Philosophy
Bellydance (in Arabic, Raqs Sharqi) in America became a lot of things during the last half of the twentieth century until today...from the mixed Middle Eastern ethnicity nightclubs in neighborhoods of the 1950s (and even now), through the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s promoting self-expression, tribal, punk, hip-hop and techno influences during the 1980s and 1990s, the big-stage performance styling of the Bellydance Superstars, and various forms of fusion, the dance has morphed significantly from its roots in the Middle East/Levant/Maghreb.
There have always been dancers from the West who have travelled to the countries of origin of the dance -- Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon -- and learned the movement and music vocabulary from the local artists. More recently, the stars of the dance from the region have been able to travel to the U.S. and teach. Of course there is cross-pollination in any art form, and bellydance is no exception. But the music of the region and the basic movement vocabulary (including the very specific posture and use of body position and weight placement) are the keys to truly understanding this dance as a cultural art form.
Maia shares what she has learned from American and European teachers who have travelled and studied dance in the countries of origin, from Egyptian and Turkish dance stars from whom she has had the privilege of learning and from her travel to Egypt. With this vocabulary her students can branch into whatever dance style appeals to them, safely and comfortably.
There have always been dancers from the West who have travelled to the countries of origin of the dance -- Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon -- and learned the movement and music vocabulary from the local artists. More recently, the stars of the dance from the region have been able to travel to the U.S. and teach. Of course there is cross-pollination in any art form, and bellydance is no exception. But the music of the region and the basic movement vocabulary (including the very specific posture and use of body position and weight placement) are the keys to truly understanding this dance as a cultural art form.
Maia shares what she has learned from American and European teachers who have travelled and studied dance in the countries of origin, from Egyptian and Turkish dance stars from whom she has had the privilege of learning and from her travel to Egypt. With this vocabulary her students can branch into whatever dance style appeals to them, safely and comfortably.