Business Communication : Lets take a journey to Egypt !

EGYPT

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you see the word Egypt ?
Pyramids ! For me , that is the first thing that comes to mind.

Egypt is famous for its pyramids.
The three most famous pyramids are at Giza, Egypt.These Great Pyramids of Giza are some of the most magnificent man-made structures in history.
These pyramids were built as tombs for Kings and Queens during a time when Egypt was one of the richest and most powerful civilizations in the world and it was an exclusive privilege to have a pyramid tomb.

Pyramid of Khufu. Source : http://architecture.about.com

Egypt is not only famous for its pyramids, but also for its dance culture.
The Ancient Egyptians were the first to infuse its entire society with the magic of music and dance.They enjoyed life to its fullest and no celebration would have been complete without music and dancing in Egypt.

Why did i choose to write about Egypt's dance culture?

There are two main reasons why i chose to write about Egypt's dance culture. First because dancing is my passion and to be abit more specific, i love to belly dance. Took up belly dancing classes and from there , i learned a lot about the belly dance. Belly dancing makes me feel so much better when i am stress. The second reason being that it is a very unique and interesting dance which not many people know about . Thus, i would like to share some information about belly dance with all of you.

There are many types of dances such as religious dance , non-religious festical dance , banquet dance, belly dancing , combat dance , street dance and the list goes on.

Source: http://msmunited.com/2013/02/

Belly dancing is the most popular and wide spread of all dances in Egypt. It is also known as Raks Sharki.

It comes in many different kind of styles such as Baladi , Saidi (cane belly dance) , Sha'abi , veil belly dance and more.

Baladi

The word Baladi means 'my country'. It is the social form of belly dance which is also known as Raks Baldi. It has less movements compared to the normal belly dance.The focus is mainly on the hip movemnets. Baladi dancers appear to be more relaxed and are strongly connected to the ground. It uses baladi songs (urban folk style) during performance.

Source : http://www.wittereus.net/nafferartiesten.html

Saidi (cane dance)

Saidi dance is also known as Raks Assaya or cane dance. It is normally performed by men and women at festive events such as weddings.Usually Saidi dance is very lively and energetic. The dancers uses one or two sticks (originally made of bamboo) in their perfomance.

Source: http://www.nuriyya.com/english

Veil Belly dance

Veil belly dance is basically a normal belly dance which uses a veil in the performance. Dancing with a veil adds a touch of elegance to the performance, especially when the veil flows gracefully with the movements of the dancer. Dancing with a veil emphasizes the arm and shoulder movements. The veils can either be circular or rectangular in shape and around 3 to 4 yards long.

Source : http://vimeo.com/32482546

Theory states that it evolved from a religious dance. Another popular theory states that belly dancing began as a tradisional practice to help ease the pains of childbirth.

Source: http://www.mindfulmum.co.uk/fitness/2012/

The egyptians believe that belly dancing has many health benefits.
Besides easing the pains of childbirth, it reduces stress , helps in weight loss , helps digestion and also muscle toning.

A two piece decorated bra and skirt are worn whenever they perform in Egypt. Raks Sharki dancers also tend to wear bright , glitzy costumes with lots of sequins and beaded fringes. The skirts are often worn with deep slits on the sides to draw attention to the legs.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belly_dance

Belly dancing is often performed at nightclubs, events such as weddings and also for fun in Egypt. A typical performance can last for 30 minutes or more.The music is composed using a wide range of instruments such as tabla, finger cymbals , oud , saz , buzuk and nay in order to give the dancers a wider selection of movements.