Let’s Taq About Taqsim

Hi dancers! This week I wanted to share a blog related to part of our March focus on fcbdU.com which is Figure 8 (Taxeem) and Shimmies!

While I have lots of information to share in future newsletters about these, I wanted to start by talking about Taxeem. Specifically what does it mean, why is it called Taxeem (now called Figure 8) and how the FCBD®Style version is different from other styles of bellydance.

I should first say that Arabic language is Middle Eastern dance history is certainly not my area of expertise. I’m sharing what I have come to understand at this point in my journey. If this topic interests you then I encourage you explore it in more detail. It’s always so fun to get lost down the rabbit hole on dance topics.

LET’S TALK SPELLING

When you are researching, keep in mind that the way we spell taxeem in our style of dance isn’t typically how it is spelled.

Depending on the location and language, it’s spelled a variety of ways.

From Wikipedia:

Taqsim or Taksim is also spelled:

Sorani Kurdish: تەقسیم, Arabic: تَقْسِيم / ALALC: taqsīm

Greek: ταξίμι

Romanized: taksimi

Turkish: taksim

BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The book Inside Arabic Music defines Taqsim as: A traditional and virtuosic instrumental improvisation anchored in a maqam.

It defines maqam as: A melodic mode/scale associated with a rich oral tradition defining correct intonation, idiomatic melodic phrases, notes of emphasis and modulation possibilities.

In fact, this beautiful book has an entire chapter about the history, traditions and framework of taqsim and even how it differs depending on the country and region.

“Taqsim allows musicians to shine and demonstrate their virtuosity as no composed form can.”

For my dancer brain I think of it in very simplified terms, it’s a melodic improvisational piece of music and is typically played by a string or wind instrument instead of a drum.

WHY IS OUR SLOW FIGURE 8 HIP MOVEMENT CALLED TAXEEM?

This is a tricky one. Carolena learned this step and it’s name from her teacher Masha. As we know from our FCBD® history, Masha’s teacher was Jamila Salimpour.

During some of our geek out sessions, Abigail Keyes and I were talking about this name and how it may have come about. This is the theory:

Turns out, back in the day Jamila had live musicians in her classes. At the end of class, the musicians would improvise to allow the dancers some free time to just dance. In other words, the musicians would play taqsim.

What does your body automatically do when you hear slow music playing, whether it’s Arabic music or Beyonce? Your hips just automatically start swaying side to side.

Personally, I like that the step name is spelled differently than the traditional musical term because it indicates that it’s different from the traditional meaning. But of course, the new terminology, Figure 8, is easier overall.

HOW IS THE FCBD®STYLE FIGURE 8 DIFFERENT FROM OTHER STYLES?

I’m sure many of you that have studied other belly dance styles have experienced movements that are similar, but not exact to ours.

In other Styles - Most commonly in other styles I’ve seen horizontal figure 8s move the hips from back to front and then switches sides as if the figure 8 is seen from overhead. That one feels kind of like the first part of our Circle Step. For my movement nerds, this version is executed on the transverse plane. Yet another version (thanks Christine Agostini for the info) puts the weight in the bent leg and uses the floor to press the hip up. A common habit students bring into FCBD®Style classes.

The FCBD®Style Figure 8 - Our version is vertical. In our case, the figure 8 shape is seen from the front. If we had pencils pointing out from our hips, they would draw an infinity sign on the wall in front of us as we danced. For my movement nerds, our version of Figure 8 is on the frontal plane.

It’s also important to note that our FCBD®Style Figure8 is an open chain movement so we rely on muscle contraction to life the hip rather than just pressing into the floor. This is what gives it the oooey-gooey factor that makes it such a mezmorizing isolation.

We won’t even talk about Reverse Figure 8s and Mayas today, but just know there are several rabbit holes you could go down on this topic alone. In fact, I encourage you to do so.

As simple as Figure 8 sounds, it can actually be quite complex. This is why I took sections from a variety of classes to create the Focus on Figure 8s course. There’s even a Certificate of Completion at the end. Who doesn’t love a certificate?

Pay special attention to the section called “Review Weight Shift and Transition Drill”. This is one many dancers said they had the most lightbulb moments.

What’s your favorite aspect of our Figure 8 movement?