Lydia Tzigane, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
"I would like to see our jewel flourish again and let it be known that the ART is still there, very much alive..."
How did you come up with idea of World Belly Dance Day?
“Are you doing striptease?”
“Is it only for Arabs?”
“Oh, you are too skinny for it…”
“Oh, you are too fat to do this…”
“Oh, this must be done by beautiful girls from 17 years…”
“Is that what they do in the “Harem” with the sheikhs?”
I am getting all this daily and I am sure I am not the only one...
Bellydancing sure is not the correct word to use simply because there are plenty of styles from all over the world. Dancers are giving their version of “Bellydancing” but many of us are engaging the whole body when we dance so we are much better off with the name Raks al Sharqi (dance from the east) or Oriental dance. These are the names that are used by professional dancers.
The term Belly Dancing came with the French that called it ”Dance du Ventre” means dance of the stomach. At the moment there are so many different styles, from eastern and western countries so to keep it simple, so that everybody will understand what this day is about, we call it the World Belly Dance Day, also for the mainstream people to understand what this event is...
These days Belly Dance is sadly exploited by the commercialists, nightclubs, alcohol, nudity, much skimpier dress (how much better it is for the club owner). How sad...
Are we losing our very precious jewel?? THE ART... Raks Sharki... done for centuries it has traveled the globe, gave us joy, pleasure, beauty, laughter, happiness, made us forget our sorrow and pain, just pure joy the dance gives us...
We have very talented dancers across the world that truly love this art and can make it bloom, can bring it back to sparkle. Many dancers want to let all the people enjoy and truly understand WHAT this dance form is about and don't let people think it is a sleazy thing that has to hide in the cupboard only to let out when people want to play peek-a-boo in nightclubs, let all people understand that any girl in a pretty dress shaking her bits about, is NOT what this art is supposed to be about...
It is our duty as dancers to educate others and let them understand how it is supposed to be ...the World Belly Dance Day is for this purpose only, to change people's views and make them love our precious jewel that makes so many people happy if done in the proper way....
Please, forget about making money that day, dedicate your event to raising money for a charity of your choice, it will put you and the dance in a nice light and you help a good cause...
What does Belly Dance mean for you?
Belly dancing for me means: a way of living, because it is my home...I breathe it, eat it, sleep it... and I am married to my dance floor and my audience...That is how big this art form is for me, and I can write a book about it no way to I can just tell you what it means to me... it’s just too big a thing for me!
Beside that it has been my best friend, backbone, security, and without it I am totally lost.... It gave me so much.... it’s my life and has been for the past 22 years......
What message about Belly Dance would you like to send to those that have not started dancing yet?
What I would tell people that did not try oriental dancing yet, beside the above… It is a great form of keeping fit, it is for sure a benefit to your health, great way to socialize and make friends... It’s so big and full of different colors and flavours you can study and practice this for the rest of your life and still you don’t get bored because there is always something new to learn.
Dance is liberating
In the course of the years that I have put into this profession, I have had the opportunity to dance for many celebrities across the continents. I recall a particularly poignant moment, when I danced for the King and Queen of Malaysia. They showered me with praise. As I stood before them, I thought to myself, "If only they had seen me standing outside my caravan as a small gypsy child!" It took a lot of hard work and determination to carve my own niche and to be able to hold the attention of people like them. The thought fills me with humility more than pride. I will never forget my roots. That is why the quality of my performance remains the same - whether I dance at a royal function or a birthday party.
My strength...
... is being different from others. This is something I learnt from a senior, retired belly-dancer, Tahya Karioka, who was very well-known all over Egypt. She passed away several years ago. She saw me dancing and told me: "You are different from the others. Stay that way and people will always remember you." I never forgot that and I have always tried to fuse gypsy dancing into my style, while keeping the basics of belly-dancing intact. What I present is an exotic mix of styles, which fascinates people. I believe in possessing technical skills on stage. I want to be skilled at my art and make people smile. My shows cater to all kinds of people including families with children. I think it is this fact that has made people respect me. I have been fortunate to last in this field for so many years.
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