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Spotlight On: Amel Tafsout

Writer's picture: Fanoos Magazine OrianaFanoos Magazine Oriana


1.   Tell us about your dance background, career, your training and how you got started.

 

North African Dance from home and studying during my traveling to Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, I also studied African, Balkan, Afro Cuban and Latin dances.

  Regarding my background you can find some info on my website: www.ameltafsout.com.

I was fascinated with dance since childhood and learned the dances of my home country, Algeria, from home at the natural setting of weddings and other ceremonies. At the High school I studied Eastern European dances and Western Dances such as the Waltz, Rock&Roll, Twist, Chachacha etc.: My first performance was at the High School dancing a Scottish Dance.

I was fascinated by Flamenco and mostly Folk dances.

At the University I studied Samba, African, Indian and Flamenco.

In Germany I founded my first Dance Company, called Banat As Sahra ( Daughter of the Sahara Desert) which instrumental was to fight against misconception of Orientalism and mystification of Arab women. While living in London U.K. I founded the dance company “The Tafsoutettes” focusing more on North African Maghreb Dances. I was featured by the BBC and other TV channels.

Although I am a dance artist, I also write poetry and articles re N.A culture and women. I see myself as a humanist and as I was a war child, I am very sensitive to the safety of children in the world.



2.  What do you wish more people knew about your traditional dance?

At that time the focus in Germany and the UK was on the so called “Belly Dance”, a term I never could identify myself with as to me it didn’t give dignity and pride to Arab women. The Arab ethnic dances were added in the “Belly Dance” repertoire but not really taken seriously and not studied thoroughly. The focus was more on costuming ( that came from Orientalism) but not performing the dance properly. I was faced by many prejudices by “Belly Dancers” about North African dance. Most of the dancers didn’t immerse in the dances of North Africa as they are different from the Middle East. A good example are the rhythms that are more related to African rhythms then Arab rhythms, the one is on the offbeat not on the onbeat.

 I started educating them already end 1970s and 80s not only in teaching the dances but in giving lectures and writing articles. Often, I haven’t been accepted by Western dancers as they didn’t know how to watch my moves. I kept going because I love the dances where I come from.

I would like Western dancers to do more research before they perform ethnic dances and travel to North Africa and meet the women instead of going to North Africa, studying Belly dance with a Western Dancer and connect only with men. They would learn so much about the culture and the dance if they were exposed to North African women.  The dances I come from have a history, a meaning and it is to empower women without the focus on being sexy but honoring the roots and respecting the society not to mention dancing with joy!

 I used to get very upset about the cultural appropriation and then I decided to give lectures about it as well as about other topics such as our Tribal marks and their meanings. Tribal Belly dancers used my website to get ideas about the Tribal marks, appropriated that without knowing that we get initiated, before we have a tribal mark, and we don’t choose them the Shaman is the one who knows what to use and we do honor her knowledge.

White dancers used often pictures of orientalism and got inspired by them without finding out what happened during colonialism.

At Tribal dance festivals I stopped using my own tribal marks because the most of Tribal dancers used them.

I accept cultural appreciation if that is done with respect without harming North African dancers like me.



3.  What sets Algerian dance apart from other traditional dances of the region or N. Africa?

Algeria is the biggest African and Arab country. There are so many dances and music styles that haven’t been discovered nor exposed yet. As Algeria is in the middle between Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya, there are so many influences. All depends on where the people come from. As I come from the Northeast of Algerian therefore very close to Tunisia, we have the same moves and a variety of styles and music. As an Amazigh woman, I learn the Amazigh dances of my region called Chaoui/ Shawi as a child., we learned the same songs .If an Algerian comes from the West, there will be a similarity with Moroccan dances and music styles. The Amazigh dance styles are all fertility dances and have something in common which is worshipping Mother Earth.

The Andalusian dance styles are related to the Moors in El Andalus and although there are some music styles such as the Malouf, the Garnati that came from Granada, the Haouzi in the region of Algiers and the Melhoun known mostly in Morocco they all play the Noubat (Plural of Nouba, meaning a suite or symphony) as that style of music is played in relation to the position of the sun.

Therefore, Algerian dances are very rich and vary from one region to the other. The similarities with other N.A dance styles is the influence of Turkish music even Greek music in the region where I grew up. It is a Mediterranean influence even in contemporary music such as in Raï music that is so popular now even in Morocco and Egypt.

Today through the internet, there is more influences from one NA country to another and that appears often in weddings , not to mention that the new trend is to add Indian henna patterns and even wearing Indian Sarees.

Everywhere in NA we play offbeat rhythms and I have been immersed in all styles and when I hear music and see a dancer I know instinctively where that style comes from.

Some Algerian songs are now performed not only in the Maghreb but also in the Middle East, something that never happened before!

In the whole Maghreb we do have city dances, Amazigh dances, Desert dances and ritual dances. What makes Algerian dances different are definitely the Tuareg dances from the Blue people of the deep desert where I am taking a group of people to an amazing oasis called Djanet where we have the biggest natural museum . Where I take dancers to my country, I wanted them to meet women, dance with them and share the spirit of the dance, then learn from them.



4.  Where would you recommend people find more information or begin to study?

There is so much information online but often it is mixed up. Sometimes google put pictures of Indian dancers, Kurdish, or Balkan dances on NA pages. I personally know the difference but not everybody does. Sometimes some information on Wikipedia is wrong. The best way is to consult authentic people. Fortunately, today we are a few NA sources dancers who are good in teaching their dance style and dancers should honor them and invite them to teach and perform. The way we perform is different and hardly for a Western dancers to watch or follow. During my career I was very generous with my time and sharing my knowledge for free. Western dancers need to honor us and pay us also properly. I would advise dancers to register for our lectures and workshops, travel to the country. 5. Lastly, what do you have coming up?  Teaching or Performances that we can look out for?

I had an injury and stopped teaching for a year, now I am starting again and am happy to dance again.

I will be teaching and performing at one of my favorite dance festival Jamballah North West on the first weekend of July in Portland.

July 11th I will give a lecture for the Fusion Festival in Augsburg, Germany.

I have been selected to be part of an amazing and unique event called the Ten Tiny Stage dancers taking place on July 13th in Beaverton, Oregon

I am open to be invited to other dance festival in the country or other continents.

I am organizing a trip to Algeria, first to Algiers then to the Desert of Djanet where we will be immersing in the Tuareg culture and finishing with visiting two historical Roman cities. I am happy to have already 16 registrations with dancers, musicians, writers and anthropologists.

 

 


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ColumbiaCunha
2024年6月16日

I respect Amel a lot. She has helped me and others the most with Amazigh and Ouled Nail culture. I highly recommend her mentorship.

いいね!
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