They even had to chew gum while dancing to stress the point. went as far as portraying the wearers of the above described millayah as harlots and tramps dancing in the streets. In some parts of the world some of the foreign teachers. During the dance the supposed millayah was thrashed, twirled and flung around in a somewhat cheerleader fashion. ![]() The movements were filled with bumps, grinds, breast popping and shimmies, and many seductive, evocative movements that followed the belly dance trend of the time. These dancers strutted, their steps were perky and their expressions and gesures were completely alien to the Egyptian norm. In these performances, the dancers were completely oblivious (no fault of their own) to the dynamics, energy, temperament, aesthetics, body language, movement preferences and gestures of the Egyptians. She also objects to a lot of the dancing as well. She strongly objects to Western versions that include dancers in tacky and very short dresses wielding shiny, sparkly millayah covered with shiny plastic coins. Farida describes the Millayah Laff as a piece of clothing, evolving from a long coverup that women wore in public into a long wrapped shawl about 3 yards long and 5 foot wide. ![]() In her article, Dancing With the Millayah Laff, Farida states that Mahmoud Reda combined the dramatic potential of the Millayah with the concept of the bint al-baladi (woman of the country: intelligent, lively, charming, straighforward and dependable) to create what many Western dancers think of as the Melaya Leff. Farida was the Reda Troupe' lead dancer for twenty-five years. Egyptian Christians tend to associate the melaya liff with Muslim use but that distinction is not strictly observed in contemporary Egypt. The melaya liff,Īssociated originally with the city, has spread rapidly through the Delta and among the more worldly of the Upper Egyptians. The "entrapping" quality of the melaya is expressed in the proverb, "She spread out her melaya for him," which means she scolded him. Commonly when walking, a woman gathers up the bottom half, pulls it tightly around her and lets the ends hang over one arm in back view, the shape and movement of her buttocks are clearly visible under the cloak. It is in this way of carrying and adjusting the melaya that it can become a provocative form-revealing item of apparel. I've also seen pictures of black netting cut to size and trimmed with black ribbon that also serves as ties.įor an inspired version of a Melaya Leff dress, made up in white transparent organza and decorated with super-size pailettes, check out Dina (who else?) in a 1991 movie, Tea Seller.įrom her book Reveal and Conceal: Dress in Contemporary Egypt: Those open-work crocheted face veils disconcert me, but if you want to try making one, a dancer posting on Bhuz recommended using a solomon's knot crochet stitch to make one, a knot which generate its own borders. Tarik Sultan's description of Nadia Hamdi clanking around on stage in wooden clogs makes me want to look for some wooden clogs in my size. Other parts of the costume can include a headscarf bedecked with pom-poms or artificial flowers, an open-work crocheted face veil, ankle bracelets (Gamila El Masri prefers using one only, for extra cuteness), and mules or slip-on shoes with heels. Nashwa, however, uses an 8 foot long Melaya if you are making one, she recommends one that is your arm span plus 24 inches in length and from your shoulder to the floor in width. And SHE likes silk charmeuse for stage: lighter than jersey but heavy enough to move properly. ![]() She recommends a piece that reaches the floor when draped over your shoulder: 10 - 10.5 foot long (120 - 126 inches. The sizes offered for sale are commonly 8 foot long by 5 foot wide (96 x 60) but Gamila El Masri finds anything under 10 foot to be too short to allow full range of draping and wrapping. ![]() Ornamentation (sequins or pailettes) is sometimes applied to the hems, to the middle (running lengthwise), or to both. The Melaya is usually black, made of dense, somewhat stretchy fabric (jersey is often used) and can be plain or decorated. The costume for a Reda-style Melaya Leff is based on a short ruffled dress and a huge Melaya Leff. Keep up with a FREE subscription to the BABA YAGA newsletter.ĭina in an Organdy Fantasy Melaya dress, 1991 I suppose it depends on whether you are using the melaya leff (wrapped cloak) as a prop, which was done before Reda, or if you are doing the flirty kind of dance Reda choreographed, which is what most Americans mean when they say Melaya Leff dance. Some folks call this a folkloric dance, others say it was invented by Reda. Eskandarani/Alexandrian Dance) Vivacious and flirty, look but don't touch!
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