to Bert that I met Shukriya, producer
century… Loie Fuller, an American
of the Rakkasah Festivals, who
dancer, put in light her dance with 35
immediately organized a workshop
meters of material, which is now used
for me. And thanks to Bert also, I met
in our dance and known as ‘Isis wings’.
Najia Marlyz who wrote a beautiful
Other Americans, Ruth St Denis
article about me in the ‘Habibi’
and Ted Shawn, shed light on and
magazine. I became a great success
introduced movement from the sothanks to Bert and Morocco because
called ethnic dances. Martha Graham
they both talked to their contacts in
and Merce Cunningham were
order for them to sponsor me. Bert
great choreographers, who put their
and I stayed very close until he went
performances in theaters and helped
to another world. I want to share a
create a strong basis for Contemporary
story that I remember him telling me
dance as a theatre performance.”
- this funny story about my coming
Leila goes on to say, “I believe
to Stuttgart to take his workshop.
that Raqs Sharqi has to exist also in
Bert says with his inimitable
the theatres for its total recognition.
accent “ZO… When my German
Dance is a PASSION - Some people
sponsor told me there was a person
are born dancers, they have no choice.
In a theater in Stokholm (Sweden)
called Leila Haddad coming to the
I was born that way. How many
workshop, I thought you were a very
students study literature? And how
old Lebanese lady coming to criticize me… AHAHAH!”
many of those students, how many become writers, poets Leila says of her Oriental dance career: “I love teaching: it
very few. Dance is LIGHT - Dance is FIRE - Raqs Sharqi is
keeps me grounded and humble. I consider myself always
multidimensional: it is sensual, soulful, physical, intellectual,
as a ‘student dancer’. One day, I read an interview of a very
and spiritual. It has many layers. We use all our chakras.
famous French actor and he begins his interview with this
Put together, a dancer creates a sacred architecture on stage.
sentence: ‘Me, Jean Vilar, 83 years old, student actor…’ »
‘DANCE’ is the most beautiful verb in the world. Although
WOW!!! Dance has taught me humility, patience, total
we learn movement and dance choreographies, the most
dedication. Dancers are like flowers in an immense garden:
important thing that we cannot learn is CHARISMA. We
different and unique. I am very proud to have opened the
dream of this ethereal element of dance professionalism –
doors of what I consider the modern temple: THEATRE.
but it can only exist on the large theater stage.”
Dance is my religion. Dance is my nationality. Dance is
my life. I remember my muse, Isadora Duncan, who said
We see that you are organizing and leading travel tours
‘DANCE YOUR LIFE. Dance of the future will come
to Rajasthan? How is East Indian dance related to Raqs
from the past. Dance of the future will come from Africa’.”
Sharqi Oriental dance?
Leila is ebullient and replies, “The reason why I organize
Leila, can you comment about the relationship of
trips/workshops to Rajasthan/India is my desire to share
Oriental Raqs Sharqi to other classical forms in the world
my love for the Gypsy dances, Kalbelyia Dances from the
of dance and tell us the similarities and differences found
Kalbelyias people. A few years ago, I went to the theatre to see
in professional dance forms?
a performance of Gypsy dances, among them, the Kalbelyia,
Leila explains, “Our dance form, Raqs Sharqi, although
and I was struck by the similarities with the Ghawazee/
it is an old art form within the contemporary world of
Gypsy dances from Upper Egypt. I then decided to go and
dance, is very young in the world of dance performance on
study in Rajasthan and learn more about this connection. I
the theater stage. Raqs Sharqi has been taught in the US
was very fortunate to meet some dancers of this ethnic group
for 50 years, and by comparison, ballet started in the 16th
and after I had traveled to Rajasthan a few times, spending
century in France with Louis XIV – with movements from
between 4 to 6 weeks in country, I received a very prestigious
fencing. Contemporary dance was pioneered by the love
European grant called ‘Villa Medicis outside the walls’ that
of my life, the American Isadora Duncan. In the late 19th
is given to very few choreographers every year. Although
October 2015
The Belly Dance Chronicles
15