Teaching culture through dance
By BROOKE MESSMER
Copy Editor
BEMSOOO@PSU.EDU
Spring semester at Penn State
Harrisburg has been host to many
cultural events provided to the
students and the public by the Office
of Campus Life and Intercultural
Affairs. One such event occurred on
March 5 when Penn State Harrisburg
students and the local public
were entertained by The Habiba
Dance Ensemble from Philadelphia.
The Dance Ensemble is comprised
of five dancers, including the dance
studio’s namesake and owner,
Habiba. The other dancers are Lesley
Ashmore, Helen Driggs, Angela
Miller and Jennifer Brank.
Habiba Dance Studio was
founded in 1983, with a mission,
according to the studio’s handout,
of preserving “traditional Middle
Eastern dance forms and to present
interpretive works set to Middle
Eastern music.” Habiba Dance
Ensemble’s performance on
March 5 focused on Egyptian and
Tunisian folkloric dances. These
dances, as Habiba explained, are
traditionally performed at
celebrations such as weddings
and birthday parties, as well as to
celebrate daily life. Themes for
folkloric dance are very simple,
said Habiba, and can include water
gathering and flirtation. Habiba
Dance Ensemble performed all
folkloric dances, as opposed to the
more formal style of court dances
that are used by the elite and noble.
Habiba began the performance
with an explanation of what their
dances mean and how dancing in
Middle Eastern cultures differs from
Western culture. Habiba said that in
Middle Eastern dance the emphasis
is on movements of the torso with
little foot movement. Dances tended
to be done in small spaces, so there
was minimal room to move about the
floor, requiring the dance to focus
more on arm and hip movements.
This differs greatly from Western
dance that we are accustomed to in
the United States.
Habiba explained that their style
of dance is belly dancing, which is
used throughout The Middle East,
but characteristics of belly dancing
vary by region. Habiba used the
example of Iranian belly dancing
versus Egyptian belly dancing.
Both are considered styles of belly
dancing, but because the dance is
being used in different regions, there
will be distinctive characteristics
for each area. She likened the
belly dancing style of The Middle
East to any style of dance that
Americans have ingrained in them.
It is their everyday style of dancing
and involves improvisation just as
everyday American dance does.
Habiba Dance Ensemble performed
five distinctive folkloric dances,
each requiring different elaborate
costumes, jewelry and even props
in some cases. All were important
to the story and theme of the dance
and specific to the type of dance
being performed. Props included
water-carrying jugs for a dance
called Balass Dance, or Nile River
Dance, that told a story of women
from the Egyptian countryside
going to the Nile to fill their water
jug, called a balass. Another dance
that involved props was Habiba’s
first dance, in which she balanced a
clay pot on her head for the Tunisian
Pot Dance, Raks al Juzur. This dance
is performed to celebrate pottery,
the main industry of the islands off
the East coast of Tunisia. The other
dances were Egyptian and told
stories as well. One such story was
danced to a Middle Eastern rap song.
This dance was called Amouna
and told the story of a young man
who defied his parents by falling in
love with a woman that they had not
chosen for him.
Habiba encouraged the audience to
behave as a Middle Eastern audience
would by participating with clapping
and yelling out “Aiwa” in excitement
when we saw something onstage
that we liked. Habiba explained that
Aiwa is a colloquial Arabic word
for “yes,” which means it is the less
formal version of the word.
The Ensemble ended their
performance with a medley of
dances in the style from Upper
Egypt which geographically is
Southern Egypt. Habiba gave us a
lesson in Egyptian geography by
explaining that Southern Egypt is
known as Upper Egypt because of
the way the Nile River flows. These
dance styles included the Saidi Raks
al Assaya, the Cane Dance, which
was performed by women to mock
the men who practiced the macho
martial arts genre of tatiyb. The
second dance of the medley was the
Ghawazi, an Egyptian gypsy dance
performed by traditional rural female
entertainers. The dancers used metal
castanets in this dance.
To close out the show, Habiba
and her dance ensemble invited
the audience to learn how to do
the basic steps of Middle Eastern
dancing, the style that would be used
in social settings. While breaking
down the steps, Habiba explained
more about Middle Eastern dance
in general. She said, “Improvisation
is a big part of the dances,” and
dancers will do their own personal
interpretations with their bodies,
using little foot movement and many
hip movements. Habiba answered any
questions the audience had, but her
explanations of the culture and their
dances throughout the performance
were so informative that there was
little need for questions other than
those of curiosity.
Habiba Dance Ensemble
provided Penn State Harrisburg
with yet another look at a cultural
performance. Be on the lookout
for the many more scheduled
performances sponsored by Campus
Life and Intercultural Affairs. For
more information on Habiba Dance
Studio, visit their website at www.
habibastudio.com
Haywood makes a difference at PSH
Continued from Page 1
on a trolley ride in the outskirts
of Philadelphia, commenting on
the houses and how nice they
looked with perfectly
manicured lawns.
“She had given us
hope outside ofthe box
we had been placed
in economically. We
worked hard and
now we each have our
ownhousewithgrass,”
she said
These experiences
helped Dr. Brown-
Haywood to grow
and meet challenges.
She is an advocate
for eliminating racism
and empowering
women. She uses
every outlet available
to her in order to
accomplish this
daunting goal.
If she had to
choose her favorite
achievement, it would
be receiving the Dr.
James Robinson
Equal Opportunity Award. “That’s
the way we should live,” she stated.
The award is sponsored by the
Penn State Alumni Association and
recognizes someone who
promotes equal opportunity
through affirmative action and
cross-cultural communication.
Dr. Felicia Brown-Haywood
was most recently recognized
for her outstanding service and
accomplishments on Friday,
March 2 2007 at the annual
Heritage Breakfast.
The breakfast was hosted at the
Harrisburg Hilton and was produced
by The Urban Connection of the
Capital Region and Cornish &
Associates. According to the Cornish
& Associates website, “Women
chosen to receive the Heritage
Award exemplify the philosophy
of the Heritage Breakfast. They
epitomize African American
Women in government, business,
education, health and the arts that
have a relentless faith in their ability
to succeed.”
Someone from the city of
Harrisburg nominated Dr. Brown-
Hay wood anonymously for the
award. She is involved with service
regarding women and domestic
violence, sitting on the board of the
WYCA, whose goal is to empower
women and eliminate racism.
Although the nomination came as
a shock of Brown-Haywood, she
is not foreign to the award, having
sung at the 2006 ceremony.
She received not only the honor
of being a Heritage Award winner,
but also gifts from sponsor
companies; such as a gift card to
the Hershey Spa and tickets to a
Bears game.
In attendance were leaders from
major corporations in the area, such
as Hershey Co. and Giant Foods.
This allowed business leaders and
educators to network and build
business relationships with a diverse
group of people.
Dr. Brown-Haywood was well
deserving of the award. She is
extremely active in the community
and around Penn State Harrisburg.
She started here in 1987 as a graduate
student and was then hired as a staff
counselor. She moved to Gettysburg
College in 1990 as the Assistant
Dean, but came back to Harrisburg
in 1991 to the position she holds
now, Director of Student Affairs.
She states that the students are
the favorite part of her job here.
“The most rewarding aspect is
seeing the students and seeing them
grow, and the friendships we
develop of every race and ethnicity,”
she said.
Even for a woman who has achieved
so much, she is still very humble.
She is always striving to do more
for the community and her students.
“1 appreciate the students coming
out and supporting me. It was
an overwhelming feeling of joy
to have the students there,” said
Brown-Haywood.