Adept in the ancient, Well-versed in the arcane

this-is-not-belly-dance: knowyourveil: this-is-not-belly-dance:...

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:07:43 -0400

knowyourveil:

this-is-not-belly-dance:

While I have always enjoyed Dusty Paik’s dancing, I have to say I did not enjoy this performance and I feel like it’s a perfect example of how fusion can go wrong.

For those of you that don’t know, the rhythm that starts off at about 8:00 minutes in is known as the ayoub and is associated with the zaar ritual. It is very rarely performed because it is pre-Islamic ritual that is oftentimes illegal, but still practiced by people of all socioeconomic classes when other avenues don’t pan out. Recording of the rituals are not allowed, but you can often take a workshop to be educated on it. In a workshop I’ve experienced the teacher took care to mention that these were aspects of people’s religious culture and to not take it lightly, out of respect for the people and their beliefs about the spiritual power of these movements. If it is ever performed on stage (which I have never seen), it is supposed to be properly contextualized with at least some info about the background.

I feel like by performing the zaar movements with no educational information (not even in the announcement), and especially in the sexualized context of the scene they draw from in Oh Brother Where Art Thou? where they represent the seducers of the main characters, is just a perfect example of how you can go wrong.

Now, I’m sure these ladies have great intentions, but the context for this given what they’re doing is disrespectful to the zaar and is all kinds of wrong. Especially since it has been a place of refuge for women and queer people of Africa and the Middle East.

The problem often seems to be a lack of knowledge or acknowledgement of what you are actually performing. Performing dance is fun and exciting and you might find a style you really enjoy and that’s fine. Fusion is especially appealing for this reason because you can take art that exists and make it your own.

But it is so important to be informed about what you’re dancing because it is not just a movement, it is a culture and a history and in this case a religious experience. Especially when you draw parallels between your culture and someone else’s it is important to be sensitive to what you are implying. Claiming it was a cool concept or it looked pretty is discrediting you, the dance, and the cultures you are fusing.

A few months ago I attended a Hafla where a piece was introduced as tribal fusion. When a group of girls dressed in American Tribal Style costumes came out and very traditional Ghawazee music began playing I knew immediately that they were not educated about the history of either the dance or the music.

I believe people should be able to dance and express themselves in a way that makes them happy but if someone performs in a public space on a stage for an audience they should not misrepresent the art form.

YES YES, especially the bolded!!

this-is-not-belly-dance: This is not belly dance.Everything...

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:07:00 -0400

this-is-not-belly-dance:

This is not belly dance.

Everything said in the post about Dusty Paik’s group performance, also applies to Zoe Jakes’ new Balinese inspired performance. It’s just so wrong, in my opinion. From what I’ve learned, Balinese dances are religious in nature and dancers are trained since childhood. Zoe Jakes using those same movements completely strips them of the meaning and context. To me, her performance was nothing but a shallow copy.

-Corinne, I Love Belly Dance Mod

I am finding it really hard to identify the emotion I’m feeling right now, but thank you for sharing this with me.

I’ve actually studied Balinese dance from a Balinese teacher for three years at my university, been in Balinese music ensembles, taken graduate-level classes on the music and dance of Indonesia … and I’m really at a loss for words.

Balinese classical dance is religious in nature, and often are scenes from Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Starting in the 70’s and 80’s there was a resurgence of composers and a new music style, but even these dances have religious undertones and often represent welcoming deities onto Earth or are from Hindu epics. Some examples are Tari Manuk Rawa, and Tari Sekar Jagat. An example of an older style dance would be Teruna Jaya. All the dances tell some sort of story, and gestures, eye movements all have symbolic meaning (much like Indian classical dance).

I love Zoe Jakes and have been to Beats Antique concerts and really enjoy their music. This, however, just feels like a cheap copy. Not to mention it’s not even a good imitation.

"Yes, false rape accusations happen. Run the protocol anyway. I’ve heard that perhaps the military..."

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:57:49 -0400

“Yes, false rape accusations happen. Run the protocol anyway. I’ve heard that perhaps the military has the highest number of ‘em. True or not, RUN THE PROTOCOL ANYWAY. Because in 15 years of investigating rape accusations, I can count those that panned out as false on one hand. Meanwhile, the one time I almost skipped the protocol, the one time I almost didn’t believe a petty officer, because I was naive as an investigator and a young woman, because her commanding officer described her as “a party girl, always late, always out drinking, don’t bother with this one”, she turned out to be the victim of one of the most brutal assaults I’ve ever investigated. She shouldn’t have still been -alive-, let alone up and making the accusation. So let me repeat: five false accounts in fifteen years. And one time I almost failed a woman ‘cause of the bullshit way it’s normal to talk about us. Take your shipmates’ word, and then run the protocol. Every. Single. Time.”

- - JAG lawyer, speaking to my husband’s plant during Sexual Assault Prevention Month. (via circusbones)

intocryptsofbeer: tastefullyoffensive: Old Economy...

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:53:38 -0400

intocryptsofbeer:

tastefullyoffensive:

Old Economy Steve

[via]

The “hasn’t applied since Jimmy Carter” one reminds me of when I graduated high school. There were no jobs ANYWHERE near me, and my dad kept harping at me like it was still in the mid-70’s. I’d look around at several places, but it was always either “Go online at careers.blahblahblah.com and apply there,” or “Sorry, we’re full. Keep checking back though.” Anytime I came home, the first thing he ever said as I walked through the door was “So, do you have a job?” I tried many many times to explain to him that our economy is shit now and that it’s nothing like it was when he grew up, but that was no excuse to him. He blamed me for “being too lazy” to look anywhere, when I had really been to many places throughout the day. Didn’t matter how hard I looked, it was never enough for him.

Well, fast-forward to 2 months ago, and he lost the job he had while I was in high school/college. At first he was like, “Well, I guess it’s time to find a new job.” like he knew he was gonna have something within a few days. Then a week or two later, I had one of the biggest I-told-you-so moments of my life. He comes up to me and says, “Son, I gotta say, I feel terrible now for the way I treated you about finding jobs. I didn’t realize how hard it REALLY is to find something these days!” I TOLD YOU SO, DAD. XD

thepixelatednerd: Eyvind Earle

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:42:41 -0400

thepixelatednerd:

Eyvind Earle

heartheblackbirdscry: Àrsaidh - A Highland Lament

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:41:15 -0400

heartheblackbirdscry:

Àrsaidh - A Highland Lament

Nicole Andrijevic & Tanya Schultz is an art-duo who takes...

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:10:10 -0400

Nicole Andrijevic & Tanya Schultz is an art-duo who takes sugar, pigment, polystyrene, wax, modeling clay, paper, plastic, found objects, wire, beads, glitter, and almost whatever else they can get their hands on to create a literal Candyland in the middle of the gallery floor.

Photo

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:55:22 -0400

The Problem with Porn

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:07:08 -0400

The Problem with Porn:

Really excellent article! Love the focus on how porn has become the primary sex educator for my generation and the younger generation, telling us what is “normal” and influencing the views of people from a very early age. This is a major problem! Instead of healthy dialogue with parents, educators, etc, people are getting information from the biased, anonymous world of porn. Porn, like any media, exists to promote itself. It’s not going to show you the dangers of what it presents or the fact that it’s a pure fantasy world. Instead, its simply going to promote the ideals that will keep you a consumer. Also, I greatly appreciated the mention of the study showing how the violence in porn is very lopsided, 94% of it being against women! And often, the acts are very dangerous to the woman, such as oral after anal, which can cause vile throat infections, and the complete lack of condoms which is a problem for both men and women. I’ve heard of so many guys who refuse to wear condoms, and I bet that most of that is from porn. And often times, the people watching this stuff are kids, literally. Their entire view of sexuality becomes pornified! So, instead of being taught to think about what is presented to them…they simply absorb it and accept it as reality, while it is far from ideal.

heli0s-hyperion: Leviathan - The Idiot Sun

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:49:12 -0400

heli0s-hyperion:

Leviathan - The Idiot Sun

Apparently, the lady who invented the green bean casserole in 1955 was put into the National...

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:34:22 -0400

Apparently, the lady who invented the green bean casserole in 1955 was put into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame for the recipe.

What.

Didn’t post this last night on here for some reason, but I...

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:26:09 -0400

Didn’t post this last night on here for some reason, but I FINALLY got my Extol shirt in the mail!!! I ordered it in April, but I think the first got lost in the mail, first time that’s ever happened. So I contacted the company and they sent me a second one! And it came in two days! This shirt has major significance for me, as this was the first metal album I ever listened to!!! I was 14, it was December, and I was on a church youth trip to Gatlinburg, TN. We had some free time and we were wandering around the stores of this big shopping center. Found a Christian book store, started looking in the CD section and found….THIS!!! I had listened to Extol online for the past month and thought that I would have to order it online from amazon or whatnot…. But this random bookstore had it!!!! I bought it and listened to it for nearly a month straight! And that, my friends, was my introduction to metal! Still love this album to this day! Its incredible!

"Nature is busy creating absolutely unique individuals, whereas culture has invented a single mold to..."

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:45:15 -0400

“Nature is busy creating absolutely unique individuals, whereas culture has invented a single mold to which all must conform. It is grotesque.”

- Jiddu Krishnamurti (via 13thmoon)

"Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness."

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:44:32 -0400

“Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness.”

- Yousuf Karsh (via likeafieldmouse)

thevisionarygarden: My Little Baphomet

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:43:37 -0400

thevisionarygarden:

My Little Baphomet

pajarolunar: Edgar Allen Poe’s “Tales of Mystery and...

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:42:07 -0400

pajarolunar:

Edgar Allen Poe’s “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” by Harry Clark, 1919

Make sure to check out the rest!

wildforestelf: The Hidden House by M. Hoz via Flickr

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:40:47 -0400

wildforestelf:

The Hidden House by M. Hoz via Flickr

Photo

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:39:21 -0400

Finished inking all but three flowers! Seriously considering...

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:09:35 -0400

Finished inking all but three flowers! Seriously considering ditching the stems and throwing in background flowers to fill the negative space. I hate stems. XD essential to the life of a flower, but a pain in the ass to draw! I’ll pick up on this tomorrow. This will take a while, but I don’t care!

And tonight’s drawing music was Blut der Nacht and Strid!

rhombicprojections: Blut Der Nacht Sargnagel EP 2012 If you...

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:26:48 -0400

rhombicprojections:

Blut Der Nacht

Sargnagel EP 2012

If you haven’t listened to this band/album yet… DO!!!! It is truly glorious black metal discovered on the truly glorious Svn-Okklt! And physical stuff on Fallen Empire, of course.