The Big 5: Lyrical Veil

 
This post is part of my series on “The Big 5”. Those are the genres that an educated audience would recognize, and expect certain dance stylizations.

(i.e., the genres for which just listening to the music isn’t enough.)
 
 
To read more about this idea, or to find links to the other articles in the series, check out the first article in the series, The Big 5.
 

Lyrical veil music

 

What it is:

A category of soft, lyrical music.

(I say “category” instead of “genre”, since most aren’t written with veilwork in mind.)

The second number in a Vintage Orientale (aka AmCab) routine is typically a veil song, in which the dancer uses a large silk or chiffon veil as her “dance partner”.

Most veil songs use a bolero or rhumba rhythm, or a slow maqsoum.

(Chiftetellis can also be used for veilwork, but they don’t call for it the way a rhumba does.)
 

Relevant styles:

This is a must for Vintage Orientale, and highly-recommended for Turkish style.

Egyptian dancers often use veils as part of an upbeat entrance, but generally do not do lyrical veilwork.
 

Aesthetics:

During a veil number, the audience will expect to see veil articulations, framing the body with the veil, soft hip and torso articulations, spins, traveling steps, and graceful arms.

Because the veil piece is usually the second number in the show, the veil is traditionally tucked into the dancer’s costume and gradually untucked throughout the piece.

This gives the dancer a rich variety of artistic options, since the veil behaves differently at each stage of the untucking process. However, some dancers prefer to skip the tucking, and begin with a free veil.
 

Resources:

There are instructional videos by Sarah Skinner*, Aziza*, and Shoshanna*.

If memory serves, only Sarah Skinner’s includes veil wraps; the rest focus on free veil. (Somebody correct me if I’m wrong.)

Shems has a very comprehensive YouTube playlist of veil videos. (Not limited to lyrical style, although it has many good examples.)
 

Songs to know:

Bir Demet Yasemen*, Misirlou*, and Erev Shel Shoshanim* (aka Yarus* aka Amen Aravod*) are all must-know songs.

Because lyrical veilwork is not part of the Arabic style belly dance tradition, most of the songs we use for veilwork come from the Turkish, Armenian, or Greek repertoire.

Two notable exceptions are Mohammed Abdul Wahab’s Cleopatra and Nahna Wil Amar Jiran (track 1 clip 2), made famous by Feirouz.
 

Tips:

Some dancers are uncomfortable with veil wraps, since they associate untucking with stripping. If you feel that way, I’d encourage you not to give up.

That unease often goes away as you get more experience with the tucked veil; you begin to see the veil as a prop, rather than as clothing.

You may also want to try a more open wrap that doesn’t obscure the body. If it’s not concealing anything, there’s nothing to reveal as you remove it.

Even an open wrap still gives you access to the many artistic options available to you as you gradually untuck it.

 
Check out the next article in the series: 9/8s
 

Your Turn

Are you a fan of lyrical veil work?

Do you use veil wraps, or dance only with a free veil?

Can you think of any other must-know songs for veil?

What resources do you recommend for learning veilwork?

Do you know of any good resources for learning veil wraps?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

 
 

* Note: links marked with a * are Amazon affiliate links, meaning that I will get a small commission (typically a few cents) if you make a purchase through them.

If you’d prefer that I not get that commission, just search Amazon directly for the title you’re looking for. That’s 100% okay by me.

I have personally used some of the items featured on this page, but others are just resources I found that might be helpful. Please read the product descriptions and reviews carefully before you buy, to make sure they’re appropriate for you.
 
 

The photo on this page is by Allison Perkel.