian film industry. This has come to be considered the classical style of dance in Egypt by the 1950s. These dancers were famous not only for their role in Egyptian films, but also for their performances at the "Opera Casino" opened in 1925 by Badia Masabni. This venue was a popular place for influential musicians and choreographers from both the US and Europe.

Later dancers who were influenced by these artists are Sohair Zaki, Fifi Abdou, and Nagwa Fouad. All rose to fame between 1960 and 1980, and are still popular today. Some of these later dancers were the first to choreograph and perform dances using a full 'orchestra' and stage set-up, which had a huge influence upon what is considered the 'classical' style.

Though the basic movements of Raqs are unchanged, the dance form continues to evolve. Nelly Mazloum and Mahmoud Reda are noted for incorporating elements of ballet, and their influence can be seen in modern Egyptian dancers who stand on relevĂŠ as they turn or travel in a circle or figure eight.

Since the 1950s, it has been illegal in Egypt for belly dancers to perform publicly with their midriff uncovered or to display excessive skin. It is therefore becoming more common to wear a long, figure-hugging lycra one-piece gown with strategically placed cut-outs filled in with sheer, flesh-coloured fabric. If a separate bra and skirt are worn, a belt is rarely used and any embellishment is embroidered directly on the tight, sleek lycra skirt. A sheer body stocking must be worn to cover the midsection. Egyptian dancers traditionally dance in bare feet, but these days often wear shoes and even high heels.

Raks In Turkish language, the word "raks" was used in the epoch of The Ottoman Empire and in early years of Republic of Turkey. When this word was stopped being used? There isn't a definite date about it. The Ottoman Empire came to an end as a regime under a monarchy on 1 November 1922. It formally ended on 24 July 1923 under the Treaty of Lausanne. The Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on 29 October 1923, became one of the successor states of the Ottoman Empire as part of the treaty. After early years of the new state, a language reform was achieved and many words origins of Arabic and Persian language were abandoned. In this period, the word "dance" (in Turkish dans) has been introduced and in the present day, the word "raks" is an abandoned word that we use rarely for expressing dance proper to Arabic countries.

Page 14

MEDANZ News

December 2011 / January 2012

WHAT’S ON? NEW ZEALAND FOR UP TO DATE LISTINGS CHECK OUT “RAKS NZ - WHAT’S ON” ON FACEBOOK

Tais in Taupo 18-19 February 2012 Dance Studio - Waipahihi Hall - Richmond Ave - TAUPO Costs - workshops - $45 - 1, $80 - 2, $105 - 3, $120 whole weekend For more details go to www.tais-bellydance.co.nz Or contact Sue Graham (sue@wildwoodgallery.co.nz) or 027 242 1547 or Tais (tais@tais-bellydance.co.nz) or 021 077 4720 Tais will also be available for private lesion Sunday 19 Feb - $60/hr - $30/1/2 hr Contact her to book a timeslot

Devi Mamak Bellydance Workshops - 2012 of GHAWAZI CARAVAN - Australia 3 - 4 March 2012 Whitianga Town Hall - Monk Street - Whitianga - Coromandel Peninsula WEEKEND WORKSHOP FEE $270.00 On Line Registration available at www.americantribalstyle.co.nz/workshops.html ZUMARRAD AND FRIENDS PROUDLY PRESENT

Ranya Renee WEEKEND INTENSIVE Christchurch - 9-10 June 2012 REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN EARLY BIRD PRICE AVAILABLE TILL FEB 28 2012 $280 BOTH DAYS PLUS HAFLA LATE REGISTRATIONS $350 Contact ZUMARRAD (zumarrad@gmail.com) or 027 308 9713 for details December 2011 / January 2012

MEDANZ News

P age 15

WHAT’S ON? NEW ZEALAND

WHAT’S ON POLICY 1.

All MED related events are entitled to an entry in the WHAT’S ON CALENDAR

2.

Maximum entry is half a page.

3.

Brochures, registrations forms, etc may be included in the newsletter if sufficient copies are supplied in a timely manner. Limit of one full A4 sheet per person/event in any one newsletter. Membership numbers available on request.

4.

Information received after the cut off date may not be included.

5.

We attempt to have the newsletter out in the first week of the month but this is not always possible.

Page 16

MEDANZ News

December 2011 / January 2012