You love to watch Middle Eastern dance, and as an audience member you want to provide the kind of support and feedback that the dancer will appreciate. But maybe you're not sure what's appropriate. Should you watch quietly, the way you would when you go to the symphony? Should you get rowdy and shout "Hey, mama! What a woman!" at the stage? Customs vary from one country to another, but here are some guidelines that may help.

Belly dancers usually like it when the audience actively engages in enjoying the show. This is not the time to sit quietly and politely--save that for the symphony! In fact, an exuberant audience response often energizes the performer and makes it easier for her to relate to you and the other spectators.

Below are some suggestions on how to show your own enthusiasm for a dancer's performance. Read them over, and use the ones that feel natural for you.

There's an old adage, "Actions speak louder than words." You can say a lot with body language! Lean forward. Smile brightly at the dancer. Make eye contact with her. Nod your head, sway in your chair, or tap your foot in time to the music. Clap in time to the music.

If the dancer does a movement that particularly impresses you, such as intricate stomach undulations, feel free to applaud either while she's still doing it or immediately after she finishes it, whichever feels more natural to you.

In the United States, dances are often divided into several "parts", with each "part" consisting of a song. For example, the dancer might enter to a fast, spritely song, then dance with her veil to a slow, dreamy rhumba, followed by a fast finale. It is always appropriate to applaud in the typical U.S. style at the end of each such part--you can clap, whoop, whistle, etc.

One way to let the dancer know you're enjoying her show is to shout something complimentary. You don't have to wait for a song to end to call out one of these expressions--it's perfectly fine to speak up at the moment the dancer does something you particularly enjoy seeing. Here are some Arabic-language suggestions, provided by Khedaoudj Megateli:

Masha 'Allah. Comes from "Insha 'Allah" which means "God Willing," but is used to express admiration. Ya 'Aini. Means, "Oh my eyes!" Ya 'Allah. Means, "Oh my God!" in the context of calling God to come to your rescue). You can also say it contracted Yallah, which means, "Go for it, come on!" Ya Halla. Means, "What a welcome sight!" Ya Marhaba. Means, "Sweet Greeting!" Ya Gadda'. Means, "What a strength!" Wa Na'am. Means, "What a beautiful bounty!" Qunti Fin. Means, "Where were you?" (Suggesting hidden beauty, such as the American expression, "Where have you been all my life?") Ta'alli. Means, "Come here!" Smalla' 'Alik. Means, "May God protect you."

The zagharoot is a vocalization from the Middle East and North Africa, and is always welcomed by dancers. Its plural is zaghareet. You can zagharoot in the middle of a fun, lively song to show how much you are enjoying the choice of music. Or, at the end of a song, the zagharoot makes a nice alternative to clapping your hands to show the dancer you have enjoyed what she with to that music. When the dancer completes her show and leaves the stage, use the zagharoot to indicate how much you enjoyed her performance. The dancer herself can zagharoot, if she wishes, as an expression of joy, or enthusiasm for the music. <==Click here to hear a zagharoot by Shira in RealAudio form. <==Click here to hear a zagharoot by Shira in "wav" file form. <==Don't know whether to pick RealAudio or "wav" file? Click here for a brief tutorial on Internet sound that will help you decide.

The zagharoot is easy to learn. Shout "la la la la la" in a high falsetto voice. Place the edge of your open right hand on your face between your nose and upper lip, palm down, with the hand angled so that your fingers and palm cover the sight of your flapping tongue. (It's not attractive!)

A word of caution: Don't overdo the zagharoot. Although it's a wonderful way to show the dancer how much you're enjoying her show, if you zagharoot too vigorously and too often you'll appear foolish to the Arabs in the audience. Besides, you'll have a hoarse voice the next day!

In some parts of North America, belly dancers in the audience will hiss when the performer on stage does beautiful, snake-like movements such as stomach undulations. In this setting, it is intended as a compliment. This practice originated within the American belly dancing community, and is unknown to non-dancers unless they have a close friend or family member who is a dancer.

But hissing is not always appropriate. In many cultures, including the United States, hissing is usually intended as an insult. For example, at U.S. sporting events, when spectators are angry at the referee's decision, they boo and hiss. At melodramas, people boo and hiss when the villain comes on stage.

If the audience is almost entirely dancers with their family and friends, and if you're in a community that you know for a fact frequently does use hissing to compliment the dancer, then go ahead and do it.

However, if the audience is composed primarily of non-dancers, or if you are visiting a community where you are uncertain of whether hissing is used by the local dancers as a compliment, then it may be better to express your admiration for the performer in a different way. If you hiss in a setting that is largely composed of people who do not know about the dancers' custom of using it as a compliment, you may offend other people in the audience by what they believe to be your rude and insulting behavior. And of course, it would be unfortunate if the performer was from another community and was unaware of your custom of using hissing as a compliment--at best, she might be puzzled by your odd behavior, and at worst she might be angered by the insult!

No one ever said you must express your admiration for a performer in Arabic or Greek! There are plenty of things you can say in English that will get your point across, and be understood by other audience members. Here are some ideas:

Wow!
Lovely!
Beautiful!
Nice!

Think twice before you use slangy expressions like, "Go, Baby!" In some communities they may be construed as an insult, even if you didn't mean them that way.

The Arabic expressions appearing in this article were contributed by Khedaoudj.

Khedi is originally from Algeria, and now lives in Austin, Texas. Although she never dances in public for cultural reasons, she does teach Oriental dance classes and workshops for belly dancers. Many thanks to Khedi for sharing her knowledge of the Arabic language!

Khedi (Khedaoudj), came to the United States in 1972 from Algeria to pursue a degree in education at the University of Texas at Austin. When she began to teach dance at the YWCA and the university, she became the first Middle Eastern dance teacher in Austin. She returned to Algeria after completing her studies. Later, she moved with her family to Saudi Arabia to work. While there, she was able to observe, first hand, the richness and the diversity of lifestyle and dance.

A quote from Khedi: "When I dance I am really meditating rather then performing for an audience. I am completely absorbed by the music and the steps I choose to respond to the music".

You can contact Khedi via electronic mail at Kmegateli@aol.com.

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