Where oriental dance comes from: A choreographer’s perspective on harem and folk dances of the Middle East

Abstract

Semi-structured expert interview by T. Samarina with leading Russian choreographer and Middle East dance culture researcher Ekaterina Lutsko. Ekaterina Lutsko is the head of the Oriental dance school «Jayran», President of the «Russian Sport Choreography Federation», international referee (IDO), the Chairman of the Arabic Dance Committee (WADA), senior Russian judge, the coach of world, European, and Russian champions in Oriental Dance. In the conversation the stages of the eastern dance development in Russia were discussed, as well as work of the Russian Dance Organization and characteristics of competitive choreography and performances of Oriental dances. The presented part of the interview is dedicated to the origin of belly dance, methods of studying choreography that have been lost, the influence of Middle Eastern folk-dance traditions on stage performance, a review of Mahmoud Reda’s contributions to Egypt’s cultural heritage. The footnotes use videos of the stage performances of Middle Eastern dances.