The Exotic Art of Bellydance Review

The The Exotic Art of Bellydance includes cabaret style performances from 12 different soloists and groups. In general the camera angles are good as is the lighting. There are some interesting video effects (using double images) that I would have preferred they left off, but overall the camera movements and effects compliment the dance numbers. 

This DVD also includes information on each of the featured dancers as well as an “About Bellydance” section which contains a brief history of the dance form. One of the main takeaways from all of the performances is that the overall impression the audience has of your dance performance is not solely based on your technical proficiency, but your costume, facial expression, the complexity of movements and your musical interpretation are all equally important.

Below I’ve given a brief statement of how I felt about each number. I’ve listed the information from the start of each number which includes the name of the artist, the style represented and the song title and musician. If you are interested in the music, it is available on the CD and download of The Exotic Art of Bellydance

Kaeshi, Modern Fusion, Oreintalis by Body shock – I feel one of the most important aspects of your dance performance is your entrance, this is the audiences first chance to see you and make a first impression of your piece. Unfortunately I did not care for the entrance used on this piece, which I’m sure influenced how I felt about the rest of the number. For the most part, this is an interesting choreography with unusual veil work. However I felt the dancing without the veil was much better than that done with the veil.

Aziza, Classical Egyptian, Yasamina by the Al-Ahram Orchestra – I found this number to be extremely enjoyable. You can tell the dancer is having fun while she is dancing, which always makes the performance more interesting to the audience. Overall the dancing was wonderful. There was a head movement on a couple hip circles that looked weird, but I’m thinking it was probably because of the camera angles and if it had been visible from straight on, it wouldn’t have looked as weird. In summary, a very nice number, performed by a wonderful dancer.

Amar Gamal, Modern Balady, Dina Tata by The Al-Ahram Orchestra – I really liked this number and have absolutely nothing negative to say about it! Wonderful dancing that blended isolations and complicated layers into a beautiful choreography. Fun to watch with plenty of dynamic changes to keep the audience engaged.

Shimmy Sisters, Modern Fusion Duet, Moon Over Ala Nar by Naked Rhythm – this is a fun, upbeat choreography to a fun song. Lots of sharp accents combine with shimmies and complicated floor patterns. The two dancers alternate between doing the same thing, mirroring each other and doing completely different things. All in all a very engaging performance. My only complaint has to do with the editing. The editor has chosen to change camera angles at every beat in several sections making it hard to tell what the dancers are actually doing.

Tamra-Henna, Saidi Cane, Hoss-Hoss by The Al-Ahram Orchestra – This is a fun cane number that includes twirling and balancing the cane. Many folkloric steps performed to a song heavy on the mizmar.

Nallini, Modern Egyptian, Nawaemm by The Gizira Band – This number includes lovely veil work, gorgeous dancing and interesting floor work. I did feel that the number was too long, there were several spots where I felt that the number was over only to have the music start up again and keep going. All in all a beautiful performance.

Ava Fleming, Modern Egyptian, Set Al Hosen by Petrol Bomb Samosa – I enjoyed this number, it contains lots of complicated layers and amazing articulations that keep the audience engaged throughout the piece.

Louchia, Classical Egyptian, Sahara City by Aboud Abdel Al – The start of this song is dominated by the violin and exploited by the dancer to create a complicated mix of shimmies and slow, smooth movements. A fast ensemble portion is followed by a ney taxsim and then a slower ensemble portion to the song. The dance is listed as Classical Egyptian, but I’m fairly certain classical Egyptian dance does not include floor work and this number does (it is possible I am misinformed). Overall a lovely number in which the dancer does a beautiful job of interpreting the music.

Sandra, Classical Egyptian, Aswan Dances by M. Abdelfattah – This was a nice number with the dancer using a veil intro and then going into more of a classical dance piece. However, there was nothing to really make this number stand out from the others and I found myself more interested in her costume than watching her dance.

Rania, Classical Egyptian, Ya Bahaia by Cairo Caravan – While enjoyable enough to watch, this number was less intricate and technically difficult than the others that have been showcased on this DVD. It was also the first costume I just flat did not like. Finally, the dancer does not look like she is having fun while she is dancing. I’m not saying every dancer should grin like a loon throughout a routine, but she should at least have a pleasant facial expression. Unfortunately I felt like the dancer was unengaged and dancing by rote rather than exulting in the music.

Willow, Classical Egyptian, We Marret El Ayam by Dr. Samy Farag – First of all – beautiful patchwork costume! Lovely dancing which it is apparent the dancer is enjoying. The piece is short but engaging. Starting with the lovely, slow arm introduction and moving into a fast paced dynamic performance.

Nathalie, Classical Egyptian, Layali Al Sharq by Al-Ahram Orchestra – This is a lovely song which the dancer does a beautiful job of dancing to. However, I feel she made a very poor costume selection! I spent the majority of the first part of her dance trying to decide if her costume is really as see through as it looks (I decided it is) and if she was wearing any underwear (I think she has on a thong in the same color as her costume). This is not what you want your audience concentrating on!