Kad sam s 18 godina ušla u svijet orijentalnog plesa, nije mi ni na kraj pameti bila ideja o stigmi koju, čini se, taj ples još uvijek ima. Ta, u 21. smo stoljeću, mislila je ‘mlada ja’. I mislila je krivo. Svijet nastupa je svijet u kojem se na trbušne plesačice (čast iznimkama) gleda kao na egzotične striptizete. Ples? To se nikad ne komentira. Kritike ili pohvale od neutralnog gledatelja, a ne od plesačice, dobijem rijetko. Ma što rijetko! Mogu ih nabrojati na prste jedne ruke. Ali zato uvijek padne koja pohvala za kostim. ‘Jao što se lijepo sjaji ta suknja dok treseš!’ I uvijek šaputanja i rasprave o tome koja je plesačica najljepša i ‘ima najbolje sise’.

Da ne duljim, sve to bilo mi je jednom rječju – nepojmljivo. Moja prva učiteljica plesa komentirala je jednom zgodom kako su je upravo zbog orijentalnog plesa prozvali kurvom. Zašto? Ali zar sada? I dalje? Predrasude?

Srećom, orijentalne plesačice u Hrvatskoj oštro su i bez zadrške odlučile stati na kraj toj negativnoj slici trbušnog plesa. Ples po klubovima, na momačkim večerama, u krčmama i na ostalim opskurnim mjestima gdje se na žene gleda kao na fin but u mesnici ne dolazi u obzir. Ples je ondje gdje i treba biti: u kazalištu ili na pozornicama festivala.

Ali i dalje mi nije jasno, odakle te predrasude? Neki će reći – kostimi. Ah, kostimi. Ali kad plesačica latino plesova ima dvije špagice na grudima i pareo koji otkriva guzu, to je sve samo ne vulgarno. To je umjetnost. A orijentalni, kao niža vrsta, bačen na pod. Kao da za izučavanje našeg plesa nije potreban talent, sati, dani, godine uvježbavanje, emocija, mekoća, elegancija… Ne. To se ne vidi. Vidi se zgodna dugonoga plesačica, najčešće okružena muškarcima koji joj fućkaju, u nekom late-night TV terminu. Kad ste vidjeli trbušni ples u Plesu sa zvijezdama? Kad ste vidjeli da se u emisiji prezentira ples Orijenta, a da se ne karikira miješanje guzom i uzvicima ‘Shakira, Shakira’.

No najviše me sablažnjavaju same plesačice. Pogotovo one koje su odustale od plesa jer se srame, a i one koje i dalje plešu al im je neugodno odgovoriti na pitanje ‘a koju vrstu plesa plešeš?’ Zar je onda čudno što nas drugi promatraju kao neke outsidere kad se i same sramimo onog što NAVODNO volimo? Kolike su talentirane plesačice, ekspresivne, energične, karizmatične… naprosto odustale jer su dobile posao. Muža. Obitelj. ‘Sad radim u xy uredu, molim te pobriši sve snimke i fotografije gdje sam ja u kostimima’. Često se čuje i ‘molim te nemoj me slikat na tom nastupu, vidjet će me šef’. A što ako te vidi? Zar se skidamo za novac ili možda plešemo?

Da, trbušni je ženstven. Da, može biti seksi. Ne, on nije prešetavanje u kostimu. Ne, on nije neka nova tvorevina. On ima svoju pozadinu prošlost, kulturu, inovatore, legende plesa, brojne stilove, fuzije… Mogu nabrajati u nedogled. Jedno je jasno:

Predrasuda prema trbušnom plesu, predrasuda je prema umjetnosti.

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When I entered the world of oriental dance at the age of 18, it was not at the end of my mind to think of the stigma that this dance still seems to have. We, in the 21st century, thought ‘young self’. And she thought wrong. The world of performances is a world where belly dancers (honoring exceptions) are seen as exotic strippers. Dance? That is never commented on. I rarely get criticism or praise from a neutral viewer, not a dancer. Rarely! I can count them on the fingers of one hand. But that’s why the praise for the costume always falls. ‘Wow, how beautiful is that skirt while you’re shaking!’ And always the whispers and debate about which dancer is the prettiest and ‘has the best boobs’.

Not to be outdone, all this was once a word to me – incomprehensible. My first dance teacher commented once that she was called a hooker because of her oriental dance. Why? But now? And so on? Prejudices?

Fortunately, oriental dancers in Croatia have sharply and unreservedly decided to put an end to this negative image of belly dancing. Dancing in clubs, at boys’ evenings, in pubs and in other obscure places where women are seen as a fine butcher in the butcher shop is out of the question. Dance is where it should be: in the theater or on the festival stages.

But I’m still not clear, where did this prejudice come from? Some will say – costumes. Ah, the costumes. But when a Latino dancer has two twigs on her chest and steam revealing her ass, it’s all just not vulgar. It’s art. And the Oriental, as a lower species, was thrown to the floor. It is as if learning our dance does not require talent, hours, days, years of exercise, emotion, softness, elegance … No. It’s not visible. You can see a handsome long-legged dancer, usually surrounded by men fucking her, in some late-night TV time. When did you see Belly Dance in Dancing with the Stars? When you saw that the show featured the dance of the Orient without caricaturing the shuffle and shouts of ‘Shakira, Shakira’.

But most of all I am seduced by the dancers themselves. Especially those who have given up dancing because they are ashamed and also those who are still dancing, but they are uncomfortable answering the question ‘what kind of dance are you dancing to?’ Is it weird, then, that others view us as some outsiders when we are ashamed of what we ALREADY love? How talented dancers, expressive, energetic, charismatic … just gave up because they got the job. Muse. Family. ‘Now I work in the xy office, please delete all the footage and photos where I am in costumes.’ It’s often heard and ‘please don’t take a picture of me at that show, the boss will see me’. And what if he sees you? Are we skimping on money or maybe dancing?

Yes, the belly is feminine. Yes, it can be sexy. No, he’s not a costume walker. No, he’s not some new creation. He has his background, past, culture, innovators, dance legends, numerous styles, fusions … I can list forever. One thing is clear:

Belly dance prejudice, art bias.

Ako pod fuzijom smatramo svaki nestandardni spoj, tu onda spadaju spajanja 2 različita plesna stila (tačnije vokabulara pokreta iz 2 različita stila), spajanje plesnog stila uz muziku drugačiju od očekivane ili čak i kostimi/rekviziti jednog stila koji se koriste za neki drugi.

Teško je striktno se oprediliti za gledište za ili protiv fuzija. Pretpostavljam da je većina plesača otvorena i za tu opciju no ne uzima je olako. Na prvi pogled, fuzija daje mogućnost beskrajnih opcija. No, iako neke ideje u plesnoj sali izgledaju zanimljivo, možda pod svetlosti reflektora se pokažu suprotno od očekivanog…

Vaša želja za kreiranjem fuzija će svakako nastati pod uticajem vašeg instruktora. Ako je osoba od koje učite isključiva prema mogućnosti spajanja stilova, biće vam znatno teže da se kao samostalni plesač odlučite na taj korak. Nasuprot tome, ako jeste uživalac kreativnih spojeva koje ste otkrili u vašoj matičnoj plesnoj školi, može se dogoditi da kao samostalni izvođač u usponu usmerite karijeru previše ka eksperimentima pri kombinovanju pokreta umesto ka usavršavanju određenog stila u celini.

Mač sa dve oštrice – najkraća i najjezgrovitija definicija fuzija. Ako ste protiv njih, onda ste staromodni i ne pratite trendove. Ako ih volite, taj iskorak iz ustaljenog vas može koštati ozbiljnih negativnih kritika…što opet ne mora da znači ni da ste vi loš koreograf ili plesač, već možda samo da vaš rad još nije prihvaćen.

Klasični/tradicionalni plesovi u fuzijama*

*Bitno je naglasiti da se definicija i razlika između tradicionalnih, folklornih i društvenih plesova razlikuje ne samo po kontinentima, već od zemlje do zemlje, no poznavaoci će uočiti pralelu koju pokušavam da napravim*

Klasični plesovi su najstarije plesno blago neke zemlje. Imaju jasno ustanovljen set pokreta, izričiti su po pitanju starosti, pola ili izgleda plesača a često nose i religioznu notu. Na primer, u Indiji su se klasični plesovi izvodili prevashodno po hramovima i pričali su priče o bogovima; sličan dodir plesa sa religijom se može naći širom Azije, i to u različitim verama. U suštini, ples je bio način da se prenese tradicija sa generacije na generaciju. Ovo je posebno važno kao upozorenje da u istraživanje ovakvih formi ulazite sa dozom poštovanja nečije kulturne baštine!

No, iako ovo upozorenje sugeriše da je tradiciju najbolje ostaviti u izvornom obliku, istorija nam govori suprotno. Bez klasičnog perioda ne bi bilo neoklasicizma, zar ne? Gledajući smene umetničkih pravaca, čak i kada je igra u pitanju, kada trendovi odlutaju predaleko od klasike, to samo označava da je njen povratak neumitno blizu. Trendovi su uglavnom ciklični a povratak tradiciji često služi kao odlazak na izvor zarad revitalizacije ideja.

Širom Evrope, mnogi plesovi koji nose tradiciju su vremenom iznedrili moderne verzije – uzmimo za primer klasični balet ili tradicionalne plesove Irske. Što ne znači da oni ne mogu da koegzistiraju sa modernim baletom ili popularnim plesnim spektaklima poput „Riverdensa“. To je samo potvrda da je neko, u nekom trenutku, morao prvi da izađe iz standardizovanih okvira i napravi fuziju, gde je uz ustaljeno dodao inovacije…pa kasnije je to učinio još neko…sve dok to nije proglašeno za nezavisni stil. Fuzije jesu popločavanje puta ka rađanju novog plesnog stila!

Pogledajmo ovo na primeru flamenka. Retko ko zna da je ovaj ples potekao od indijskog klasičnog plesa katak (koji je i sam po sebi spoj indijske tradicije i muslimanskog uticaja Sufi reda). Nomadska plemena Indije, današnji Romi, su putujući svetom, preko Balkana pa sve do Španije, prenosila narodima koje su susretala po delić svoje tradicije. Njihovima uticaji na ples Evrope svakako zaslužuju zaseban tekst, jer su oni svaki naučeni ples „puštali“ kroz prizmu sopstvene tradicije, koju su dragoceno čuvali a opet su rado usvajali od drugih naroda i na kraju – svuda neporecivo ostavili svoj pečat. No, od svih naroda koje su na putu susreli, samo su vatreni Španci prepoznali i zavoleli tu već donekle izmenjenu katak formu sa kojom su ih Romi upoznali. Dodajmo u tu jednačinu i jak uticaj arapske kulture na pirinejskom poluostrvu – i rođen je flamenko, kakvog ga danas znamo i smatramo tradicionalnim plesom Španije.

Podvlačim da transfer klasičnih ili tradicionalnih stilova u neke druge forme traje višedecenijski, u najmanju ruku. No neko je morao ceo proces da inicira. Ne kažem da svaka vaša koreografija u kojoj spajate klasiku sa modernim može da bude inicijalna kapisla epohalnih razmera u plesnom svetu, no svakako ćete biti karika u lancu koja dovodi do promena. Što opet sa sobom nosi odgovornost…

Folkorni stilovi u fuzijama

Folklor je ples naroda. On retko nosi u sebi religioznu crtu, ali je neraskidivo povezan sa mnogim segmentima kulture određenog naroda. Daleko od toga da se tradicija nije takođe prenosila i kroz folklorne forme – jeste, ali na drugačiji način. Za razliku od klasičnih plesova, gde su izvođači trenirani za nastup, folklor je daleko spontaniji, manje rigidniji i prihvaćeniji od strane šire populacije samim tim što im je pristupačniji. Folklorni stilovi se izvode na proslavama ili bitnim društvenim momentima a plesači su upravo ljudi iz naroda. I to mu daje život; zbog toga se on menja, oblikuje i traje. Najbolje paralela bi mogla da bude sa igračkama – klasični stil poput porcelanske lutke, prelepe ali previše dragocene da bi se svakodnevno koristila, te on obično biva čuvan u staklenoj vitrini, kako bismo mu se divili vekovima; nasuprot njemu, folklorni stil je ona igračka koja vam je omiljena, koju svuda nosite sa sobom, koja će neumitno da se isprlja, promeni i dobija različite uloge kako se njen vlasnik s godinama menja.

Samim tim što je folklor „živ“, on se pleše i spontano, neprimetno čak, menja – ali, ne menjaju ga profesionalni koreografi, već sam narod. Pravac njegovih promena se ne može lako predvideti, jer na njega mogu uticati geografski položaj, istorijski trenuci, političke ili društvene promene… Mnogi folklorni stilovi će u sebe utkati i ta dešavanja, te će, na primer, uticaj neke druge kulture biti više ili manje vidljiv, ili će uz sve veću nezavisnost žena dotadašnji isključivo muški plesovi „popustiti“ i preoblikovati se kako bi uključili i dame. Ali – to mora da se desi spontano.

Ako želite da plešete autentični folklor, ne smete biti vi ti koji će inicirati novine u plesnom stilu. Obratite pažnju na detalje – od položaj risa ili ruke, do detalja na kostimu. Poznavaocima te kulture ti detalji neće promaći, jer će prvi ukazati na to koliko dobro poznajete sam stil a drugi njihovu tradiciju. Mogu vas „odati“ čak i boja kostima (u Indiji je belo boja žalosti dok zelena asocira na muslimansko stanovništvo) ili raspored šara (svako škotsko pleme je imalo svoj diskintkivni raspored boja na kiltu).

A zašto vas ovde čak više upozoravam nego u delu o klasičnim plesovima? Jednostavno – veći deo stanovništva neke zemlje poznaje folklor nego klasične plesove, koji su možda vremenom postali zaboravljeni. Samim tim, izvodeći folklor nekog naroda, možete dobiti više kritika jer ga pripadnici tog naroda bolje poznaju. Štaviše, možete ih i uvrediti.

Zato budite pažljivi sa fuzijama folkora. Što ne znači da je bolje da odmah odustanete od takvih ideja… Samo se podrobno upoznajte sa trenutnom situacijom. Ilustrovaću – folklorni plesovi nomadskih plemena Radžastana (sever Indije) se smatraju nacionalnim blagom i velika pažnja se pridaje njihovom očuvanju u izvornom obliku, što je postalo još važnije otkako se broj pripadnika tih plemena smanjuje usled modernizacije. Zato cela nacija gleda blagonaklono na izvođače širom sveta koji neguju ove stilove u originalnoj formi. Nasuprot tome, bangra, ples iz susedne regije, je postala globalno poznata i zahvaljujući svojim brzim ritmovima čak je i alternativa zumbi. Taj ples je već doživeo toliko transformacija i fuzija, da je sada već pravi izazov smisliti nešto što još nije urađeno.

Fuzije modernih plesova

Posle svih upozorenja o poštovanju tradicija i kultura, opcija spajanja dva moderna stila možda izgleda najsigurnija. A da li je?

Moderni plesovi prate popularne trendove pod ruku. Mnogi su stilovi nastali veštački, namenski, poručeni „iz laboratorije“ to jest plesne sale nekog profesionalnog koreografa. Jedan muzički spot može da pokrene sasvim novi pravac ili dovede neki plesni stil u prvi plan. Samim tim ne čudi da umetnika potakne da iskoristi trenutak popularnosti nekog stila i posluži mu kao inspiracija.

Na prvi pogled čini se da savremeni ples ni nema pravila i granice. Ali one ipak postoje. Na stranu što stvaranje koreografije i dalje ima svoju bazu zasnovanu na teoriji, zadržimo se samo na ideji i svrsishodnosti.

Svaka koreografija bi trebalo da ima neku ideju vodilju. To može biti priča koju će pokret ispričati, pokret koji će oslikati reči pesme uz koju se pleše, šablon pokreta koji želi da dočara nešto određeno ili upotreba rekvizita kao dodatna vizuelna sredstva… Ako se pokreti iz dva ili više stilova nasumično prepliću, posebno pri improvizaciji, to može više da izgleda kao prezentacija svega što taj izvođač zna. Tada su veće šanse da publika ostane zbunjena a ne impresionirana.

Što nas dovodi do svrsishodnosti. Ako je svrha koreografije ovo prethodno napisano – vratite se na neophodnost ideje te uskladite nastup u skladu sa tim. Pretpostavljam da je mnogima svrha istraživanje sopstvenih mogućnosti ( i kao koreografa i kao plesača) ili pomeranje granica igre. No to ne opravdava nedostatak ideje, jer vi to isto možete raditi i unutar jedne plesne forme. Svrha može biti i izazivanje reakcije publike (posebno u krajnje neočekivanim spojevima), naručena koreografija (za film, spot…ili možda kao susret kultura zemalja za koje se zna da će njihovi pripadnici biti u publici) ili prikaz dva stila kao antipoda pri postavci koreografije.

I krucijalno pitanje – da li znati ili je dovoljno poznavati stil?

Ne postoji trenutak ili vremenski period kada zvanično znate neki stil. Učenje je putovanje a ne destinacija, a bez učenja vi ne ostajete u istom mestu već se vraćate natrag putem kojim ste došli! Zato pod „znati“ smatram ozbiljnu posvećenost, uz stalnu vežbu i napredovanje. Suprotno od toga je „poznavati“ – to je susret iz koga ste izašli bogatiji za ograničeni plesni vokabular ili koji vas je inspirisao.

Svaki izvođač je sam sebi, pa zatim i publici (a svakako i svojim učenicima, ako ih ima), dužan da spisak plesnih stilova podeli na ove dve kolone. I budite iskreni! Ako ih veći broj znate nego poznajete ili niste objektivno ocenili ili ste isključivi prema učenju nečeg novog – a nijedna opcija nije pohvalna.

Zlatna formula fuzije je znati dobro jedan stil a sa drugim(a) se dobro upoznati. To znači da će onaj koji vam je primaran biti baza, dok će ostali poslužiti kao ukrasi. Ti ukrasi (u vidu pokreta, postura, rekvizita, kostima) i dalje zaslužuju da provedete neko vreme istražujući na netu ili u razgovoru sa poznavaocem. No, ako odabrete nekoliko pokreta i izvedete ih tehnički ispravno, vredeće duplo više!

Svaka površnost pri pristupu fuzijama može da rezultira negativnim kritikama i smanjenu ugleda u plesnom svetu, zato posvetite dosta vremena u prikupljanju informacija i nacrtu koncepta pre nego što olako istupite na scenu sa neuvežbanim pokretima i neosmišljenim perfrormansom.

Ali to ne znači da je moj savet da odustanete od cele ideje jer je zahtevna i rizična. Štaviše, samo hrabro napred! I nemojte se obeshrabriti ako vaša fuzija ne bude primljena dobro od strane publike, već analizirajte razloge neuspeha…i onda nastavite da radite na sebi i budite svaki put sve bolji pri narednom izlasku na scenu!

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If a fusion implies any non-standard merge, that includes combining 2 different dance styles (more precisely, moves vocabulary from 2 different styles), combining a certain dance style with music different than expected or even costumes/props from one style used for another.

It is difficult to decide which stand to take – pro or against fusions. I am guessing that most of the dancers are open for that option, although they do not take it lightly. At first glance, a fusion provides infinite options. But even though some ideas might look interesting during the rehearsal, they can prove themselves quite opposite under the spotlight. 

Your wish to create fusions is certainly going to be influenced by your dance teacher. If the person teaching you is reluctant towards style merging, it will be reasonably harder for you, as an independent artist, to take that path. On the contrary, if you have been given a chance to enjoy those blends in your dance school, it might result in experimenting too much in your solo career instead of perfecting a certain style. 

One might think of it as a two-edged sword – which is probably the shortest and the most accurate definition of fusions. If you are against them, you are not being mainstream and “in”. If you do love them, that stepping out from the box might cost you serious negative reviews…which does not necessarily mean that you are a bad choreographer or dancer, but your work just has not been accepted yet.   

Classical/ traditional dances in fusions*

* it is important to underline that definition and difference between traditional folklore and social dances varies not only between continents, but also from one country to another. Nevertheless, those who have been researching on the subject of dance will notice the parallel I am aiming at. 

Classical dances are the oldest dance wealth of a country. With a distinctive movement set, they are usually specific when it comes to the question of age, gender and the appearance of a dancer, while often portray religious topics. For example, Indian classical dances were performed mostly inside temples, depicting stories about gods; similar correlation of dance and religion can be found across Asia, within various belief systems. Essentially, dance was used to carry on the tradition from one generation to the next. This is especially important as a warning to enter a research of those dances with a dose of respect towards someone’s cultural heritage! 

But even though this warning might suggest that is better to leave the tradition be, history disputes it. Without classical era there would not be a neoclassical one, would it? Observing the shift of artistic movements, even when it comes to dance, it is consistent rule than whenever trends drift too far away from the classical, its return is certain. 

Across Europe, many tradition-bearing dances have delivered modern versions – let us take classical ballet or Irish traditional dances. It does not mean that those cannot coexist with contemporary ballet or popular dance show such as “Riverdance”. It only confirms that at some point, someone left the standardized mold, making a fusion, adding innovations to the established rules… Then, later on, someone else did it… until it was proclaimed an independent style. Fusions are paving the road towards new dance style’s creation! 

Let us observe this by using Flamenco as an example. It is rarely known that this dance originates from Indian classical dance called Kathak (which itself is a merge of Indian tradition and Muslim Sufi influence). While travelling across Balkans and ultimately to Spain, nomadic Indian tribes, today known as Gypsies, delivered the pieces of their tradition to the people they met along the way. Their influence on European dances certainly deserves a separate text, because they sifted each dance they adopted throughout their own tradition, which they cultivated lovingly but gladly adding elements from other cultures at the same time – which led them to leave their mark wherever they went. But, from all the people they met, only fiery Spaniards recognized and fell in love with that already alternated Kathak form that Gypsies had introduced them to. Adding strong influence of the Arabic culture over the Iberian Peninsula into that equation – thus Flamenco, as we know it today, was born. And we regard it as a Spanish traditional dance.     

I strongly underline that to transfer classical or traditional forms into some other styles might take decades, at least. But somebody had to initiate the whole process. Not to say that every choreography you make by blending classical with contemporary might be the initial spark of gigantic proportions in the dance world, but it would definitely be a link in chain, leading to changes. Which alone carries responsibility… 

Folklore styles in fusions

Folklore is a common people’s type of dance. Rarely with religious connotation, it is tightly bonded with various aspects of a certain culture. And mind you, not only did the classical dances convey the culture, it was also done through folklore, though in a different manner. Despite classical counterparts, where dancers are trained for performance, folklore is more spontaneous, less rigid and more accepted by a wider population on account of being more available. Folklore is danced at celebrations and important social events, and dancers are usually common folk. And that gives it life; that changes it, reshapes it and makes it long-lasting. The best comparison would be with toys – classical being a porcelain doll, beautiful but highly precious to be used daily, so it is better kept in a glass menagerie, so we could admire it for centuries; on the other hand, folklore is your favorite toy, which you carry with you everywhere you go, and which will undoubtedly get dirty, battered and receive various roles as its owner grows over years.   

Since folklore is fluid, it is being reshaped spontaneously – although not by professional choreographers, but the common folk. Direction of its change is not easy to predict, because it can be influenced by geography, historical events, political and social turmoil… Many folklore styles will incorporate significant occurrences. For example, it might increase or decrease the influence of another culture or decide on a level of gender equality, in a way that some styles reshape themselves from being exclusively masculine to those who involve women. But it has to happen spontaneously.   

If you wish to perform authentic folklore, you should not be the one who initiate the changes in the style. Mind the details, from the placement of arms or feet, to costume characteristics. Those who are familiar with that culture will not miss those details, since they reveal how well you know the dance or even the tradition. A telltale sign could even be a costume color (in India white is a color that represents grieving, while green is widely associated with Muslim population) or a pattern (each Scottish tribe had its own distinctive kilt tartan). 

So why am I giving even more warnings here than in the part about classical dances? Simply – more members of population are familiar with folklore than classical dances, since the latter might have been forgotten over time. Therefore, when performing folklore, you might receive more comments from natives. Moreover, you might offend them. 

This is the reason to be careful. Which does not mean to immediately give up on any ideas of that sort… Just familiarize yourself thoroughly with the current situation. Let me illustrate – folklore dances of Rajasthani nomadic tribes, Northern India, are considered national treasure and great attention is devoted to their preservation in the original form, even more since the number of tribesmen is lessening as modern times step in. This is why the whole nation looks kindly upon those who cherish that dance in its original form. As oppose to that, Bhangra, a dance from a neighboring region, has become globally famous, and because of its catchy tunes and fast rhythm, it has almost reached a status of alternative to Zumba. The dance itself has survived so many transformations and fusions, that now it presents a real challenge to come up with something completely new.  

Contemporary fusions

After all those warnings about respecting tradition and culture, option of merging two contemporary styles must look as the safest. Is it, though?

Contemporary goes hand by hand with modern trends. Many of them are made artificially, intentionally, or “pre-ordered” from a famous professional choreographer. A music video can start a whole new style or make some other widely popular. It is not surprising then that an artist could use the momentum as an inspiration.

At short glance, seem that contemporary works without any rules or boundaries. But they are there, nevertheless. Beside theory, which is the root of all choreography creation, the focus should be on idea and utility.

Each choreography should have a guiding idea. It could be a story told through movements, movements depicting the lyrics, a specific movement pattern or a prop, to enhance the visual level. If one intertwines movements from two or more styles randomly, especially while improvising, it might be perceived only as a display of a dancer’s knowledge. And increases the chances of getting audience confused rather than impressed.   

Which leads us to utility. If the utility of a choreography is everything that is written above – revise the idea’s utility and adjust your performance accordingly. Perhaps many find the utility in exploration of their own abilities (as a dancer as well as a choreographer) or pushing the boundaries of dance itself. But that does not justify the lack of the basic idea, because you can achieve all that while keeping inside a certain style vocabulary. Utility can also be provoking the audience to react (especially with unexpected fusions), creating a choreography upon request (for a movie, music video… or as a cultural merge, acknowledging the natives in the audience) or presenting two styles as antipodes in the choreography setting. 

And the crucial question – knowing a style or just being familiar with it?

There is no exact moment or a time period when you officially know a certain style. Learning is a journey, not a destination, and without it you are not only staying put but rather going backwards! This is why I consider “knowing a style” a serious commitment, with a constant practice and growth. Opposite to it is “being familiar with” – that is an encounter that has enriched your dance vocabulary or has inspired you.     

Each performer has a responsibility towards themselves and then the audience (and, of course, students, if any) to divide a list of dance styles into these two columns. And be honest! If you know a larger number of styles than those you are familiar with, then it is either the case that you weren’t quite objective or you are reluctant towards learning something new – and none is very commendable.   

The golden rule of fusion is knowing one style and being familiar with other(s). That will make the former your base, while others will be used as decorations. Those decorations (such as: movement, body posture, prop, costume…) still require spending some time doing an online research or talking to an expert. Sometimes, if you select only a couple of moves and perform them correctly, they will double their worth!

Approaching fusions superficially might result in negative reviews and diminishing your dance reputation; therefore, invest a lot of time gathering the information and creating a concept before you carelessly step on the stage with untrained moves and ill-conceived performance. 

But that does not mean that I advise you to give up on the whole idea because it is demanding and risky. All the more, just boldly go ahead! And do not get discouraged if your fusion is not received well with the audience, but analyze the reasons behind the failure…and then continue working on yourself, getting better and better each time you step on that stage!  

Mnogi misle da su fuzije u orijentalnom nešto što je nastalo pre par godina. Istina je zapravo malo drugačija. Fuzije kao i sam orijentalni ples kakvim ga znamo danas je uvela Badia Masabni. Ona se ceo život bavila plesom. Pobegla je od kuće nakon traume koju je doživela kada su je članovi porodice silovali. Putovala je po svetu i učila razne stilove: can-can, kabare, latino plesove i kada je došla u Egipat spojila sve to sa tradicionalnim plesom Berbera, Awalim plesačica i Ghawazee plesačica. Nakon toga upoznala je  Isidoru Dankan (najpoznatiju balerinu) i sa njom je u ovaj ples uvela elemente baleta kao i rekvizit-veo. Zanimljiva činjenica je da je upravo veo-šal udavio Isidoru Dankan i tako je umrla. Kasnije su se razvili  američki tribal stil ( ATS) kao i razno-razne tribal fuzije. ATS i tribal nisu nešto o čemu sam puno izučavala jer sam tradicionalista i više sam privržena folkloru arapskih i blisko-istočnih zemalja. Ono što mi je bilo zanimljivo je da su mnogi folklorni stilovi koje sam izučavala beskrajno slični. Ili su stopala u istoj pozi, ili je osnovni korak isti (npr. za avganistanski i folklor Emirata je skoro isti osnovni korak). Ogromnu sličnost sam pronašla u andaluzijskom (poznatiji kao muwashahat-poezija) i klasičnom persijskom plesu (koji je nastao još na dvorovima Persije). Takođe avganistanski logari je vrlo sličan plesu roma iz Indije-kalbeliya , a nošnja je slična veoma sa nošnjom khataka-Indija.

Međutim, postalo je moderno da se danas meša svašta i da se neznanje pokriva raznim fuzijama i eksperimentima. Ja nisam neki ljubitelj eksperimentisanja, volim da izučim i jedan i drugi stil pa tek onda da vidim šta mogu da kombinujem pa kad iznesem da to liči na nešto i bude prijatno oku, ali da ne uvredim nečiju istoriju i kulturu. Možete da mešate moderne stilove, možete da mešate klasičan orijentalni-komercijalni, kako ja volim da ga zovem, sa mnogim stilovima, međutim, često vidim da žele da uvedu inovativnost u folklor. Smatram to notornom glupošću. Videla sam snimke gde su dabke (folklor Sirije, Palestine i Libana jako podseća na kolo) umiksovali sa twerkingom i određenim pokretima iz komercijalnog orijentalnog.. videla sam gde su mešali više folklora-kao i mix nošnji koji su pravili sa muzikom iz sasvim pete države (najčešće mešaju folklor Emirata khaliji- sa hecha- iračkim. Generalno se meša, ali ne na taj način na koji ga sad prikazuju sa preagresivnim stavom, energijom i kostimom koji nije ni thoba za khaliji, niti galabeeya za hecha-u, a plešu na muziku za bandari-stil iz Irana i koriste njihove pokrete rukama). Kao što sam rekla, nisam ljubitelj eksperimentisanja kojim se prikriva neznanje, ali volim kvalitetnu fuziju kada plesačica pokaže da je učila i jedno i drugo i napravila nešto smisleno. Npr. idealna fuzija je orijentalni-samba, totalni promašaj je da uzmete srpsko kolo i da odigrate u narodnoj nošnji sa nekim modernim rekvizitom. Super fuzija je kad spojite burlesku ili polinezijski, ili jazz balet ili balet ili latino plesove ili hip hop ili moderni ili tektonik  sa orijentalnim što može da izgleda vrhunski, a loše je kad uzmete folklor bilo koje zemlje i izmešate ga sa nekim stilom koji nema veze s vezom, bez smisla, bez početka i kraja.

Fuzije nisu ništa novo, postoje odvajkada i postojaće uvek, međutim, po mom mišljenju, treba ih raditi sa poštovanjem i stilom, da bi imali kvalitet. Kada spajate dva stila, jedan mora biti osnova ( u mom slučaju je osnova orijentalni) , kada ga mešate sa tangom ili sambom ili burleskom i td, zadržavate osnovu orijentalnog, dodajete osnovne-prepoznatljive pokrete stila koji dodajete, dodajete energiju tog stila, dodajete taj stav. U stavu je problem sa eksperimentisanjem. Badia Masabni kada je mixovala stilove, mixovala je stilove koji su slični po stavu, po energiji, i dobila je savršen spoj. Mahmoud Reda-koji je otac egipatskog folklora, takođe je pravio svojevrsne fuzije i opet je napravio nešto što je svetski prihvaćeno, nešto što su Egipćani prihvatili za svoj folklor, stvorio je nešto kvalitetno samo zato što se posvetio da izuči korene svega što je sklapao i zato što je provodio vreme u provincijama i selima te posmatrao ljude kako se ponašaju u svakodnevnom životu pa spajao te energije. Sve je do energije i do tog stava, jer ako se ne poklope energije-dobićete splačinu. Nisam isključiva, eksperimentišite, ali kvalitetno jer je granica između nečeg vrhunskog i nečeg užasnog, u eksperimentisanju i fuzijama jako tanka.

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Many think that fusions in the Oriental are something that came about a couple of years ago. The truth is actually a little different. Fusion like the Oriental dance as we know it was introduced today by Badia Masabni. She has been dancing all her life. She fled the home after the trauma she experienced when family members raped her. She traveled the world and learned various styles: can-can, cabaret, Latin dances and when she came to Egypt, she combined oriental dance we know today, with traditional Berber dance, Awalim dance and Ghawazee dance. Afterwards, she met Isidora Duncan (the most famous ballerina) and introduced elements of ballet and props to this dance. An interesting fact is that the veilscarf choked Isidora Duncan and she died. Later, American tribal style (ATS) developed as well as various tribal fusion. ATS and tribal are not something I have learned much about because I am a traditionalist and more attached to the folklore of the Arab and Middle Eastern countries. What I found interesting was that many of the folklore styles I studied were infinitely similar. Either the feet are in the same pose, or the basic step is the same (e.g. for the Afghan and Emirati folklore foot pattern has almost the same basic step). I found a great similarity in Andalusian Muwashahahat (better known as muwashahat poetry) and classical Persian dance (which originated in the courts of Persia). Also the Afghan logari is very similar to the Roma dance from India-kalbeliya, and the costume is very similar to the khatak – Indian classical dance costume.

However, it has become fashionable to mix things up today and to cover ignorance with various fusions and experiments. I am not a fan of experimentation, I like to learn both styles and only then to see what I can combine so when I come out that it looks like something and is pleasing to the eye, but not to offend someone’s history and culture. You can mix modern styles, you can mix classic oriental-commercial, as I like to call it, with many styles, however, I often see them wanting to bring innovation to folklore. I find that notorious nonsense. I saw videos of dabka (the folklore of Syria, Palestine and Lebanon are very reminiscent of the circuit) mixed with twerking and certain movements from the commercial oriental .. I saw where they mixed more folklore – as well as mix costumes that they made with music from a completely different countries (most often mix Emirati khaliji folklore with hecha-iraq. It is generally mixed, but not in the way they present it with a pre-aggressive attitude, energy, and costume that is neither thoba for khaliji nor galabeeya for hecha, and they dance to bandari-style music from Iran and using their hand movements). Like I said, I’m not a fan of experimentation that disguises ignorance, but I like quality fusion when a dancer shows that she has learned both and made something meaningful. E.g. the ideal fusion is oriental-samba, the total failure is to take a Serbian Kolo and play in folk costume with some modern props. Super fusion is when you mix burlesque or Polynesian, or jazz ballet or ballet or Latin dance or hip hop or modern or tectonic with oriental that can look top notch, and it’s bad when you take the folklore of any country and mix it with some style that doesn’t matter with connection, without meaning, without beginning and end.

Fusions are nothing new, they exist from ages and will continue in existance, however, in my opinion, they should be done with respect and style in order to have quality. When you combine two styles, one has to be the base (in my case, the base is oriental), when you mix it with tango or samba or burlesque, etc., you keep the base oriental, you add basic-recognizable movements of the style you add, you add energy to that style, you add that paragraph. Style it self is a problem with experimentation. Badia Masabni when she mixed styles, she mixed styles that are similar in patterns, in energy, and she got the perfect blend. Mahmoud Reda, who is the father of Egyptian folklore, also made a kind of fusion and again made something that was accepted worldwide, something accepted by the Egyptians for his folklore, he created something of high quality only because he dedicated himself to learn the roots of everything he put together and because he spent time in the provinces and villages and watched people behave in their daily lives, he was able to merge those energies. It’s all about the energy and that attitude, because if you don’t match the energy, you’ll get a mud of a dance. I’m not exclusive, experiment can be good, but good when you set the boundary, because boundaries between something supreme and something terrible, in experimentation and fusion, is very thin

Piše: Irena Sertić

Mogli bismo ovako početi:

“Moderna vremena donijela su promjene u svim plesnim stilovima, pa tako i u svijetu orijentalnih plesova. Kako je i sam orijentalni ples tijekom vremena razvio puno svojih stilova, u kontaktu s drugim plesovima došlo je do spajanja dvaju ili više vrsta plesova u tzv. fuzije. Poneke fuzije imaju još uvijek dosta orijentalnog štiha, dok su se neke poprilično odmakle od izvornosti orijentalnog plesa.
Kako je fuzija spoj dvije različitosti nastaje plesni stil koji nudi bezgranično mogućnosti za kreativnost kao i korištenje svih glazbenih podloga. Osnova i dalje ostaje orijentalna, a sve ostalo je nadogradnja koracima drugih plesova.
Neke od orijentalnih fuzija: latino orijental, afro orijental, flamenco orijental, bellynesian ( orijentalni/ polinezijski), suvremeni orijental i mnoge druge.”

Ali nećemo tako početi jer:

Mogla bih unedogled tako..o pravilima, rupama u tim istim pravilima, o vrstama, o podvrstama, o nevrstama, o zabludama da su to uopće vrste…ali za to postoje neke druge stranice i neki drugi ljudi pisci i neki snimci koji to zornije prikazuju. Ja bih se ipak osvrnula na druge stvari koje su pratile prvi festival orijentalnih fuzija i zaslužile biti spomenute. Sve. Kako one poticajne tako i one koje su nas htjele zaobići i neprimjetiti, ne iz neke velike želje već iz straha od novoga. Vjekovna problematika.

Krenuli smo stidljivo, puni pitanja i bojazni “možemo li mi to i jesmo li spremni za taj zalogaj”…hoće li se itko prijaviti, hoće li nas itko podržati, hoćemo li skupiti dovoljno novca da se isplatimo, hoće li u konačnici dvorana biti puna, hoće li nas UOPĆE ITKO  i primjetiti da uopće postojimo? 

I tako se pila produžena kava u velikoj šalici do vrha puna i stotine upitnika stajalo iznad glave. I rekoh si “ženo, ako padneš, padni sa stilom, odustati nije glagol kojeg ti koristiš”.

I tada kreće čudo zvano fuzije. 

Prijave, interesi, savjeti, pomoć, novi ljudi, nova iskustva, greške i pogotci…ludilo koje nas je nosilo do tog tjedna našeg velikog ispita. I mnoštvo produženih kava do vrha punih i u velikoj šalici.

Kada su me pitali jesam li zadovoljna kako je festival prošao…kako ne bih bila kada ono što vidim je ono što smo željeli postići i dokazati da se može i da nas još ima da to iznesemo: zajedništvo, suradnja i borba da se održi ljubav prema plesu onakvim kakav treba biti, bez kalkulacija i s puno ljubavi i želje za učenjem kako biti bolji i veći čovjek i plesač.

Poruku koju je je plesna scena, ne samo orijenatalna već i mnogo šira već neko vrijeme počela puštati iz ruku i zaboravljati na zajedništvo koje nas je nekada vezalo i podršku koja izostaje već dugo u onom obliku u kojem bi trebala biti dana.. 

Rekli su mi da je utopija to što radim. Da je nemoguće spojiti nespojivo.

U pravu su. Doista jesu. Najozbiljnije. Utopija je to što radim.

Ali je moja utopija. I opstaće dok bude volje da plešemo i kreiramo te prekrasne orijentalne fuzije.

Priča o dobrim fuzijama i lošim fuzijama pratila je dane iza festivala, odjednom izbivši na površinu i otvorivši se kao Pandorina kutija. Da, one postoje. Slažem se. Ali isto tako, dobro i loše postoji i u svim ostalim plesnim pravcima. Ipak, lakše je pogled svrnuti u susjedno dvorište, naći mu tisuću mana i tako ne primijetiti svoje.

Jedino što sam tada rekla bilo je: da ne vrijedimo, da nismo nešto postigli, da nas publika ne voli i ne želi na sceni, bili bismo zaboravljeni na margini gdje smo postojali. I ne bi se prašina digla. I ne bi rušili predrasude o nama. Znali smo to. Osjećali da se ustvari suprotstavljamo strahovima kako nema mjesta za sve. Ima. Mjesta ima tko ga zna i želi naći.

Ne bojmo se predrasuda jer one su tu da budu srušene.

No ostavimo tu priču za neki drugi put.

Dozvolite mi da završim ponosna na sve fuziste koji su bili dio prvog festivala, one koji će ponovno biti i koji će to tek postati.

A ti, Pandorina kutijo, ostani otvorena da iziđe ona zadnja stvar iz tebe: NADA.

Dotada, vraćam se produženoj kavi u velikoj šalici i do vrha punoj. Baš kako volim.

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We could start like this:

“Modern times have brought about changes in all dance styles, including in the world of oriental dances. As the Oriental dance itself developed many of its styles over time, in contact with other dances there were merging of two or more types of dances in so-called fusion. Some of the fusions still have a lot of oriental flair, while some have moved quite a bit from the originality of oriental dance.
As a fusion of two differences, a dance style is created that offers endless possibilities for creativity as well as the use of all musical backgrounds. The base still remains oriental, and everything else is an upgrade from the steps of other dances.
Some of the oriental fusions: Latin Oriental, Afro Oriental, Flamenco Oriental, Bellynesian (Oriental / Polynesian), Contemporary Oriental and many more. ”

But we won’t start that way because:

I could end up like that .. about the rules, the holes in those same rules, about the species, about the subspecies, about the infirm, about the misconceptions that they are at all types … but for that, there are some other sites and some other people writers and some recordings that they show it more vividly. I would still look back on other things that followed the first Oriental Fusion Festival and deserve to be mentioned. Everything. Both the stimulating ones and the ones who wanted to bypass and not notice us, not out of some great desire but out of fear of the new. An age-old problem.

We started off shy, full of questions and worried “can we and are we ready for that morsel” … will anyone sign up, will anyone support us, will we raise enough money to pay off, will the hall ultimately be full, will anyone EVER notice us even existing?

And so extended coffee was brewed in a large mug to the top full and hundreds of questionnaires stood overhead. And I said “woman, if you fall, fall with style, give up is not the verb you use.”

And that’s when a miracle called fusion begins.

Applications, interests, tips, help, new people, new experiences, mistakes and hits … the madness that has carried us to that week of our big exam. And plenty of extended coffees to the top full and in a large cup.

When I was asked if I was satisfied with how the festival went … so that I would not be when what I see is what we wanted to achieve and prove that it can and still has to be brought forward: togetherness, cooperation and the struggle to keep it going love for the dance as it should be, without calculations and with a lot of love and desire to learn how to be a better and bigger man and dancer.

The message that the dance scene, not only oriental but much wider, has for some time started to let go of and forget about the togetherness that once bound us and the support that has been around for a long time in the form it should be given.

I was told that utopia is what I do. That it is impossible to combine the incompatible and the opposing.

They’re right. Indeed they are. Most serious. Utopia is what I do.

But it’s my utopia. And it will survive as long as we are willing to dance and create these beautiful oriental fusions.

The story of good and bad fusions followed the days behind the festival, suddenly bursting to the surface and opening up like a Pandora’s box. Yes, they do exist. I agree. But they also good and bad exist in all other dance directions. Still, it is easier to look down on neighbours  yard or find a thousand flaws and not notice our own.

The only thing I said then was: if we were not worth it, not achieved something,  if people did not love us and wanedt us on stage, we would have been forgotten on the margin where we existed. And no dust would rise. And they wouldn’t ruin our prejudices. We knew that. We felt that we were actually countering fears that there was no place for everyone. There is. There is a place who knows and wants to find it.

We are not afraid of prejudice because they are there to be overthrown.

But I’ll leave that story for another time.

Let me end up being proud of all the fusionists who were part of the first festival, those who will come again and those who are about to become new ones.

And you, Pandora’s box, stay open to get that last thing out of you: HOPE.

Until then, I go back to extended coffee in a large cup and to the top full. Just how I love it.