I – Belly dancing vs Tahitian dancing

Comparing belly dancing and Tahitian dancing

(I – learning how to compare)

Dancing is an integral part of people’s lives and the culture they represent.  In many cultures dancing often occurs in weddings, festivals and special occasions like birthdays, baptisms, and religious events.  Dancing is also a means by which people express their joy, have fun, and socialize with family members and friends.  For certain cultures like the Russian, American and Mexican, dancing is a way to identify a specialized dance of their country like ballet, hip hop, and Mariachi dancing.  Thus, dancing has and will always be an integral part of one’s culture. There are two diverse cultures, the Tahitian and Middle Easterners, that demonstrate very interesting similarities and differences in their cultural dance worth learning and understanding.

First, in the modern version of both of these dances, the arms, hands, fingers, hips, legs, and the stomach of the dancers are used to attract and entice the onlookers and to demonstrate provocative movements that catch the attention of the audience and to stimulate their imagination. These parts of the body define the dance, and the women dancers use them to attract and allure people into looking at them in admiration or awe.   Like in Tahitian dance where women use their hips to execute rapid hip movements in sequence to Tahitian percussion drums, so too in belly dancing where women dancers use their hips to perform rapid hip movements to similar percussion instruments.

Grass skirt outfit of a Tahitian dancer.

A belly dancer wearing revealing skirt, a decorated arm glove, belt, and bra.

Second, similar to Tahitian dancers who wear very little clothing like a long plant fiber or “grass” skirts around their waist accentuated by tassels to enhance their hip-motion, the belly dancers wear a beaded skirt, belt, and decorated bra. Another costume type is the beledi dress, which is designed with a long, floor-length dress made with natural materials.  In both dances the woman’s belly or stomach, the arms, shoulders and legs are exposed to entice and allure the onlookers. Also, just as Tahitian dancers are barefooted while dancing so too are belly dancers to give them sure footing, balance, and stability while executing their dance.

Last, because of their provocative movements and the skimpy outfits worn by these dancers, the dance was prohibited or forbidden in both cultures.  The missionaries who came to Tahiti in the 1800s to spread Christianity were very appalled by the skimpy outfits worn by the women dancers and the provocative movements in the dance which were against their religion. So they passed a law outlawing the Tahitian dance for over a decade.  Just as Tahitian dance was outlawed by the missionaries for a period of time, so too was belly dancing.  During the 1950s, belly dancing was declared illegal in Egypt due to religious extremism, which began in Cairo.  Perhaps the Arab men were afraid of the tremendous power belly dancing women would have on the men and society.  In time and due to the demand by tourists and foreign visitors for the two dances, both dances have been allowed in their perspective countries as a means to preserve a cultural heritage of the country.  In both culture the dances are now more accepted and has attracted more tourists and foreign visitors to observe these ancient art of dancing.

Children learn Tahitian dance as toddlers.

Despite their similarities, the Tahitian dance and belly dance also show clear differences.  Tahitian dance originated from the island of Tahiti.  It was a dance used in all different aspects of life: to attract a lover, to challenge an enemy, to worship a god, and even for prayer. Tahitian dance was unique, and it was a way of life for Tahitian people.  In time the dance evolved and became a part of ceremonies throughout the French Polynesian islands for thousands of years.  Tahitian dance was so important to the people that children learn it and trained to do the long and arduous movements as toddlers.  So children grew up being proud of the daily routine and it has been a part of the Tahitian people for thousands of years. On the other hand, in ancient times in the Middle East, belly dancing began as a ritual for childbirth preparation.  Its origin was Lebanon and later passed on to Spain then to Egypt and the Middle East before Islam and Christianity began.  At that time belly dancing was a means to prepare women to childbearing.  During that time, many Arabic societies were matriarchal, and belly dancing was performed by women for women in hopes of encouraging women to bely dance to exercise and  strengthen their bodies in preparation for childbirth.  It was never a sexual display performed for men like many people believe. Traditionally, belly dancing was performed during fertility and pre-marriage ceremonies. Women would get together and celebrate each other’s beauty, femininity, and stage in their life, such as entering womanhood.

In belly dancing only one female dancer performs the dance.

In Tahitian dance men can accompany the women in the dance.

A very clear difference between belly dancing and Tahitian dancing is the number of dancers performing.  In belly dancing usually one female dancer performs the dance accompanied by musicians to play the music for the dance.  However, in Tahitian dance a group of dancers perform the dance.  That group could be made of four to ten dancers.  Thus, belly dancing is mainly danced by one female dancer whereas Tahitian dancing is performed in by a group of dancers.  Also, unlike belly dancing where a man or men do not accompany a female dancer , in Tahitian dance women can be accompanied by a group of men in the dance.

Three percussion players of the Tahitian dance. They play the to’ere drums consisting of the pahu and the pahu tupa’i rima.

Another difference is the musical instruments used.  In traditional Tahitian dance, the main instruments are the two stringed instruments, the ukulele and the guitar, and the percussion instruments called the to’ere (drums), one called the pahu with two skins and beaten with a stick and the other called a pahu tupa’i rima, with one skin, that is played with the hands.  In belly dancing the instruments are the kanun which is a 4-string instrument, the harmonium which is a free-standing keyboard, the dumbek which is a goblet-shaped drum, and the ney flute, a wind instrument.

A young toddler learns the Tahitian dance from her parents, grandparents or other members of the family.

Last, for many dancers, belly dancing isn’t just a hobby or form of exercise. It is a spiritual experience and a form of meditation. Belly dancing helps reduce stress and concerns through the music and movements. In Morocco, the Guedra, a type of belly dance, is performed as a blessing ritual. This dance is performed by a dancer who tells a story of the four natural elements—earth, wind, fire, and water. The dancer blesses these elements and sends out good wishes to the audience with her finger motions. In other cultures belly dancing is a form of exercise rather than a ritual. The rapid movements of the hips target the abdominal muscles helping women  to strengthen their muscles in preparation for pregnancy and childbirth.  However, in Tahiti dancing has always been a significant part of the Tahitian people’s history. Originally, it was used in all different aspects of life: to entice a lover, to challenge an enemy, to worship a god, and even for prayer. Each dance was unique.  To the people Tahitian dance will always be part of their way of life. It is very much engrained in the culture as children are taught the dance as toddlers, and they grow up with being part of their daily routine.

Toddlers learn Tahitian dance at an early age

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ns-ZqqkGQk&w=560&h=315]

 

In short, both the Tahitian dance and belly dancing continue to be the main attraction to tourists and foreign visitors all over the world.  They see the dances as something so different, unique and integrated to the culture of the people.  The two dances have been so widely accepted around the world that women want to learn them as an exercise, an expression of their body, and a means to express their femininity and sexuality.  Others see it as a way to relieve their stress and worries and promote a healthy activity for young children.  For belly dancers, women see their activity as a means to connect with other women, build their self-esteem, tone their bodies, and be culturally aware of the origins of the dance. For cabarets, restaurants, hotels and resorts, both dances have generated income and financial gains to their establishments and have promoted and provided experience professional dancers international exposure as well as financial gains.

A.  Learning how to compare

How to make comparisons

To make comparisons you need to use:

1) subordinators like “both, just as… so too, just as, similar to” for comparison, and “although, even though, while, whereas, and unlike” for contrast;

2) coordinators like “but or yet” for contrast; or

3) transition words like “likewise and similarly” for comparisons, and “however, but, and on the other hand” for contrast

Examples using the subordinators “both and similar to” to show similarity.

  1. Both my sister and my older brother love to garden and cook their own food.
  2. Similar to my sister, my older brother loves to garden and cook his own food.

Examples using the subordinators “just as . . . so too and just as or just like” to show similarity.

  1. Just as my sister loves to garden and cook, so too does my older brother.
  2. My sister loves to garden and cook just as (just like) my older brother.

Examples using the subordinators “while and whereas” to show contrast.

  1. While my sister loves to play the piano, my brother plays the guitar.
  2. My sister enjoys cooking for herself whereas my brother likes to cook for his friends or family members.

Examples using the subordinator “unlike” to show contrast.

Unlike my sister, my brother enjoys cooking food for his friends or family members.

Examples using the coordinator “but”, and the subordinator “although” to show contrast:

  1. My sister loves to cook, but she hates to wash the dishes.
  2. Although my sister loves to cook, she hates washing dishes.

Examples using the transition word “likewise and similarly” to show comparisons.

  1. My sister loves to cook her own food. Likewise, my brother enjoys cooking every meal.
  2. My brother enjoys his music by playing his guitar. Similarly, my sister loves to play her music on the piano.

Examples using the transition word “however and but” to show contrast.

  1. My sister likes to cook for herself. However, my brother enjoys cooking for his friends or  family members.
  2. My brother enjoys playing classical music. But, my sister prefers rock and roll and hip hop music.

In order to create comparative sentences to show similarities or contrast, it is important to use coordinators, subordinators and transition words.

Here is a list of comparison conjunctions you can use:

Similarly / Likewise / in the same way / …the same as…/ …also…/ …, too / both / as…as / similar to / neither … nor

Here is a list of some contrast conjunctions you can use:

However / In contrast / By contrast / …,but / …, yet / not the same as / not as …as / different from

Here is a list of subordinating conjunctions you can use:

on the other hand, / even though + sentence / although + sentence / unlike + sentence / while + sentence / nevertheless,

 

More practice 

Download (PDF, 37KB)

 

Belly dancing –

a danced shared around the world

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWLOoCVvN3o&w=560&h=315]

 

Tahitian dance –

a dance engrained in the culture and civilization

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLMf1-gBxKo&w=560&h=315]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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