ALL OVER THE WORLD.
KAREN MEYERS CATCHES UP WITH A LOCAL DANCE TROUPE THAT HAS BEEN SHIMMYING INTO THE HEARTS OF AUDIENCES.
♪ KAREN: BELLY DANCING IS EXOTIC, HYPNOTIC, COMPLEX MOVEMENTS WITH DRAMATIC FLAIR.
AND DESPITE ITS REPUTATION, IT IS NOT MEANT TO ENTERTAIN MEN.
ANGELA: OR THAT IT’S JUST A SEXY DANCE, YOU KNOW, OR IT’S FRIVOLOUS.
AND IT’S NOT.
IT’S RICH IN CULTURE AND HISTORY.
IT’S SO MUCH MORE THAN WHAT’S PORTRAYED LIKE, YOU KNOW, IN MOVIES.
KAREN: ANGELA FLAGG TOOK UP BELLY DANCING LATER IN LIFE.
ANGELA: I HAD SEEN BELLY DANCERS AS A CHILD, AND I ALWAYS LOVED IT.
I WAS A STAY-AT-HOME MOM.
I HOMESCHOOLED MY SON, AND I JUST -- I SPENT SO MUCH TIME ON , YOU KNOW, ON OTHERS THAT I FINALLY DECIDED ONE DAY, YOU KNOW, I’M GOING TO TAKE A CLASS.
KAREN: THAT WAS EIGHT YEARS AGO.
NOW SHE IS PERFORMING FOR AUDIENCES AND TEACHING CLASSES.
♪ ANGELA HAD NO BACKGROUND IN BELLY DANCE, LEARNING FROM SCRATCH.
ANGELA: YOU’RE NOT USED TO MOVING YOUR HIPS IN CERTAIN WAYS.
OR YOUR HEAD OR YOUR SHOULDERS OR YOUR HANDS, YOUR HIPS OR YOUR ARMS.
AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
KAREN: ANGELA PERFORMS WITH TH BAREFOOT TRUTH DANCE COMPANY, MADE UP OF DANCERS FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE, MAINE, AND MASSACHUSETTS.
THEY TRAVEL AROUND THE NORTHEAST AND BEYOND, ENTERTAINING CROWDS AT FESTIVALS AND PARTIES.
ON THIS DAY, THEY REHEARSE IN ANGELA’S BACKYARD IN DOVER.
♪ WHITLEY MARSHALL IS THE DANCE TROUPE’S CO-DIRECTOR.
♪ WHITLEY: IT REALLY BRINGS COMMUNITY.
IT BRINGS SO MUCH JOY TO EACH ONE OF US AND A DIFFERENT CONNECTION THAT YOU CAN’T REALLY EXPERIENCE IN ANY OTHER DANCE FORM.
KAREN: THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT STYLES OF BELLY DANCE.
ITS ORIGINS ARE A TOPIC OF DEBATE.
WHITLEY: THERE’S ACTUALLY A LOT OF DIFFERENT, ALMOST CONTROVERSY, AROUND THE HISTORY OF BELLY DANCE, BECAUSE IT’S SO OLD, AND SO MUCH OF OUR HISTORY HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN ORALLY AND
NOT IN A WRITTEN FORM.
KAREN: ITS BEGINNINGS TRACE BACK TO EGYPT.
THE FIRST BELLY DANCERS WERE A GROUP OF NOMADS, INFLUENCED BY FOLKLORIC DANCE STYLES THEY CAME ACROSS IN THEIR TRAVELS.
BELLY DANCE IS ALSO BELIEVED TO HAVE ROOTS IN INDIA AND AFRICA.
IT BECAME POPULAR IN THE U.S. IN THE 1960’S AND 1970’S.
YOU ARE PROBABLY MOST FAMILIAR WITH AMERICAN TRIBAL STYLE.
ALSO FAVORED, ITS, OR IMPROVISATIONAL TEAM SYNCHRONIZATION, A FUSION TYPE BELLY DANCE.
WHITLEY: IMPROVISATIONAL DANCE , IT REALLY TAKES THE HEART OF BELLY DANCE, WHERE WE’RE MOVING IN THE MOMENT, CONNECTING WITH THE MUSICIANS, WITH EACH OTHER, WITH THE ENVIRONMENT.
AND IT’S EXCITING.
KAREN: DANCERS FOLLOW A LEADER, BUT THAT LEADER IS ROTATING.
WHITLEY: WE KNOW A VOCABULARY OF MOVEMENT, AND THEN WE’LL CUE EACH OTHER IN VERY SUBTLE WAYS, SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE’VE CHOREOGRAPHED, BUT IT’S ACTUALLY ALL IN THE MOMENT.
ANGELA: MANY TIMES AFTER A SHOW, I’VE HAD PEOPLE COME UP AND SAY, "WOW!
YOUR CHOREOGRAPHY WAS GREAT!" AND I’M LIKE, "THAT WAS IMPROV." [LAUGHS] KAREN: IT’S A FULL BODY WORKOUT AND TAKES A LOT OF STRENGTH.
WHITLEY: BELLY DANCE IS ALL ABOUT MUSCLE ISOLATION, WHETHER YOU’RE ISOLATING YOUR SHOULDERS FOR, LIKE, A SHIMMY OR YOU’RE DOING A BELLY ROLL FROM YOUR TOP ABDOMINAL MUSCLES TO YOUR BOTTOM
ABDOMINAL MUSCLES.
KAREN: CLASSIC STEPS INCLUDE THAT SHIMMY, ALSO UNDULATIONS, FLOWING, FLUID MOVEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE BODY.
AND HIP HITS, SHARP AND QUICK HIP PULSES.
THE MORE MOVES YOU LAYER OVER EACH OTHER, THE MORE DIFFICULT THE DANCE.
ANGELA: IF YOU WERE SHIMMYING, BUT ALSO DOING CHEST CIRCLES, BUT ALSO DOING FLORETOS WITH YOUR HANDS AND SNAKE ARMS AND WALKING.
[LAUGHS] KAREN: EVEN THOUGH BELLY DANCING IS SHOWY, BRIGHT COSTUMES, AND PROPS, DANCERS INSIST THERE IS NO REQUIRED LOOK.
ANGELA: YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOOK "PERFECT," WHATEVER THAT IS.
[LAUGHS] YEAH.
JUST SHOW UP.
THE CORRECT BODY FOR BELLY DANCING IS ANY BODY.
♪