Christian Science Monitor correspondent Laura Kasinof reports from Cairo, Egypt, that the art of zar has been reduced to only about 25 performers and one public venue, because the hardcore Islamists don’t like it. It’s perceived by them as a form of communion with evil spirits, but this is not so, as Kasinof tells us:
Zar, a song and dance ritual that historically has been used as a healing rite, is the only musical tradition from Egypt in which women hold the most important roles.
Participating in this form of dance is a stress-relieving act for women living in a conservative, oppressive society. Sadly, they are being pressured into abandoning it for more socially acceptable channels, like prescription pharmaceuticals.
On the bright side, in a village in Alaska, the ban on native dancing has been lifted, says Associated Press journalist Rachel D’Oro in her article for the Native American Times. Indigenous-style dance, although a religious rite to the native people, was considered evil by missionaries in the past, and was forbidden. The article contains a great thought from a pastor named Aurora Sampson:
… [W]e’re going to come to a place in the afterlife where we sing and dance to the Lord. While we are on this earth we might as well practice.
At 17, Alicia Graf moved to New York City by herself and became, as she puts it, “kind of an internationally acclaimed dancer.” After three great years, reactive arthritis in a knee and then an ankle had prevented her from dancing. She didn’t resort to any of the desperate things that people do when their dreams are shattered. Instead, she enrolled in college as a history major, gave her body a rest, had surgery, and eventually came back to join the Alvin Ailey troupe. Graf was a star again, but it didn’t last. When the medical problems returned, she had accepted a marriage proposal and became a dance teacher, who now inspires and motivates a new generation.
Graf came from the interestingly conceptualized planned community called Columbia, in Maryland, a home to about 95,000. Very many people chipped in to help with her early career. For instance, when a competition required six different costumes at a minimum of $1,000 each, they had raised the funds, we are told by Cathleen McGuigan on Smithsonian.com. “Giving back” is a very high priority for Graf, but she’s become a mentor from more than just a sense of obligation. Everything she does is for God. She is also involved in “praise dancing,” a kind of worship that accompanies gospel music. Graf says,
It sounds so cliché but dancing is life to me. It’s my way of praying, and it’s my way of talking to God… It’s my whole relationship to the spiritual world.
Tonight, don’t forget to salute the full moon, and maybe have a look at the blog post titled “Moon Diving; Returning to Self Under the Full Moon” by Sam Crespi on her blog, Women Who Dare, where these words appear:
I give thanks daily to all of those I meet along the way. Those who compel me to dive deeper into forgiveness and compassion and who rejoice with me as we look up and see the full moon has once again appeared.
Source: “Egyptian music: ‘Zar’ tradition…,” Christian Science Monitor, 03/26/10
Source: “Native dancing ban lifted in Alaska village,” Native American Times, 02/22/10
Source: “COCA Welcomes Alicia Graf,” YouTube
Source: “Moon Diving; Returning to Self Under the Full Moon,” WomenDare, 04/01/10
Source: “Show Stopper,” Smithsonian.com, 10/07
Image by Haags Uitburo, used under its Creative Commons license.
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