How's Bellydance at Taiwan? - Part III. Go West or East?! - Diversifying Direction

As bellydance became increasingly popular, the existing resource could no longer satisfy local dancers and students' strong desire to learn more about this dance and its related information.

Since bellydance was first promoted as “seductive” and “mystique” harem dance from Middle East, it is very rational to conclude that we should go to the land of cultural root for the best learning experiences. With almost no information at all, it seemed like a dangerous adventure into the unknown jungle. Under such circumstance, few went to Egypt while others went to Turkey.

In 2005, some dancers went to Egypt for Ahlan Wa Sahlan hosted by Raqia Hassan and they brought back further information and beautiful accessories and costumes. People started to talk about going to Egypt for learning bellydance. Among those dancers, Eva Shen brought back Mahmoud Reda technique and this “Moscow on Nile” style of oriental dance to Taiwan. It generated another bellydance fever and remains one of the most widespread bellydance styles here.

Crystal Lien went to Turkey and introduced Turkish style bellydance to local bellydance community. She teaches exclusively Turkish style bellydance and has strong emphasis on improvisation and music interpretation, which is very exceptional approach among local bellydancers and instructors. She moves to Istanbul in June 2009.

America opens its gate to Taiwan bellydancers through the DVD called Bellydance Superstar produced by Mile Copeland. In 2005, I had a chance to see BDSS performance at New York while I visited friends there. I also had opportunity to drop in legendary bellydancer Serena Wilson’s studio and was very lucky to be taught by Serena. Such experiences truly opened my eyes. I realized that perhaps going to the culture root is a great way for some to learn while visiting somewhere I can communicate with orally works better for me. I like to ask questions – thanks to the training during my education in the States, and I cannot learn just solely relying on visual observation and imitation. I need certain explanations and discussion to help me really understand the concept. Without some knowledge in advanced, I feel very insecure. Later I learned from Carolena, founder of ATS about different learning approaches – auditory, kinetic and visual.

I told others about what I saw in America and few suggested a trip together for Tribal Fest in 2006. At that time, the Internet became very popular and highly accessible. All of sudden all kinds of information are available for just one click. You could contact anyone you want via the “contact us” bottom at their websites. Viola! They would write you back. It is so much more easy and convenient.

Going to America learning bellydance thus becomes many dancers' choice, in particularly San Francisco. I do enjoy bellydance colleagues in Big Apple for their wonderful creativities and interesting personalities. Somehow the weather and atmosphere at Bay Area really attract people. In addition, Tribal Fest is held every year just one hour driving from Bay Area; Carolena and FCBD are right at Mission district; Suhaila and her dance school are based on Albony, a quiet and beautiful town slight north from Berkeley; Mary Ellen Donald could teach wonderful ME music knowledge and skills while Amina demonstrates amazing interpretation to music through zills…. There are abundant resources at Bay Area and the friendly and widespread Asian-cultural aura makes San Francisco an ideal place to visit.

Among those dancers go to States, Jane Chung went to Hawaii for intensive workshop hosted by Delilah in 2004. In 2006, she went to attend Suhaila Salimpour Level 1 certificate workshop and became the first Taiwanese bellydancer with such qualification. She still remains the highest certification of Suhaila Salimpour technique at Taiwan now. In 2009, she sponsors Suhaila for the first overseas SSBD Level 1 certification workshop.

Another spot in American Continent where Taiwan bellydancers go visit and learn is Buenos Aires, where Saida and her wonderful orchestra are based. Saida is quite popular here for her stage presence and dance style – somehow her persistence of dancing to live music does not affect her fans here or motivate them to polish further knowledge or skills on live music…Gina Chen based on Kaohsiung City is major sponsor to Saida and she often co-sponsors with Helena, the famous South Korean bellydancer who also promotes Saida style.

Either going east or west, we want to learn more and try hard to catch up with our bellydance colleagues around the world. This is not a dance form originating in our art and culture and thus we accept the fact and go aboard for learning and seeing the constantly growing community. With a positive viewpoint, this truly enlarges our vision and helps us gain rich life experiences, and best of all, meeting with other dance sisters and friends through this journey.

How's Bellydance at Taiwan? - Part II. How and When It Started?

Cover of the first Bellydance book at Taiwan by Violet Mozaini

Photo from http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5546983

As I said before, the development of bellydance at Taiwan is relatively new, comparing to its other Western communities. Even Japan and Korea have longer history of bellydance experiences than we have.

Around 2002 to 2003, it all started from simply sharing what she learned and enjoyed during her overseas studying at Israel, Violet Lee (She got married and changed her name as Violet Mozaini) first showed her friends the dance she learned and soon after with words of mouths, she was asked to teach in local community colleges and other studios. She was also invited to appear in TV and suddenly, everyone heard about bellydance and wanted to sign up a bellydance class.

I was one of the TV program audiences who wanted to learn bellydance.

Years ago, when I studied in New York, I went with my then boyfriend for a date and we saw a bellydance performance in Café Figaro at Village. It was my first time to see a real and live bellydancer with live band. I was totally stunned by her beautiful dance and her enjoyment with this dance, with the fact that she looked not that young and her body movement was so fluid.

I didn't think about signing up a class at that time. I was too young and there was the whole world waiting for me to conquer.

Years later, when I resettled at Taipei and my father passed away unexpectedly, the image of Violet dancing on TV reminded me of the elegant bellydancer I saw in New York years ago. My father’s sudden death really is a waking call to me: I realize health is very important and life is never too long to waste. I decided to sign up her class.

As bellyadnce became so popular at such rapidity, market demands appeared accordingly. People requested bellydance performances all the time and Violet had to ask her students coming with her to dance.

Eventually she trained some students to teach in order to meet with such strong demands on both performing and teaching. Since there was almost no supply of costumes and accessories available, Violet and her students either used Violet's own costumes and accessories or they had to make their own. There was no musician or bands either. Recorded music was used a lot. Few props were introduced by choreography, which remains the major method for bellydance learning and teaching: veils, cane, Shamadan, sword, Khaliji…

Gradually Violet formed her own troupe and members came from her students. She successfully creates very exciting, fancy and whirlwind like stage presentation, which becomes her own signature style as well as one of the major criteria for local audiences and peer colleagues. Usually she would create a story telling line guiding the audience. The topics are all about Arabian fantasy: 1001 nights, harem scene, village ceremonies… and each dance presents particular theme with either props or certain fusion styles. My favorite one is probably her last recital in December 2008. It is a short drama piece called “Looking for the Bluebird of Happiness.” In this story, a semi-autobiography of Violet's personal story, a girl seeks for true happiness and after a series of life experiences including miscarriage, eventually she finds her own happiness. It is already a very mature and yet strong localized format in terms of stage presence, with a sly twist of tantasy Middle Eastern flavor.

Violet and her troupe possess the majority of bellydance population in Taiwan. She successfully introduces this beautiful dance to local public audience and remains as one of the most renowned bellydancers here. She provides a great and friendly accessibility for those who simply want to do exercise, have fun, and press relief. There are many touching stories at her classroom telling how women regain their confidence and faith as themselves through bellydancing. If you go for their annual recital, it would be at least 500 to 1,000 persons in the audience seat. It is quite amazing.

Violet's case becomes the model following by other bellydancers at Taiwan. They also follow her choreography-oriented teaching with less emphasis on rhythms, downbeats and techniques. Violet's dancers are famous for their amazing memory of choreography and they specialize in group dancing with complicated formation. There is not much to do with solid bellydance movements or profound capacity on delicate stage presence.

Now with few years of bellydance experiences and more understanding of bellydance and ME/Arab culture, I found out there are more for me to experience in this giant bellydance world. I move on for finger cymbal, tabla and other techniques. I still like to see her annual recital to recall my early years of bellydance learning and see the promisingly growing bellydance student population.