Candice Frankland is working hard to change people's perception of belly dance. The Auckland belly dancer tells Rebecca Fox it is an art form.
If you had asked South African business analyst Candice Frankland 10 years ago where she saw herself in the future, being a full-time belly dancer was not what came to mind.
Yet here she is living in New Zealand with her own belly-dancing business, teaching and promoting the Middle Eastern dance form around New Zealand and Australia; she recently performed in international dance company Bellyqueen's Journey Along the Silk Road at Queensland University in Brisbane.
‘‘It's been a huge change. Funnily enough, it's longer hours, but it's just as fulfilling. You have to think on your feet and come up with different ways to keep the business going.''
She is visiting Dunedin later this month as the keynote tutor for the KAZBAH International Music and Dance Festival, where she will teach workshops and perform at an international dance night.
Ms Frankland will be joined by Dunedin tutor Lisa Maia Ambrose, of Ylimayu Dance, and three Christchurch tutors.
She first took up belly dancing at her boyfriend, now husband's, suggestion when she was at university.
‘‘I thought I'd try it. In South Africa it is really big and popular.''
She discovered a lovely, supportive and social environment and once she realised she could learn about a whole different culture, she was ‘‘hooked''.
While she learnt a Turkish style of belly dancing first, she went on to learn the Egyptian style as well.
When she came to New Zealand 10 years ago, she discovered belly dancing was not very popular, although there was a small community that was passionate about the dance and very supportive.
She decided to make her hobby her full-time job in an effort to encourage participation in the dance in New Zealand.
While many dancers took on a stage persona, often using a name with an Arabic meaning, such as the popular Layla or Zena, Ms Frankland used her own name.
‘‘I've never taken on a name, as I've never found one that fit and I'm the same person on stage as off.''
Dancers needed to be very careful about choosing names, as they could mean different things in different Arabic dialects.
Most people tried out belly dancing because they wanted a form of exercise and some fun.
They then discovered a safe place to feel confident about their bodies, she said.
‘‘It is the power of the dance form. It can be transformative.''
There had been a recent ‘‘growth spurt'' with more organisations hosting workshops and international dancers.
‘‘We try to inject new training and new style and it is growing more and more.''
While many people might only see belly dancing in restaurants and think it looked a ‘‘cinch'', it took a lot of training and experience to get it to that point.
‘‘It looks really easy but when you begin, it's a lot more difficult. The point of being a great dancer is to look effortless.''
She bought the majority of her outfits from Egypt and Turkey after finding making her own took a long time.
‘‘I'd start one year and then finish it in the next year.''
Belly dancing was an art form and it required a lot of training, research and an understanding of the cultural context of the dance form.
‘‘It can vary in different countries.''
The dance form was also evolving as more ‘‘fusion'' styles of dance were created, bringing in influences and moves from American tribal dance, flamenco and Indian dance.
‘‘It requires a lot of study.''
Today's view of belly dance had been governed by Hollywood and the portrayal of dancers in movies, she said.
‘‘I want to change the perception. It is an elegant, beautiful and technical dance form that can be thought-provoking.''
Given the strife affecting much of the Middle East, it was good to put a positive view of an aspect of its culture.
It was a culture that viewed belly dancing differently from the West.
The two-piece costume with the stomach showing was a creation of Hollywood.
Traditionally, dancers wore dresses that covered them up.
However, the Hollywood version had been adopted back into the Middle Eastern dance culture, although in some countries, such as Egypt, dancers were required to cover their stomach and did so with a body stocking.
‘‘It's a constant dilemma for dancers and is policed heavily.''
Ms Frankland had travelled to Turkey twice to learn about the dance form.
‘‘You have to be careful not to overstep boundaries and to perform [to] any country's rules.''
As well as mastering the dance itself, dancers had to understand the music that accompanied it.
‘‘The music is really different; it's in quarter tones rather than half tones, which is quite strange.''
When she performs in Dunedin she will be accompanied by local group Unfortunate Repercussions, which uses traditional Egyptian and Turkish instruments.
Unfortunate Repercussions began about 18 years ago when a group of musicians interested in Middle Eastern rhythms got together.
‘‘It has evolved slowly from there,'' band member Bronwyn Mohring said.
Several of the band members recently travelled to Turkey to learn more about the unique style of music, which uses a 9/8 rhythm.
The seven-member band had bought several Turkish and Romani instruments and had lessons with Turkish and Romani dancers and musicians.
For band member Tanara Stedman, his skills playing oboe enabled him to play the folk-like instruments such as the duduck and zurna, although the clarinet was taking them over.
Martin Fastier was a guitarist who played the oud and cimbus, while Ms Mohring played the drums and piano accordion.
All of the band members had come from a variety of backgrounds, including rock bands, piano playing and singing.
‘‘Some of us are dancers as well.''
For Ms Mohring, it was belly dancing that got her interested in the music and its ‘‘exotic'' rhythms.
It required the musicians and dancers to work together, as the band needed to respond to a dancer's tempo and engage in what the dancer was doing.
‘‘The relationship between music and dance in the Middle East is very specific.''
So being both a dancer and musician was helpful, as it meant she could translate the dancer's language to the musicians and vice versa.
‘‘It's been invaluable.''
She was torn between dancing and playing but loved sitting down and playing the music with friends.
‘‘When you get it right, it is a real buzz.''
Some of the band members are also involved in another band that plays music for salsa dancers.
The bands would play at the KAZBAH International Music and Dance Festival and Unfortunate Repercussions was ‘‘coming out of the closet'' for the Dunedin Fringe Festival, she said.
‘‘It's going to be a big thing performing to a general audience. It's a big step for us.''
