The Art of Mystery: Initiation
Yesterday’s kick-off class for our veil study was both an introduction and overview to dancing with our veils. We did mostly static (in-place) movements.
The Music
Most of us use Spotify, so I’m going to do my best to assemble Spotify playlists for you.
While chifti tellis are a beautiful choice for veil work, they are also very structured. See Introduction to Veils: Framing Yourself Beautifully for a good chifti telli link.
In this workshop, we’ll work with the chifti telli rhythm and also with a more “rhythm-less” kind of music – a slow, sensitive taxim.
- Taksim – Literally, a taxim (or taksim) is a “solo improvisation” – in dance circles, this usually refers to a very introspective section, where the dancer does a solo improvisation to the musician’s solo improvisation, typically on the oud or a wind instrument.
- Chifti Tellis are a specific Turkish rhythm. They are very lush and sensual; perfect for veil dances – particularly for in-place veil moves. (Sometimes they are also good for movement across the floor.) Here’s a very good YouTube link illustrating the basic chifti telli rhythm.
In this Introduction to Veil Dancing class, we experimented with framing different parts of our body (hips, rib cage, hips from a back angle, and diagonal-back view) using this music:
- Journey of Light, a chifti telli by Desert Wind on their Gaia, Earth Goddess: Ritual Dances CD: Journey of Light on Spotify.
We also did a bit of skills and drills using a simple 4/4 count music:
- The Magic in Your Eyes, a 4/4 tempo by Hossam Ramzy on his Source of Fire – on Apple Music Preview; here’s the single song on Spotify The Magic in Your Eyes on Spotify, and here’s a link to the Source of Fire album on Spotify.
Technique Pointers
This initiation class focused on:
- Veil sizes – length (the long side) and width (the short side) ; typically, our veils are about 45″ wide (this is the standard width of material off a fabric bolt) and about 3 yards long; my teacher Anahid Sofian has recommended that (when I dance with a silk chiffon veil), I start with 3 1/2 yards and trim it back, inch-by-inch, to a length that is workable for me; she is tiny (only about 5′) and dances with a full 3 1/2 yards of silk chiffon. and the length is different (shorter) if you’re working with silk habotai (China silk); I’d recommend at least 3 yards of that, though.
- Three-point control of your veil, as taught by master dancer and teacher Anahid Sofian; this means having a hold of your veil in each of your hands and then snugging it against the back of your neck (for that third point); this gives you awareness of where your veil is and control over how you move it, and
- How to frame yourself with your veil, various stances and framing different portions of your body & costume.
Very best wishes as you use Oriental dance (belly dance) for personal growth and healing!
Yours in dance –
Alay’nya
Author of Unveiling: The Inner Journey
You are the Jewel in the Heart of the Lotus. Become the Jewel!
Founder and Artistic Director, The Alay’nya Studio
Bellydance a courtesan would envy!
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