Floor Work in Oriental Dance
Officially outlawed in Egypt twice (first during the rule of Muhamed Ali in the mid 1800s, and again after the 1952 revolution that ousted King Farouk) floor work finds its way into Oriental dance through older Egyptian traditional dances, North African and Arabic , Romany and Turkish traditional dances. It was considered an essential element in Vintage Oriental dance in America. This traditional part of a belly dance performance shows off a dancer’s strength and flexibility as she dances on the floor.
Floor work is often used to demonstrate difficult balancing skills with a prop like a sword or candelabrum or skills like isolating shimmies and belly rolls.
Despite it being officially illegal in Egypt you will still see some floor work performed, but usually either in private (or out of the country), so as not to be caught by the morals police. It is also included in routines as part of a character piece or as a balancing dance, like shamadan, where it is disguised as a way of showing off balancing skills within the context of a folkloric presentation. The status and connections of an Egyptian dancer can also determine what she can get away with.
Floor work comes in different varieties and expresses itself in different ways. It can come as part of a dance piece, like Nejla Ateş, Turkish dancer, performs in Son of Sinbad 1955, or it can be an entire piece like Farideh’s 1978 performance in Vancouver. It can be in the context of a character piece, like Egyptian dancer Fifi Abdo in her Ottoman Era Dance Hall girl character, or refer to a ritual or ethnic presentation, like Lebanese Dancer Nadia Gamal’s zaar inspired floorwork. It can be a way to show off balancing skills, like Egyptian dancer, Nadia Hamdi’s famous Shamadan or to show off unique athleticism and flexibility like Turkish dancer Didem’s somewhat bizarre interpretation of the Arabic classic Inta Omri.
Floor work can be slow and romantic like Turkish dancer Nesrin Topkapı’s intro or it can be fun and baladi like Egyptian Aida Nour’s Shamadan. When incorporated into an Oriental Dancer’s performance floor work can add another level of variety and excitement.
Not every venue is well suited to floor work. In some venues, things done on the floor can disappear to all but the front row. Also a dancer doesn’t want to ruin her expensive costumes on a dirty floor.
In an appropriate venue, the dancer considers her costuming, selecting costuming that will allow her a good range of movement, but wont reveal more than she wants. Some costumes will be better suited to certain floor work movements than others. It is a good idea to practice in costume and have a friend check from various angles to make sure you are safe. Keep in mind if you will be on a raised stage or not. As you perform floor work it is appropriate to adjust your costume as necessary, to conceal what you need to and maintain flattering and functional placement.
There are a wide variety of movements used traditionally in floor work for Oriental dancers. Many require a good deal of strength and flexibility and care should be taken to make sure your body is in adequate shape for what you’d like to do. Also, it is very easy for floor work to begin to look silly or too raunchy, if the dancer isn’t connected to her music or isn’t selective about the character of her piece. Although the right audience can appreciate a little bawdiness if it is delivered with a sense of humor, and most audiences appreciate sexiness packaged with elegance, it is good for the dancer to be aware of that fine line between appropriate entertainment and scandalizing her audience while performing floor work.
Floor work can absolutely be beautifully and skillfully accomplished, when the dancer takes care to learn her craft well and treat it’s expression with joy and respect.
Shems’s Floor Work in Oriental Dance Playlist
Further Resources
Morocco’s Article Getting Down to Floorwork
Tribe
