Anasma Vuong

World Fusion Artist • www.anasmadance.com • www.bellyqueen.com

Anasma’s Start in Belly Dancing

“I’ve been dancing for 12 years. I’m trained in ballet, modern jazz, gymnastics, theater, hip hop, salsa, and belly dancing, flamenco, wushu martial arts. I also took classes on body awareness. I took dance lessons when I was very young. It was a way to connect with my dance passion, my culture, and my origin. It is the way I communicate with my people.”

“I started when I was 14, and it helped me to become a woman. It was an area of my life where I was a woman. Today I feel most sensual when I’m dancing, and that’s when I feel the most power when I’m channeling - it’s through my dance. I have other dance forms that get mixed into it. Belly dancing has the power to make women more comfortable with their bodies.”

Belly Dancing as World Fusion Art

Anasma’s style is fusion-based which she describes as dance theater – miming, acting, ethereal belly dance. Belly popping – the fusion of hip hop and belly dance - is a style that Anasma has incorporated into her belly dancing and with her dance company. She considers herself a world fusion artist.

“I’ve been attracted to hip hop for so many years. When I was in France I worked a lot with hip hop dancers having both arts meet on stage. When I came here I fused the style with Bellyqueen. I’m taking a lot of popping classes and meeting amazing hip hop dancers. I’m changing the traditional form but this is what I am.”

History of Belly Dancing

“Egyptian hieroglyphics dating between 3000 – 1500 BC indicate the beginnings of belly dancing. It was a dance for fertility, womanhood, and celebrating the goddess in women. Belly dancing was seen as helpful in giving birth, because you work on your stomach, abdominals and the undulations help with giving birth.”

“Belly dancing strengthens the connection and community among women. In every country, belly dancing is dance for celebration and social gathering. Often times, women dance for their pleasure in Arabic countries. Sometimes you have closed circles of women at home, and they listen to music and dance. At weddings we dance a lot, men and women. They connect thru the music and the dance. It’s not technical, and the vocabulary is natural to them so they don’t break it down.”

The Evolution of Belly Dancing in the US and Around the World

“Belly dancing is moving toward professionalism. No certification is needed now, but this is something we’re going towards. It’s hard to do this because everyone has a different technique. There are different schools of thought, and this makes it difficult. In the United States, there is no official structure, but it gives the opportunity to travel abroad, to protect ourselves and the art form, and for professionalism and structure it is helpful to be in an organized company.”

“The new trend in the belly dancing world is bringing theater, drama, and characters in the art form. There’s a trend called the fantasy belly dance movement that is in the US now, and will be arriving in Europe soon. Dance is seen as a tool to communicate and share a message, story, or an emotion, and gives some insight to others. Miming, acting is another dimension and belly dancing is moving toward that.”

“The official style of belly dancing uses the esthetics used in Egypt, as seen in old movies in the 50’s. Some examples of artists who practice this style during the 50’s are Samia Gamal and Tahia Carioca. They shaped the style that is done today. There’s a lot of attachment to the traditions in North Africa and Europe. There are dancers in Egypt who layer over the traditional techniques.”

“In the US, the style is freer, and they are not as attached to the tradition. They explore more diversity within the belly dancing such as Turkish belly dancing and Gypsy belly dancing (Romanian dance movement). They have a different approach to the music and esthetics so they try more things. The US has more creations that have not yet arrived in Europe. For instance, American dancers have started using swords, double veils, ‘a tray of fire’ which is an adaptation of the traditional candelabra that is worn on the head in Egyptian ceremonies. In the US it is a tray of candle lights on their heads.”

“American Tribal Style (ATS) mixes belly dance, flamenco, Indian (Kathaka) and hip hop. Born in the US in the 70s, the original form wanted to create an improvisational group dance that could work with any piece of music. Now ATS has evolved to have soloists, changing the mood of the dance and incorporates more style of dance.”

Mind and Body Benefits

“Belly dancing strengthens the whole body. It helps with body awareness, and helps with each isolated part of the body because it is a dance of isolation. So, stomach and back muscles are needed for good posture and to not hurt your back. You have to balance yourself. When you work with shimmies, it not just hip work or skeletal, there’s also muscles involved so you’re using your quads and calves. Some dancers are specialized in gluteal movement. In order to use your chest you are activating your upper back muscles. I’d say the whole body is used, and it strengthens the mind and strengthens women as goddesses. Some dancers are really great at isolating belly muscles.” Anasma mentioned that she knows dancers who have such control of their abdominal muscles that they can move one muscle at a time, or literally roll the muscles from left to right!

Anasma’s Vision for the Art of Belly Dancing

“I want to bring belly dancing to the entire family. I want to broaden it. I want belly dance to be put on stage with lights for people to see the show. I want people to be focused, enjoy what they’re seeing and be inspired by the art. I like to inspire people to create movement for themselves through belly dancing. There are ways to develop one’s own style through emotions.”

Developing the vocabulary to define the movement in belly dancing helps Anasma to create her own dictionary for the movements. “There’s no universal language in belly dancing because everyone has their own vocabulary, unlike dance forms like ballet.”

Resources:

www.seradance.com
www.dancemeditation.org
www.movementresearch.org

Must Try

Belly Dance Class
www.anasmadance.com