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When
Amani took a final decision to enter the artistic world, she
telegraphed Mr.George Ibrahim Al-Khoury, under the name Amani, and
told him about it and invited him to a dance party where she would be
performing. Thus ,he accepted the invitation and then wrote an article
titled "Amani Holds Me Responsible for Her Oriental Dancing", and
which he concluded with one wish:
"All I hope for Amani's reputation
is to remain as white as the snow that covers her beautiful town,
Hamat."
During
this time, Amani was introduced, through the famous writer, to one of
Lebanon and the Arab World's singing Stars, the maestro Melhem Barakat
who admired her dancing singled her out as the only dancer in all his
recitals inside and abroad Lebanon. Their cooperation continued for
almost two years.
Then, Amani started working alone in
all the Arab World. In year 1989, she started to work on her own
style. She used a unique character in music and rhythms which no
dancer has ever danced to. And since Amani's dancing has been
characterized, and carried a new wave in oriental dancing (belly
dancing) that distinguished Lebanon from Egypt in it's expressive new
style which Amani used.
Moreover, what really set Amani
aside from other dancers is the fact that she is a well educated
person, a character which enhanced her radiant personality to the
extent that a press interview carries as much joy as her dancing, a
fact that prompted the distinguished journalist to ask Amani to write
her artistic life story and her opinions about it. Then, he asked her
to write another subject discussing philosophy and life. In addition,
Amani searched deeply into the old Arabian history books for the roots
of oriental dance, and excelled in her discussion of the subject in
press interviews and TV talks that people and, journalists in
particular adopted her views about dancing and its history. Amani
rejected the allegation that oriental dance is Egyptian and presented
sufficient proofs.
Amani
now aims at purifying oriental dance from all the blemishes that
distorted its beautiful image in view of the social and religious
ideas and beliefs which prevailed in the old times where oriental
dancing lost its real identity.
In 1993, and for the first time in
the history of oriental dancing, Amani represented in a corporeal form
two historical stories through beautiful dancing in an effort to
introduce culture and education under the logo of oriental dancing .
And since every kind of dance has
its own history, Amani thought that it was appropriate to present in
1993 a show under the title "Stories" which aimed at narrating the
history of the dance or present a story in a corporeal form through a
dance. The show was a success and that motivated Amani to present a
second version, "Stories II" in 1994, and a third one, "Stories
III",in 1995.
Thus, Amani became on eminent
personality in the art and education firmament.
Her
distinguished title became the Educated Dancer or the Angel of
Dancing. A lot was written about her which can't be all mentioned
here. Many poets and writers spoke with admiration of her dancing and
innocent feminine beauty, of which is the description written by
George Jurdak, the writer ,poet and sarcastic critic, who said: " A
gorgeous feminine fantasy which surrenders to musical tunes as Jasmine
breath to the breeze of air, dancing in a beautiful dream from which
the dreamer is afraid to wake up in order not to lose sight of such a
charm that might melt in a cloud of white perfumed fluttering
diaphanous gown..."
The writer George I.Al-Khoury wrote
after he saw her dancing at a night club: "A dancer from the orient
who became, within few years, one of the proficient dancers...I was
infatuated by your dancing style... a tender, flexible dancing body
that deals with music as if it's a musical instrument, meets with
dancing as if it's a dancing composition, and feels with sensation as
it's a bulk of sensation... all with a gorgeous beauty, an intoxicated
body, coquetry and provocation and hands which flexibly and skillfully
move, and a gazelle's walk... I, who one day participated actively in
your coming to the world of art, am very happy of the accomplishment
you've done...and for the brilliant future awaiting for you..."
Afterwards,
she presented her show "Stories" I "in 1993 of which Al-Khoury wrote:"
You, the youngest of the dancers, and the eldest in ranking, dancing
and art. You came from the beauty of Hamat to become an oriental
dancer who elevates dancing to the level of her hometown ,education
and high moral standards...I am very happy with the achievement you've
made with your show "Stories I"... congratulations."
It's worth noting that Mr.George
I.Al-Khoury has bestowed his favors on a large number of artists, and
he was a coeval of many of the art's giants such as Abdul Wahhab and
Om Kalthom in the Arabian Orient. But he always takes pride of being
the one who attracted Amani to the artistic world to be one of its
eminent personalities, he even once said: "How many dancers dance to
the tunes of music...and how many dancers does music dance to their
tunes ?! Only one, Amani."
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