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Mar. 25th, 2005 08:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
merchimerchoh I forgot to mention in the previous post - yesterday I mistakenly dragged R to the WORST CONCERT EVAR! It was hideous. Malika opa told me to come because it would give me a chance to film her ensemble, but she failed to mention that her ensemble would only be playing one piece (Kashgarcha Iroq) and the rest of the concert would be filled with the following: a 20 minute long dizzy powerpoint presentation showing the presidents of Egypt and Uzbekistan together and emphasizing friendship between nations, 90 minutes of speeches in Uzbek and Arabic talking about mothers day, Egyptian culture and friendship between nations, 45 minutes of blaringly loud recorded music (pop and tradition) which was accopanied on stage one of the following - horribly mediocre belly dance groups of various ages, or a single vocalist lip synching. It was awful horrible torture.
The attempts a belly dancing made the orientalist fantsizing groups in America that lack real training look like experts. The lip synching singers was the saddest part. The first was a honored people's artist of Uzbekistan, a professional and reknowned classical singer. She was on stage alone, and the recorded background music started up. She began singing and as she sang the first phrase there were 2 vocal tracks going on - one from the mic and one from the recording. So she stopped singing and lip synched (as you pretty much have to do in this situation). I was quite disappointed because I wanted to hear her voice live. The rest of the concert, except for Malika opa's ensemble included similar vocal antics with varying levels of talent at lip synching. I was sitting next to Nigora, one of Malika opa's students at the uchilish and there were a few times when even reserved and quiet Nigora couldn't help but giggle.
The attempts a belly dancing made the orientalist fantsizing groups in America that lack real training look like experts. The lip synching singers was the saddest part. The first was a honored people's artist of Uzbekistan, a professional and reknowned classical singer. She was on stage alone, and the recorded background music started up. She began singing and as she sang the first phrase there were 2 vocal tracks going on - one from the mic and one from the recording. So she stopped singing and lip synched (as you pretty much have to do in this situation). I was quite disappointed because I wanted to hear her voice live. The rest of the concert, except for Malika opa's ensemble included similar vocal antics with varying levels of talent at lip synching. I was sitting next to Nigora, one of Malika opa's students at the uchilish and there were a few times when even reserved and quiet Nigora couldn't help but giggle.
