I was going through old papers and found an article from an Arabesque Magazine dated March/April 1994. This magazine was published by an old friend who was also my dance teacher for over 20 years the late Ibrahim Farrah. When I saw it I was immediately drawn to it as my friend Elena Lentini and I had just spoke. She had one of these statues and had shown me hers. I also because of her have one too. This statue is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I will not be repeating the whole article. I am just giving you an over view of this fascinating subject. The pictures are taken of my statue so you can see the depth of the art here. If you have ever seen Elena perform you know that this statue is the basis of her veil piece. So, enjoy this synopsis. When in NYC go to the Museum make sure you see this beautiful piece of art handed down to us from the early Hellenistic age in Egypt.
This tiny masterpiece is only eight inches high has come to us from the ancient world. Scholars have placed the statue at around 225-175 BC. She is so exquisite and a rare example of both Hellenistic sculpture from Egypt and complex natural looking pose depicted in dance movement from antiquity. The ancient origins can be seen here for those interested in the in the origins of Middle Eastern Dance and historians alike. You get an enriched appreciation for this style of dance. Many Greeks absorbed many Egyptian cultural elements.
Most amazingly she has Egyptian eyes reflecting the distinctive enhancement of Egyptian eye makeup. This touch of the Orient raises the possibility she could have been an Egyptian dancer. He costume reflects the rich culture with beads ans spangles. Plus she is wearing a mantle or veil The naturalness of her movements, her shy demeanor and her garments all are the perfection of a dancer’s pose. The skillful handling of her draped veil to enhance her movements, suggest a professional dancer. Her large, beautiful eyes shown averting her glance and drawing the veil across her face as her glance suggests inaccessibility.
She always eludes us as she draws her cape/veil around her. She extends one leg drawing the veil around her to highlight the movement. She is caught mid-step. She is perfectly balanced. Could she be dancing a Hellenistic cult dance to one of the gods or goddesses? Or is she dancing a more generic type of dance? She has the artful combination of modesty and flirtatiousness. She subtly holds the material to draw attention her hip and the soft contours of her body. Maybe, hoping to attract the attention of the young men in the audience?
She looks like she is doing a traveling step. Possibly a glisse’ which was very popular in the ancient days. Her weight is evenly distributed while maintaining a pose. The extreme angle of the dancer’s body as she glances back over her right shoulder suggests she is moving in a circular manner. The sculptor may have chosen this from her entrance.
Today’s dancers often costume themselves in much the same manner with a voluminous skirt and diaphanous veil. Across the span of of two millennia, the little dancer from Alexandria is their antique sister, a timeless embodiment of the eternal feminine expressed in the dance.
The original piece written by Patricia Friedman
Written by Morwenna Assaf
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