European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 8, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Islamic pressures make belly dancing Tough grind by Michael Ross los Angeles times ski Abdu s spacious Cairo duplex is lavishly furnished Wilh an Oval bar several color television be s and enough opulent by padded sectional seating to Convene a special session of the u n. General Assembly As one of Egypt s most popular belly dancers miss Atli As she to called can afford such luxury. But Withers in her line of work Are not so belly dancing has had its ups and Downs Over the centuries but rarely have times been As Lough As they Are now the resurgence in recent years of moslem fundamentalism has sharply reduced i he number of place in the Middle Easl where belly dancers can Pedrom. Also. The Art has been corrupted some authorities say by gimmickry commercialism and modern dance techniques. Ambivalent attitudes Ever since he Advent of islam belly dancers have been the object of love and Halo have also Laken their loll dancers complain i Camo to Egypt because it is the censer of belly dancing it is where you have to prove yourself said Lisa looking ugh from Syracuse n v. But i have been disappointed belly dance s Here Are treated like criminals it s like i m on parole or belly dancers Are not being paid As Well either because of increased Competition in pcs in a shrinking Maikel the persian Gulf countries Wilh the exception of who United Arab emirates have banned belly dancing Lebanon used to be one of the Mam centers for Oriental dance in the Middle East but though it is still possible to dance there Only the bravest of belly dancers would work there the continuing violence is a Strong deterrent Syria and Iraq still have belly dancing bul neither has Tho Ghl Hie or the culture to Quality As a Mecca of the dance that leaves Egypt As the Only remaining Center for the Art in the Arab world and even there tha Outlook is far irom Bright. Last february when police conscripts look to the streets to complain about being underpaid they were joined by moslem fundamentalists and burned Down several hotels and More than a dozen Mph clubs along the Road leading to the pyramids. In one riotous night they destroyed nearly half the places where Cairo s Belty dancers had been Able to find regular employment a precipitous drop in tourism the result of Middle Easl terrorism and Domestic disturbances like the police nols has forced the Large hotels and nightclubs to Cut Back on entertainment. In most cases they now feature Only one show a night instead of two or three. We do of we pay our rent said Gigi Coppo an italian who has lived in Cairo 10 years and runs one of Egypt s biggest Talent agencies bul in s no big business like before. Before. I used to bring artists from abroad bul no there is no Market. No Market and belly dancing has always been a big draw for Appolo resurgent moslem fundamentalism has limited places in the Middle East where belly dancers May perform. Tourists but traditionally in has been the arabs themselves who have most admired and supported the Arl the origins of which reach Back at least 5.000 years and while egyptians Aro still expected to hire belly dancers Lope lorm at weddings fewer and fewer people Are going out to night dubs. Most egyptians tend to slay a Homo because of a sharply declining Economy and the Rise of islamic fundamentalism which looks on dancing As sinful. Medhat Hawary a businessman and belly dance aficionado said one evening recently at the Cairo Marrill s Almaz nightclub it s not like it used to be before if a belly dancer with a name was dancing people would come every night to see her. They would fill up the place. Sometimes a place would have three or four belly dancers a night. 1 but now. People Don t go out any More he said. It s the Economy mostly. But also people Are afraid of the another problem connoisseurs say is that the Art Ilsel has been corrupted by jazzier dance styles imported from the West. There Are still those who perform in the slow soulful style of Ihn classical belly dance bul most of the younger performers Lavor faster and flashier routines most dancers nowadays Hawary said pausing to ingest an enormous slab of smoked Salmon Are just to hos. All they do is jump up and Coppo sealed at the same table agreed. To express the Art. You must feel it he said. The dancers Musl eel the music but most of them Loday Don t. Why you ask because in is not Arl any More it s Money " a big name belly dancer like Fili Abdu earns Aboul $ t ,500 a show and May perform several limes night on stage and Al private parties but the overhead is High Tho dancer must pay her musicians big name dancers often have 30 piece bands and her costumes can Cost thousands of dollars. Rma Bombeck i Don t know How they do it bul kids have a sixth sense about How much Gas is left in the Lank of a car right Down to the thimble Ful. It s a gift. The car will Roll into the driveway gasp thrust Forward Dio and the Gas gauge will drop like a Stone to it s Ono of the first things Young Drivers learn How to do. I have yet to grab my car keys and walk out the door and not hear your car needs Gasi it did t gel to be my car until it did. One time i actually look one of the kids in the car with me and said do you know where Mol her is taking you we re going to a place you have never been Here be kids there my own age he asked not Many but mingle and make friends As we pulled in front of the pumps he said what is this place.?""it s a Gas station. You take a nozzle from the pump. Put it info the Gas Lank and the fuel converts to Energy and makes the car Are you serious he asked. Surely you have had some curiosity As to Why they put signs on these Hal say. Last Stop until freeway " i thought they were he said sooner or later when you share your car with a Young Driver you will encounter the do a have to buy it Wilh my own Money mentality. Going to the Library is your idea. Ergo you pay for tha Gas. Going to the store to pick up a Loa of bread Lor your dinner is to your advantage. So you pay for Tho Gas. Picking up a younger brother or sister at school is Sav no you time so you should have thought of these expenditures Belore you gave in to lust and passion. H is As if overnight the Sweet innocent child who could t say hello in metric becomes a world class mathematical Genius. He knows instinctively that two liners of Gas will take him to the game out for a pizza afterwards and Roll the car Inlo the garage before it sputters and goes dead bul Only if he makes three traffic lights and does not have to Idle. Mentally he keeps track of every Gas transaction including the time he put $1.50 world in Iho Lank and tha Battery went dead. You Don t know pressure until you owe your kid $ 1 50 Worth of Gas. In Homes All Over America wherever teen agers gather the subject comes up where were you and what were you doing when you found Oul about a Gas pump the other Day my son was Wilh me when i pulled into a Gas station. Fillerup i said. He asked what did you say i repealed the word. That s a new Ono he said. Sometimes i think about the woman who said instead of kids she should have raised tomatoes. Al least you can Eal them. Cloi Angels tows synd Eoli wednesday. October 1986 the stars and stripes Page 17
