Ghawazi

By Cemre Tanel

History of Ghawazees

Dance is considered as one of the oldest arts, originating since the human being has seen his body instinctively. When talking about the origins of belly dancing, several opinions can be found on it. Some ancient people thought that human fertility was directly connected to the earth. Women, who were the ones who created new lives, were considered as having magical powers. The women performed ritual dances in honor of these powers and the ceremonies connected with their fertility in ancient Greece and Rome. Dances were based on the rotation of the hips and belly. Some of them were held in honor of the goddesses. Many of these deities came from the East, particularly Syria and Turkey. In Cyprus, Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and fertility, was revered by women who performed ritual dances accompanied by songs and drums which were put into a trance. This allowed them to get in touch with God and receive his teachings, guidance and power.

The culture of dance has been in existence since the time of immemorial, where different cultures have performed the art for a number of reasons. For instance, as a way of celebrating the birth of a new child, giving thanks to and worshipping the gods, celebrating the huge amount of harvest after a harvesting season as well as for entertainment purposes. Perhaps one of the most fascinating dances has been the belly dancing. Belly dancing is now a dance that tends to honour the goddess from every individual's aspect. The celebration is made with a female using all her body parts in the dance. In ancient Egypt, seven churches were established where they worshiped Goddess Hathor Patron saint of the monarchy, the arts, maternity and fertility in all respects, and Goddess of Love in these churches. The priests were initiated into the sacred mysteries, and performed the Belly Dance in honor of their Goddess.

The sacred dances were those that were organized in honor of some god. These dances were organized laity in social events. The king, or their religious leaders, priests and priestesses were in charge of the official balls, usually in honor of some great god. The dances were held in palaces and houses, performed by dancers of both sexes.

During the nineteenth century in Egypt there were two types of dancers: the Ghawazee (Gypsy) and awalin (cheerleaders). The Ghawazee were in Cairo and Alexandria until they were banished to the south by Mohamed Ali. They used to dance outdoors or in the field, with a small group of musicians and audiences usually belonging to the lower social class. The awalin were more respected as they danced well, sang and recited poetry, and also acted in rich houses. In both cases, the dance was improvised. Exile of the dancers made ??the art of dancing went into decline.

Unlike in the olden days where Ghawazi was performed by women specifically for women, the dance is currently being performed by men and women of all ages both genders, for ...