Other Items for balancing and dancing in Middle Eastern Dance

Balancing and Dancing with Other Items

Below you will find information about balancing and dancing with other items in bellydance.

There are numerous items that have and can be balanced and used as a prop in bellydancing. Although most would not constitute an entire traditional dance there are instances where native dancers utilize other items as a sort of gimick. Just as in many dance and entertainment forms people like to offer something

unique which helps make a name for themself. Most of the time the items

used will be common and otherwise ordinary. For example a dancer

performing in a Middle Eastern coffee shop may pick up a shisha and

balance it on their head while dancing. American dancer Tarik Sultan is

known for his Raqs il-Shisha (waterpipe dance) which can be viewed in

the video to the right. Dances like this share elements in common with

traditional dances such as Shamadan or Senneeya but offer a variation

that is far less common. If you chose to perform with a shisha make sure

the hose is securely tied in place so it will not fly around and hurt

someone or cause you to trip.

Glasses especially filled with liquid (which enhances the dramatic

tension) are common similar to senneeya in general but glasses are also

sometimes used to dance on top of. In these cases the glasses are

overturned and must have a thick stem and preferably thicker build in

general. This is definately a gimick meant to create suspense and drama.

It can be seen by dancers all over the world and in general you can do

pretty much any move once on them.

In an early Tomas Edison film, a dancer by the name of Princess Rajah who is supposedly performing bellydance, balances

a chair in her teeth. These feats of balance and strength are often just

showmanship so encountering them even in a native setting doesn't

necessarily equate to being a folk dance or common accessory. In any

even whatever you choose to balance or dance with, you should make

certain that you can perform with it safely. Make sure you know your

prop in and out in order to decrease any risk of accident or damage and

don't perform with it until you are very comfortable with it. You can

utilize most of the timps and tricks used for other more common items

to balance nearly anything safely.