Articles about Wedding Dances:

http://www.shira.net/whole-family.htm

http://www.spiritdancer.co.uk/

http://www.arab-esque.org/shama'adan/Lucy.html

Where do I find Zeffa Music for a traditional Wedding Procession?

The rhythm - dum tek a tek tek, dum dum tek

"Dokku al Mazaher" on Jalilah's Raks Sharqi 4

Belly Dance Sensation has three Zeffa's on it - they are one right after the other, so they can be used as one unbroken (very long!) piece or you can use just 1 or 2 of them.

Nahara: Jalilah's Raks Sharki 3 "Journey of a Gipsy Dancer" Track 10 has a great version of the traditional zaffa "Dokku el Mazaher". It has the vocals sung by a woman and is a good length to enter to (3.28 mins) or if you have computer music editing software you can string it together several times for the length you need as it is a repetitive song. I have used this several times and it has gotten approval from Egyptians as a good recording of the song.

What is a Man's Wedding Costume?

Here's a website that has men's shalwar kameez suits that look very nice. http://www.negia.net/~suraiya/mens.html They also have a nice women's bridal section.

What's a Zeffa?

Miramar: In Egypt, you have the custom of the dancer wearing a beledi dress and performing Raks al Shamadan (with a candelabra). Originally, dancers and musicians led the bride from her home to the groom's home with lighted candles. A very clever dancer approximately 100 years ago came up with the idea for the candelabra.

Javarah: A procession with dancers & the band leading the way for the bride & groom & bridal party after the ceremony to the reception [sort of like musical 'flower girls'].

What's a Shamedan?

Aziza Sa'id: A Shamedan is a candelabra with a dozen or so lit candles that the dancer wears like a crown during the Zeffa wedding procession.

What are the traditional wedding dances?

Miramar: In Iran beautiful engagement dances were performed. The bride to be and her girl friends formed a circle and danced with gliding movements adding claps from time to time. The groom's mother comes forward to the circle and takes the arm of the girl her son has chosen to marry. She then ties a ring on her veil. All the other girls would stand still and witness this event. If the young girl wants to marry the boy, she would remain silent. If she protested and rejected the ring, the dance would begin again and be repeated until a bride was chosen.

I have a picture of a beautiful Tunisian bride. She wears a very tall turban decorated with many coins. From both sides of the turban hang very long delicate lacy looking ornaments. The groom is by her side holding a single white jasmine flower. The 'hannana' blesses the bride who slowly turns in a circle while touching her breasts - a Sfaxian wedding ritual.

In Greece, there is a dance called the Kalymniko that is traditionally the first dance after dinner and is led bu the bride. All the wedding guests join in and hold hands in a crisscross fashion dancing in a large circle.

In National Geographic, FEB. 1998, there are some gorgeous pictures of a Tuareg wedding. Here are a few choice quotes from the article: "the bride sits silent as female relatives and artisans attend her, making sure every hair is in place for the first day of her wedding celebration. A class of blacksmiths believed to possess mystic powers, the artisans smooth an aromatic pomade containing a fine black sand through 15 year old Assalama's intricately braided hair...ululating and rum-beating artisans announce the marriage to arriving guests" "draped in incense-infused robes, female guests add last minute touches of beauty -- a red powder called edkawel" "for a week they and some 500 of their wedding guests cheer their champions in camel races, laugh at the antics of singing artisans, and feast on rice, dates and roasted meat in an oasis of tents under Sahara stars...calm hands help Mohamed wrap his tagelmust, the ceremonial turban veil worn by Tuareg men.... covering the nose and mouth, they believe, keeps out jinn or evil spirits. "Symbol of purity and fertility as well as a jinn repellent, henna is applied to Mohamed's feet and hands, a ritual reserved for a man's first marriage." The articles goes on to describe how the village women build a nuptial tent for the bridge and groom. They dismantle and reassemble the tent every day of the wedding celebration to make it larger. This is supposed to symbolize the stages of the festivities and of the marriage itself. There are some wonderful pics of the tent in this article.

Are there male wedding dancers?

Tarik Malik: Prior to the 20th century professional male dancers were quite common not only in Egypt, but throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa. The best documentation of them comes from Turkey, where they seemed to have been most numerous. They were also very popular in the teahouses of Central Asian, (the Turks were originally from Central Asia), where they were the only entertainment.

At that time, it was common practice to hire them for weddings, circumcisions. They were also hired by government officials to entertain the population at public festivals. Many families preferred them to the Ghawazee because they thought it was improper to hire women who showed themselves in public.

Today male baladi performers can only be found in remote rural areas, far from the tourist industry and clubs. They are part of and perform strictly for the communities in which they live. As Jallilah mentioned in her post, in the rural areas of Egypt, such as the Sa'id it was possible to find young men who also performed for hire. Whether they still do at this time is uncertain. These are young men and boys who perform dressed as men and boys, NOT in drag, although drag performers can also be found.

On Aisha Ali's video, shot in the 70's, there is a young boy named Abdul Karim, from the Luxor area whose mother was a Ghazeeyah. He made his living by dancing and singing at weddings. Aisha Ali also wrote about another young man in the Luxor area who also made a living as a dancer at weddings.

Also in Turkey, again, in the rural areas, the tradition of the Kochecks, male dancers, still survives, although this tradition died out in the urban areas, such as Istanbul, for a long time, they are now making a small comeback. In their villages they are still hired primarily for weddings.

During the Ottoman period and before, they were very popular and very numerous, (I have a few pictures of them in my personal collection from the 19th century, some in drag, some not).

Every caravan stop and coffee house in Turkey had a troup of Kochecks. This popularity and tradition of the Kochecks, as well as the Chengis, (female dancers who performed indoors, exclusively for women's parties), died out, (as did many social and dance traditions), around the turn of the century as Turkey sought to become a modern European nation.

Concerning the Khawals. The name literally means to be effeminate. Today it is a slang term used for feminine homosexuals. Prior to the 20th century there were many of them. I even have a picture of one from the late 19th century. Yes they did exist, they always had, but their numbers increased after the banishment from Cairo in 1834. They filled the vacuum that was left by the Ghawaazee. Khawals can still be found in Egypt from time to time as Jallilah also mentioned. When Nadia Hamdi was here last she told me that the husband of a well-known costumer in the dance field, had been a Khawal on Mohammed Ali Street. He was hired to dance at weddings. This though was among the beladi class, not the middle or upper middle class. *As was happening in Turkey at the same time though*, the turn of the century saw the demise not only of Khawals and other male dancers, but the Ghawaazee who had previously dominated the dance scene. They were all replaced by the dancers of the music halls, (new comers to the trade),which began to spring up in the Ezbekeeya area of Cairo. These were the forerunners of today's nightclubs.

Where male dancers still survive it seems to be in remote areas, not the urban upper classes. So in the Night club circuit and at five star hotels, no such thing as professional male dancers exists. For the most part, this is a tradition from the past that has almost all but died out, due to the combined forces of modernization and westernization, as I have pointed out over, and over again.

So to answer the question, why don't most Egyptians hire males to dance at their weddings? Because there aren't any in the big urban areas and the few who *do* still exist in Luxor or the very "balady" environs thereof, would be considered by the Cairo upper class as too "low class"/ "balady" to be a part of their wedding. Another poster has already posted what Mo Gedawwi said about the name Raks Sharqi being invented because the upper class Egyptians didn't want to be associated with anything, "beladi".

These people saw themselves as modern, sophisticated and educated. They viewed and still do for that fact, the local culture as being beneath them. They wouldn't want to be tainted by associating with what they consider ignorant, uneducated people and their barbaric, backward customs. That is just the way they describe it. So even if they knew such things existed in the villages, they would run like hell from it, in fear of being dragged down to "those people's" level.

I think having to write this post was really unnecessary as I have been quite specific about this several times before. Asking questions that have been answered time and again does not contribute to constructive discussion. I think in the past few days many interesting related topics have been brought out by our fellow listers. Lets explore those issues and stop running in circles.

What if the wedding party is for a "western" group?

Meissoun: I have danced at many weddings. These were mostly of Western people.. so you will have to fit in more with their tradition than with the Oriental way. Which means that in 90 % of all cases my performance will take place between the main course and dessert :-) But as it is your own brother's wedding you might want to dance earlier because you can't eat much before you dance!

What I always do is to get the bride and groom up to dance with me. It's a great opportunity for everyone to take pictures - and it's just fun.

Tedi: Things I did to make my performance special for my two dear friends:

1) I was able to color coordinate my costume to that of the rest of the wedding party.

2) The piece of music I chose for the performance was done keeping my two friends in mind as I listened to the various pieces I thought might be appropriate. I found that as I listened to one particular song, I could actually see *both* of my friends in my mind's eye as they felt towards each other. Bingo! *That* was the piece!

3) As I danced the piece for my friends (and the rest of the wedding guests), I kept a running thought pattern/almost a dialogue going in my head about what they meant to each other, the wonders that they would experience in their new life together, how they each in turn would be the rock from which the other would anchor in the difficult times they would face, and that through it all, their love for each other would be the strength of their relationship. You know, things along those lines. It must have worked well. The groom just beamed, the bride had tears of joy, and the wedding guests were very moved by the experience (even the most conservative of them).

Chris: The first wedding our troupe performed at was for a Halloween wedding some time back where everyone was dressed up. The wedding was during the day with a three-hour break before the reception. There had to be like 200 costumed people at the reception! A friend of ours led the procession into the hall with a lit candelabra on her head, followed by the bride and groom with our troupe dancing behind them. We didn't tell the bride or groom what we were going to do (but the bride was one of our troupe members so we knew we could do whatever we wanted) but told them it was gonna be goooood. The couple was not interested in having children so we did an anti-fertility dance. We started the dance by walking slowly through the tables wearing our veils wrapped around us and only our eyes showing and rose petal filled baskets on our heads. We filled the dance with fertility movements that the bride would recognize until we came into a line in front of them. We started with some real "hardcore" fertility movement like the ol' using your hands to signify your womb while rotating your hips around. Her eyes started to get real big! But we interrupted the dance by looking at each other and busting up laughing, slapping our knees and making big "NO" movements with our hands then jumped back into the dance. It really was very funny. We finished it by doing some floor work, showering them with our rose petals then getting up and dancing back through the tables and out of the hall. It's hard to describe but it was a very effective anti-fertility dance. The only problem is that the mojo bounced back at me. We figure I must have gotten pregnant right around the same time we started practicing the dance. :)

The second wedding we did was more serious. We walked the bride and groom in with a lit candelabra and did a "real" fertility dance with tons and tons of fertility symbols (which were probably lost on everyone but us). Oh well. Weddings are so much fun to dance at. It makes me wish I hadn't eloped!

Javarah: I agree that the focus should be shone on the wedding couple. When asked to entertain as the sole entertainer, though, the bride and groom are giving your performance as a gift to their guests, so keep that in mind, too.

What if the wedding is for a Mid-Eastern group?

Zaheea: I've danced at a lot of Egyptian weddings. They are a lot of fun. If they have a live band, don't use taped music. Live is much better. But if they don't, use something like from Adam Basma's CD (Nagwa or Banet Iskandariah) and a new pop song in there to get people up to dance too, like from Hakim or something. I find that if I keep the music upbeat and modern it goes over well. It is nice to put an old classic in there too, like from Om Kulthoom. Make sure to dance FOR the bride and groom too. It is their day and you want to make sure they get to enjoy your dancing as much as their guests. I've gotten the bride and groom up on the dance floor and make them dance together while I dance around them. Make sure to pay as much attention to the women as the men while you dance.

Sophia: A lot of middle eastern women have great belly dancing skills that they learned while growing up; however, they can't show off their hidden talents to crowds of strangers because doing that is *sinful* in Islam (unless you're in a room full of women only.) Weddings are an exception, especially here in the US everyone is invited to dance on the dance floor. When women at weddings see a belly dancer dancing they want to get up and show everyone in the family that they can dance too so this is the chance they get to blow them all away. So look for women in the crowd who look eager to get up and dance or who look kinda pouty (a "I-wish-I-could-get-up-and-do-that face"...ya know what I mean?) Have fun :)

Zamora: The wedding couple might be seated on 2 chair/thrones, sometimes on a platform. I tie my veil around their necks, sometimes the groom dances with me, but I get the women together when I bring down the bride. Remember to go get him / her up and dance them back to the chairs. Stay away from the women in veils. Get OLD women up, they will love you!!! Ask about the wedding colors and try to match. Oh yeah, make sure the music doesn't offend... no Turkish music at an Armenian function!!!!

Should the dancer stay after her performance and join the party at the reception?

Aziza Sa'id: It depends on the ethnic background of the party and my connection to them. If the party is for friends, people I know well, I may stay and socialize after I've changed back into street clothes. Often western folks will invite me to stay and have something to eat and join the party. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't... Often folks make a great effort to extend their hospitality and it is polite to accept it without overstaying the invite. If they are very enthusiastic about my staying, or have prepared a plate of food for me, I will stay and socialize for a while. Otherwise, I may have a soda or a cup of coffee and an appetizer or a slice of cake and stay just a short time. Sometimes guests at the reception will want to know more about the dancing, so I stay long enough to answer their questions, then go on my way.

For an Arabic audience, I am much more conservative. I generally do not stay and socialize unless very warmly invited. If I do stay, I will sit with the musicians, or find a place to sit that is out of the way. If folks have an interest in finding out more about the dance, or would like a card, they can seek me out at the musicians table... after all, I am not a family member, and Nice Arabic Girls don't socialize unescorted... and I do want to preserve my reputation, especially in a group that is highly aware of proper cultural etiquette.

In any case, I would change back into my "street" clothes (something that would be suitable to wear to a wedding and is fairly conservative) before joining the party. I don't usually adjust my makeup, but it would depend on the setting.

Miramar: I don't see a problem with a dancer changing out of her costume and sticking around for a party (especially a wedding) where she is good friends with the hosts. I would want to 'tone down' my make-up a little.

Sherezzah: I have no problem with a dancer hanging around at a party to which she would have been invited to if she wasn't dancing. However, I do think she should be in "non-dancer mode". Which means, out of the costume and into whatever would be normal attire for the party. Makeup is a matter of their personal taste... some dancers' stage makeup is similar to party makeup... Personally, I wouldn't want to be stuck removing makeup in this scenario.

Renee: While in general I think it is unprofessional / destroys the mystique to hang out after a gig, I think it's a little different when you're performing at a party / occasion for friends. Of course as your friend you would want her there as a guest, and since she's probably friends with other guest you'll be inviting, there may not be all that much mystique to preserve anyway.

Should the dancer hand out cards at the reception?

Aziza Sa'id: I carry some cards with me, in case folks ask. I do make sure to give cards to the musicians or the DJ.

Miramar: I think handing out business cards is a great idea, especially if people ask.

Renee: I think if someone approaches her, it would be ok to *discretely* give them a business card, but other than that, I think she should go into "guest" mode and not be passing out fliers or whatever.

Robyn: She should be prepared to hand a card to anyone who asks, and I am sure there will be many of those. It is entirely appropriate to hand out cards at a social event like that, even if not performing. Why not hand them out when the other guests are bound to be interested in her performance?

Roxann: I would not "hand out" business cards as a practice, but I would definitely have some in my pocket/clutch/whatever. Even at weddings, two people who meet exchange business information (real estate agent, plumber, whatever), including cards. Only if somebody asks for contact information do I give them a card, though, because then it is not unsolicited.

What kind of costume is appropriate for a wedding performance?

Javarah: As to costuming, make sure to talk with [a] the bride & groom, or [b] the wedding coordinator, or [c] the maid of honor or best man, or [d] the parents of the couple, or [e] the facilitator of the place where you'll be dancing, OR [F] a combination of all of the above. Find out if bedlah, 'tribal,' ethnic accuracy, cabaret gown or beledi is more appropriate for the audience, or overall wedding 'theme.'

Miramar: In Egypt, you have the custom of the dancer wearing a beledi dress and performing Raks al Shamadan (with a candelabra) for the zeffa.

What about tips?

Aziza Sa'id: Generally I set my price high for weddings because I plan to leave any tips that are on the floor to be collected for the bride and groom. You may want to ask someone coordinating the event, or an auntie or bridesmaid, to have the kids at the wedding pick up the money after your dance and give it to the bridal couple. I may also collect the tips from my costume and give them to the aunties for the bridal couple... or I may not.

Wedding Song Lyrics

Saleh Baset: Zaffaa .. by Sayed Darweesh

Here's a funny song translation I thought you'd like ..

I love this sheikh : Sayed Darweesh. What a genius ! He is credited with bringing music from the private saloons and exclusive clubs into the streets of Egypt in the early part of this century. No wonder he was called The Artist of the People.

In his short life (just about 31 years of age - like Mozart) , he produced many great operettas, mowashaHat and songs. I particularly like his skill in putting every day language and dialogue into beautiful music. The following is a marriage celebration (zaffa) from some of his operetta ( I forgot which one?). It gives you a very good idea about social life and cultural customs then (or even now).

Even in conservative Egypt of 1910, marriage was an occasion to have fun, food, music and some dancing. The bride family would usually hire a band to do this. El-me3allima (leader of the band - usually a woman) acts like the master of ceremony. She has to be careful in showering the right congratulations and praises, because most of her income is from tips. Keep this in mind, let the show begins:

1- (Before you start, you have to open with a praise to Allah and His Prophet. After all marriage is a sacred bond.)
Yaa 3oshaQ el-nabi, Salloo 3ala gamaloo
dee 3arrost elbeh, ta3aloo bina, nessanid-haloo

Oh you who love the prophet, praise his grace
She is the bride of the Bey, let us give her a han

2- (Now congrats to the couple)
addi noor gamal-hah ahoo, hal hell-aloo
yaa haneya lili younol-ah, yaa heneya-loo
=
Her shining beauty is like a growing crescent
Lucky for him who wins her heart, really lucky.

3- (Now make the bride the most beautiful woman on
earth, even if it is not the case. Business is business)
yaa ammar bee-yennawar
sobHan min Sawwar
Juliet wee safira 3azzeza meen?
deh ism mezawar
=
You are like a shining star
Praise to He, who perfected such beauty
Forget about the legendary Azzeza or Juliet
They are merely ... counterfeit

4- (more of this propaganda, but do not forget the mother and
father of the bride)
men shave kidder ban admen?
rah teTla3i weHsha lee meen?
daa el-omm loun el-yasmeen
wee el-Aab khafeef wee sameen
=
Have any one ever seen such beautiful people?
How could it be otherwise?
specially if the mother has the color of Jasmine,
and the father is cute and heavy (i.e., loaded with $)

5- yaa salaam yaa Hetet sokkarrah
yaa triaQ lil ma3karrah
yaa 3arees yaa zeen maa alta-Qeet ...
=
Cheers to Her, that sweet little honey
She is like a medicine that cures away any worry
Congrats for the bridegroom, for his excellent choice...

6- (Now it is the bridegroom turn. He does not have to be
very handsome. But he should be loaded with money)
3arresek min yoom-oh
Beeh malw hodoom-oh
et-hanni beh wee afraHi
keedy elli yoloom-oh
=
Your hubby has always been
a Bey, worth his full weight (suite ??)
enjoy him and be happy
and despise whoever envy him.

7- (Here comes the punch line and hopefully the big tip)
Lines: 45
Fungertoh di kull-ah eeh?
BaHbouH, isma-allah 3alla eeh.
=
About his wasteful spending?
He is just a largess - God bless him.

8- (more of this, last chance for a big tip)
yobdor bi alf geneh
tee oleesh malaleem fi eideh.
=
He spends a thousand Gennehs
as if it was few pennies.

9- (Finally, congrats all around, and best wishes for
more wealth, health and kids)
inshallah temli sabaha-lalli
3alla Hessek enti yaa follalli
.... yaa geenan yaa naas, 3alla deh tawaleet.....
=
May God multiply your wealth
for your sake, you little flower
.... and keep their belongings, which blows the mind away ..

The lyrics are by Ameen Sidky. The music is by Sayed Darweesh and written in maQaam Heezam (I am not expert).

Try to hear the original thing. It is really good and funny!