What is The Oum Kolthoum Project?

[mekyria]

In the past month I've been rehearsing for The um Kolthoum Project and I intent to blog about our journey towards our scheduled performance date. This post will tell yo more about the project, what it entails and the dilemma's we face. In the next couple of months I will post updates on rehearsals, costumes, lyrics, and much more.

Who was Oum Kolthoum?
Oum Kolthoum was an Egyptian singer and musician, regarded as the greatest female singer in Arab music history. Her voice was phenomenal, as was her impressive repertoire and cooperation with many famous composers. Her technique wasn't the only reason why her songs have a special place in the hearts of many people all over the world. Her songs were carefully written and arranged for her and contain beautifully written lyrics that express a myriad of emotions. Her creativity and musicality allowed her to improvise upon a song, changing the meaning behind the lyrics by using a different timing or changing the emphasis on a word.  Her songs lasted between 30-45 minutes to up to 2-3 hours. 

Why is she so important to Middle Eastern Dancers?
Belly dance is an art form where expression is of the utmost importance. There is no worldwide school for belly dance and every dancer has to find her own path with regards to learning to emotionally bond with Middle Eastern music and how to express emotions while dancing. The instrumental parts of Oum Kolthoum songs are widely used by belly dancers all over the world for practice and performance. Famous songs include Enta Omri, Ana Fentezerak, Fakkarooni, Leilet Hobb and We Daret el Ayam. Listening to her songs will help  a person to understand the depth of emotions in Arab music and will (hopefully) bring you closer to Tarab. Oum Kolthoum is frequently mentioned among dancers and her work is the inspiration for many dance workshops on lyrics and interpretation.

The Oum Kolthoum Project
This project is lead by Ahlem, a Dutch bellydancer who has a wealth of experience, both as a performer/teacher and as the organizer of the Asli Sharqi festival in the Hague. The idea is simple: take one original recording of an Oum Kolthoum song, ten bellydancers, a theater setting and a thorough understanding of Arab. Stir until all ingredients have dissolved into a full length theater performance. The choreography for the show is made by all the dancers working on the project, offering different interpretations and insights in the human emotion evoked by Oum Kolthoum's voice. The full length performance is scheduled for September 25th, at the start of the Asli Sharqi festival 2011. If you are around come have a look, the fabulous Aziza will also be there to teach workshops throughout the weekend.

The dancers were chosen through an audition in March/April and currently entail:
Agnes
Isandria
Hilde
Harlemin
Patty
Kyria
Amar
Joyce
Noor
(artistic director: Ahlem)

Dilemma's
This project is unique because it combines a complete and original recording of Oum Kolthoum with dance. Samia Gamal was one of the first Egyptian dancers to dance to an Oum Kolthoum song, but there is an unwritten rule that dancers should not be dancing when Oum Kolthoum is singing. This is the first time that a group European dancers make an attempt at interpreting an Oum Kolthoum song in a way that transcends the boundaries of Middle Eastern Dance while staying true to the lyrics and emotions in the song. I can't say too much about how we are attempting to reach this goal, let's just say that it is a long journey with a demanding practice schedule. 

More updates will follow! If you are interested in this project, keep an eye on my personal journal entries with the tag 'oum kolthoum'. We will soon have a Facebook page dedicated to the project where comments from all the artists can be found.