The Art of Balance
by Zarifa Sa’id

I remember a long internet discussion about various ways to keep a sword on your head. I believe everything was mentioned except glue! The discussion went on and on about the various merits of turbans and other "cheating" devices. I finally couldn’t resist and shot off a note suggesting that the interested parties learn to isolate their body movements and begin by bending their knees. If they would do that, they would have much less of a problem balancing something on their heads. One party to the exchange congratulated me privately, but I heard little from other participants.

The whole point of balance dances is to demonstrate the performer’s dexterity at isolating body movements while maintaining an erect carriage and immobile head or while doing acrobatic movements such as rolling on the floor while maintaining the balance of the object. I have witnessed an array of efforts in this dance form, including someone who danced with a candelabra tied on her head. The strap went under her chin. That kind of ruined the effect. I also think that a sword sitting in a huge cushion of a turban is not very impressive. On the other had, I saw someone do an entire Tunisian dance with a water jug on her head. At the very end of the dance, she stopped, removed the jug and poured out water. This gesture brought the house down. It very effectively underscored the difficulty of her performance.

Balance Dances have a long history. They were associated with dancers who performed in circuses or circus-like entertainment in night clubs. I once saw in the Cairo club, Sahara City, a women dancer balance a wooden table in her teeth. She was hefty and the dance wasn’t wonderful, but the feat was amazing. The scene has always stuck with me to remind me of one of the origins of belly dance. And that is as public entertainment, in circuses, street faires, and other similar venues. In order to impress such audiences, it made sense to do feats of skill in addition to dance. The more varied a performer’s repertoire, the more likely to be hired again or to make tips from street performances. Related to the public entertainer tradition is the Awalim (wise women) who performed while balancing a candelabra. This is an old tradition in Egypt. Again, the dance didn’t have to be wonderful, but it had to be rhythmic and the dancer had to do something beside dance. I’ve seen a wonderful video of an Egyptian performer in her 70's dancing with a candelabra. She does splits on the floor and then tucks her back foot up under her arm while playing zagaat and vibrating to the music. The focal point of the performance were the contortions exhibited rather than dance technique.

An array of objects can be balanced while dancing. In the U. S. one often sees a sword, sometimes two swords. In the Middle East, it is most often a candelabra. In Morocco, however, men dance with a large brass tray holding candles. In Tunisia, women and men dance with water jugs on their heads. In night club performances, I have seen dancers place a glass of water or wine on their heads. The dancer drinks some of the fluid at the end to demonstrate that it is real. Another object balanced is the cane during a cane dance. Also, male dancers balance a stick, vertically on their forehead or chin as they dance. A basket is another object that I have used to balance. It helps to put something in the basket.

One of the origins of balance dances may be the cultures where women carry things on their heads. In fact, it is easiest on your back to carry a heavy object on your head rather than in front in your arms. In Nicaragua, I saw women with huge baskets of oranges balanced on their heads as they walked the streets vending the oranges. In many countries where water must be carried from a well, you will see women walking with water jugs balanced on their heads.

It was my memories of Nicaragua where I lived as a child that started me balancing objects. I would, as a child, walk around with a book on my head to mimic those vendors. It was very natural, therefore, when I began belly dancing years later to plunk a sword on my head and dance. It was easy and a way of "resting" during the thirty minute routines we used to do. It is difficult for me to teach people how to do a balance dance because I never learned it. I just did it.. I’ve seen workshops offered that took all afternoon to teach a balance dance. I always wondered what on earth they did during that time. For me the object is simply an extension of my self. Admittedly, one that will fall off if I don’t maintain my posture.

In recent years, I’ve had a student troupe that wanted to learn a sword dance. Somehow, they needed something more than "put it on your head and dance"! So, I constantly reminded them to bend their knees. We created a dance that included turns, balancing the sword in teeth while doing a backbend, a lot of fast steps, and some floor work. In reviewing the areas where my troupe had problems, I would say that the greatest piece of advice I can offer is to work on lower torso flexibility. That is, extend your range of movement in the waist, hips and pelvis. It is this flexibility that allows you, for example, to pivot in a big hip circle under an object without losing it. It will also allow for big shimmy hip movements that are quite impressive while balancing something, and, if one is properly isolated, are really easy.

The last piece of advice is once you have learned how easy it is to balance something, make it look difficult. The drama is in making the audience feel that this is difficult and letting them appreciate it. So give them time. If you have finished something difficult, such as a roll on the floor, pause before you come up, mop your brow, put your hands out in a "voilá" gesture, or do something to mark the effort for the audience. Also, if one kind of object is difficult for you to balance, try another. Some of my troupe members find a small tray with votive candles to be easier than a sword. Hint: tape the glass containers in place or they will slide, making your balance job ever so much more challenging. Happy Balancing!

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