FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Raks Souzana classes held? All Raks Souzana classes are held at Raks Souzana Studio located at 1006 Smythe Street, Fairbanks, AK (corner of Smythe & Kellum behind Arctic Bowl).
What does Raks Souzana mean? Raks (or sometimes spelled raqs) means dance in Arabic. Raks Souzana is like saying Souzana’s dance in Arabic.
What should I wear to class? Please wear workout attire, dancewear, or other comfortable, non-restrictive clothing that is easy to move in and also allows me to make body alignment corrections. I suggest wearing a unitard, leggings, jazz pants, or other workout attire with a leotard, sports bra, or tank top. Wearing a scarf around your hips is optional, but encouraged as it helps delineate the hip line. Coins or no coins on your hip scarf? It’s up to you! I love wearing coin hip scarves in class and you should too if it makes you feel good! Ultimately, wear what makes you feel good. I highly recommend but do not require students to wear dance shoes during class. If you plan to perform in the recital however you are required to wear Hermes lyrical dance sandals due to safety reasons. It’s a good idea to get used to dancing in them several months before the recital. Sneakers are never allowed as they cause too much grip during turns and twisting movements. Socks are too slippery. You may dance barefoot at your own risk.
Do I have to show my belly? No! The choice is up to you! Showing your belly is NOT required to learn how to belly dance. Do what makes YOU comfortable! Even when performing, many professional dancers keep their stomachs covered.
What supplies/props do I have to purchase for class? Raks Souzana Level I classes will need to purchase a three yard veil and a pair of beginner Saroyan brand finger cymbals by 2nd semester of the dance year. If you plan to perform with your class, a class costume needs to be purchased sometime in January or February. Please do not purchase a costume until it’s been decided what your class will be wearing for the recital.
Do I have to perform? No, performing is not required. Technique classes are appropriate for those students who want to learn how to belly dance without the pressure of performing. Many people dance purely for fun or fitness and don’t have any desire to get on stage. For those interested in performance opportunities, Tundra Caravan hosts a community Middle Eastern dance recital each spring and Fairbanks Belly Dance hosts a performance at Tanana Valley Fair in August that you can choose to participate in.
Is belly dance good exercise? You bet! Belly dance gives you a gentle full body workout! However, just like any other exercise program you need to do it several times a week to get maximum health and weight loss benefits. One class a week might help you get a bit more tone in your muscles but it won’t help you burn many calories. If you practice often during the week you will not only burn more calories but you will be way more prepared for class next week too!
Do I need to be a certain age or body type to belly dance? No. Belly dancing allows students to dance to their own capacity, regardless of age or fitness level. For hundreds of years, most dancing in the Middle East was not performed by professionals but instead by men, woman, and children of all ages. They learn to dance as small children, not by taking classes but by watching and imitating their family and friends. Belly dance originated as a folk dance that was used to celebrate special occasions such as birth, circumcision, wedding, good harvest, religious holiday, family gathering, or get-together with friends. In the Middle East, dance is about celebrating life, expressing joy, and having a good time with the people you love.
What is a belly dance class like? Most belly dance classes will have a warm-up, an aerobic section which raises the heart rate, and a cool-down with stretches. Class will include instruction on correct posture and technique as well as single movement practice, combinations, and choreography.
I’ve never taken a belly dance class before, I’m worried that I won’t be able to catch on. For many talented belly dancers, belly dance is the only dance form they have ever studied. Having prior dance experience can be helpful but certainly not necessary!
Do men belly dance? Not only do men dance in the Middle East but so do children! Following the rise of Islam, people lived in segregated households. The men lived on one side of the house, and the women lived with the children on the other side. When festive occasions would arise, the women would celebrate with other women, and the men would have a separate party with other men. Historically, the two genders did not mix. In some Muslim countries, that is still true today. With exceptions, men and women, even among the westernized upper-class rarely dance with one another unless they are related. For the most part, men dance with men, and women dance with women. A little over a hundred years ago it was possible to see this ancient dance performed throughout the Middle East by young men and boys. The best documentation of male dancers comes from Turkey, most of it by way of European travel accounts from the late 16th to early 19th
I’ve seen classes advertised as Middle Eastern dance, belly dance, tribal belly dance, raks sharki, raqs sharqi, and oriental dance. It’s very confusing. Why are all these different names used? Middle Eastern Dance (MED) is a term that covers a broad range of dance styles from a large geographic area, as well as modern and fusion styles which have been changed and adapted as the various forms have gained a truly worldwide audience.
The term belly dance comes from the French word “danse du ventre” and though no one really knows for sure when the term belly dancing came into popular use, most historians agree that it entered into U.S. awareness in 1893, when the Columbia Exposition first brought Middle Eastern dance artists to the attention of the American public. A savvy promoter named Sol Bloom advertised the scandalous belly dancing as a way of attracting more visitors to the entertainments of the world’s fair. This term shocked and titillated the uptight Victorian audiences and only served to fuel its popularity, but did little to give it respectability. Belly dance is something of a misnomer as every part of the body is involved in the dance; the most featured body part usually being the hips.
Tribal Style is a uniquely American fusion style, drawing on a number of influences from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Morocco for dance movements, musical selections, and costuming. Tribal has a standard language of dance movements, used to communicate between the dancers without relying on choreography. Each ‘tribe’ of dancers will naturally develop its own style as the members learn and grow together. Tribal Style dancers usually try for an earthy, folkloric look as opposed to the beaded two piece costume. Those in the artistic experimentation/fusion variant will try for a mood that is in line with whatever happens to be cool in American alternative culture at the time. Tribal dancers have a tendency to mix costume elements from multiple ethnic regions into a single look. For example, FatChanceBellyDance (FCBD) wears turbans (Turkish) with cholis (Indian) and facial tattoos (North African). Tribal Style generally uses finger cymbals, while those taking the artistic experimentation/fusion approach to Tribal often do not.
Raks Sharki (also Raqs Sharqi), literally translated from Arabic to English, means “dance of the east” or “oriental dance”, so the terms Raks Sharki and Oriental dance are used interchangeably. Raks Sharki/Oriental dance generally refers to the style of dance adapted to the stage in Egypt in the early 20thcentury. Turkey and Lebanon were not far behind in developing their own distinct theatricized styles. It is traditionally seen in restaurants, nightclubs and theaters, therefore often referred to as cabaret style belly dance in the U.S.A. It is distinct from the folkloric styles it sprang from largely in the use of traveling steps and extensions due to the use of the greater space afforded by a stage. Oriental style is usually performed to classical style Middle Eastern music.
What style belly dance does Souzana teach? Souzana leans heavily towards the Egyptian Raks Sharki (also commonly spelled Raqs Sharqi) and American Cabaret styles of belly dance. But because early on she was exposed to tribal styling by some of her teachers, it often creeps into her choreographies.
Isn’t belly dance just a dance of seduction? Sure, it CAN and HAS been used for seduction and related purposes and Hollywood has certainly done a good job convincing the general public that belly dance’s primary purpose is that of seduction… but for me and many others like me, it’s a dance about life and ALL that life offers. Sex is part of life so it has its place in the dance but so do all the human experiences and resulting emotions play important roles in the dance.
Why do some belly dancers balance sword on their heads? Is that some kind of war-time ritual? We know very little about whether or how sword dances were performed traditionally in the Middle East. The sword dance styles used in belly dance today are fantasy inventions, drawing inspiration from Orientalist paintings, as well as modern sword dance technique from other regions.
Cane dancing? Really? What’s that all about! The Saiidi is an exciting Egyptian folkloric dance performed with a cane. The dance has its roots on El Saiid or Upper Egypt, in the south of the country. Originally the men’s dance that prepared them to fight with warring tribes, the Saiidi was also often displayed at times of folkloric festivity. The dance required martial art like concentration and skill to wield the long, heavy staffs called ‘taktib’. Saiidi steps match the stealthy rhythm – reeling back and lunging forward with a sprightly hop. The hopping gestures mimic the gallant steps of the Arabian stallions – the horses the Saiidi warriors would ride into battle. Nowadays, women dance the Raks Al Assaya – a feminized version of the cane dance. It is earthy yet sprightly and like the taktib, also requires skill and dexterity with the smaller bamboo cane. The traditional costume is a caftan with hip scarf and head wear.
Why do some belly dancers dance with snakes? Though snake dancing is not really a Middle Eastern tradition, the origins are most likely from India, where temple dancers would dance with snakes as part of their worship. Nowadays some American belly dancers work snakes into their theatrical act as a way of adding drama.
Where did the tradition of wearing jewels in the belly button come from? Wearing a jewel in the navel originated in Hollywood as a result of the Hays Code, a set of U.S. motion picture industry rules put into place in 1930 as a reaction to public outrage over a scandal. These rules were meant to maintain decent, moral standards on the silver screen. One provision stated “dancing or costumes intended to permit undue exposure or indecent movements in the dance are forbidden”. For film makers, it meant navels should not be visible on screen. Placing a jewel in the navel was the U.S. film industries way of getting around the strict rules so they could continue titillating audiences. Real dancers in the Middle East don’t put jewels in their navels.