From the Editor's Desk
It may seem that "Golden Era" or "Vintage" Bellydance is quite en vogue right now. Trendy, if you will. Sometimes to the dismay of actual vintage dancers, younger dancers of all stripes are now resurrecting and recreating what is now considered a different bygone style of bellydance.
As with music and fashion all art goes through cycles where modern artists look back and reimagine older concepts or trends. Remember when bell-bottom jeans came back in style and VW made a new Beatle? Typically the reason for this, historically, is that either the nostalgia of the past lifts our spirits or that the artform has become so extremely different from tradition that we yearn to look back at the past.
Truly, this is no different for Middle Eastern Dance The community and performance of our art has changed and evolved so exponentially in the past decade alone that many were questioning what direction we were even going in. The performing world as we knew it changed from predominantly resturant and hookah lounges to stage shows and social media videos. The dance obviously had to change and morph to keep up.
There is something just so special about vintage bellydance though. The costumes, the ease of expression, the tiny movements layering and swimming in richly textured music. It is perfectly imperfect.
Personally, I think it's a good thing for us to look backwards the into the concepts of Golden Era bellydance. While it may seem like a fad for now this does mean that renewed interest will help preserve memories and techniques.
In this spirit, Fanoos Magazine will be having a special Winter Edition every year devoted to these time periods in Bellydance. It is my aim to document, collect and interview as many of the dancers and material that I can as well as provide information on where to find more. There are many wonderful projects in our community that deserve our attention as teachers and students. Let us collectively acknowledge the work of our elders and listen to their words while we can.
XOXO, Oriana
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