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Posts: 907
Joined: Mar. 13 2006
From: Vancouver, Canada
Flamenco Oriental?
So... I don't generally like to divuldge significant personal details about my real life, but I will just to make the guys here jealous, and to preface the why behind the questions I'm about to ask.
My current GF is from Korea, and is a belly dancer. Oh! Did I mention she's hot?
Anyways, I got suckered into looking for some resources for her on the 'net. I told her I was too lazy to bother, but she played dirty and batted her eyelashes. I ask you, what could I do?
This initially onerous task turned out to not be too bad. Pretty girls, scantilly clad... it's a burden that my shoulders are broad enough to bear. Just barely. I tell you, it's tough being a man, especially one as manly as me. Thank God for Spanish as a second language, now I'm head and shoulders above the average Canadian man. LOL
We watched the movie Vengo! together (BTW: I finally get where that line "este arbol tiene duende" comes from, cool and funny), and she became interested in the possibility of flamenco rhythms for her dance.
As there's lots of fusion going on the belly dance world I searched it, to see what was already being done. On youtube, there are losts of videos that have flamenco, danza, arabe, oriental in their tags and titles. Yet, I don't really see/hear much (if any) flamenco influence. Sometimes a bit of non-zapateo footwark.. but nothing I recognise.
So can anyone tell me:
* What "danza arabe" or "danza oriental" is supposed to be?
* If there is any real fusion happening with these genres? (For dance.)
* Recommend any music for me? (Well, for her,really.) I guess it would probably be fusion (and I know that's a dirty word here), and have to have slightly more, or more complex percussion than normal flamenco compases (sp?).
* YTF a tree would sing seguiriyas and not alegrias? What kind of tree was that, and what could it possibly have to lament?
Yes, the Zambra is the most "Moorish" sounding palo. (Off the topic of this off-topic thread, but is Tarrega's Capricho Arabe a Zambra, or is it to Zambras as Segovia's Malaguena is to Malaguenas?)
However, belly dancers need something with a bit more percussion and speed, in general. Likely for a dance fusion, there has to be a music fusion too... I saw some girls on youtube try dancing to flamenco puro, but it seemed to limit them a bit.
Admitedly the more tango-sounding zambras might work. But the dancers generally need a good deal of percussion to work with...
I seem to recall hearing some techno-ish rumbas years ago... but I thought they were crap at the time so I can't recall very clearly. Like I said, I know "fusion" can be a dirty word, but anything flamenco-esque with an arabic or maybe techno beat might be interesting...