Nepenthe, American Belly Dancer

Two Weekends, Two Workshops

2009-10-11T17:36:00.001-07:00

It just so happened that two amazing workshops from two of my favorite instructors were offered this month, and so momentarily I returned to my past life as the kind of person who attended multiple workshops per month. As a new mother, it is no easy feat to get away – and yet it was extremely restorative to put my mind into dance and music again.

Amar Gamal taught last weekend. It was a choreography to We Darret Al Ayam, a classic. The choreography contained all the signatures of Amar Gamal, the Latin fusion she is known for, along with the Egyptian style dance steps. Badriya and I agreed though - it was lacking in Egyptian flavor if only because every moment was filled with something complicated - not a lot of contemplative moments. It did however have incredible musicality - the movements were timed to the unique accents of that song. Amazingly, she taught the combinations to different music, which they were still usually quite well-matched to. But it all fell into place when we started the choreography.

I have to admire Amar Gamal as a teacher - as she really observes her students. She adjusts the material for them, suggests adjustments for those falling behind the level of the class (and there were a few), makes individual comments, and even teaches in different ways in order to address different styles of learning. For example, rather than insisting "you must count" (as Suhaila does) or "you must only just listen to the music", she did both. Now, I'm a "listen to the music" kind of girl and hate counting, so it was wonderful that the choreography was so keyed to the music that I only had to listen to the music to know what happens next. Amar and I also had a nice conversation about motherhood, since she's expecting in December and I am the proud mother of a two-month old. She is carrying pregnancy so beautifully – and can still do those arabesques that so bedeviled me by the time I was in my sixth month.

Just as much as the first workshop was about dance, the second workshop was about music. Karim Nagi taught a three hour workshop filled with more Arab music information than you'd think could fit into that timeframe. Some of the concepts were familiar, but others really expanded my horizons. We began with Fakkarouni, and he analyzed every element of it with us - from the lyrics, word by word, to the structure of the melody, to the emphasis on dancing to the lezma's (can't pronounce/spell the actual plural of lezma) rather than the voice. Oum Kolsoum's voice calls for small movements, not competing with her, and the lezmas - when the full orchestra kicks in - albeit briefly - is where you accent and lock and pause before returning to the smaller movements. I will be listening to Oum Kolsoum's music in a new light, and will have to figure out how this applies to instrumental versions.

We then went on to Taqsims, first addressing the maqams - and I feel like I know more about maqams now - and then the structure of taqsims. I learned that taqsim means "division", and the division refers to the pauses between phrases. While working with Michael Gregian in Amira Jamal's class had prepared me to dance to taqsims adequately, I received even more insight from Karim's workshop. For example, we learned how they begin - and how they typically end. We were even able to distinguish the different maqams when mixed together in a single 2-minute taqsim!

The final segment was on drum solo. We learned about responding to the dums and teks, as well as variations in speed and volume. Finally we learned how to take cues from the drummer, as well as dictate cues to the drummer. Now I'm typically cautious about working with drummers. In my experience, drummers do not work with you. You follow them - or else you look stupid when you try to cue them and fail. One of the first times I danced to live music, I tried cueing the ending – as I had learned in a workshop – and the drummer just kept going fast and furious for another 3 minutes – after I had put my hand down and back up into a final pose. And yet, most good drummers that teach dancer workshops will tell you that they watch you and you can direct the direction of their drumming - and Karim taught us some ways to do that in particular with him - a body language that could also be taught to other willing percussionists. It would be interesting if this actually worked, an experiment best tried when not having to communicate your show's needs over loud club music.

I really love Karim's workshops, though I confess that I am so awed by his star power that I cannot bring myself to talk to him. So often I figure the workshop instructor is being mobbed by everyone else, and probably would just like to go on with his/her day without another fangirl. On the other hand, talking to Amar Gamal went so well, I might try to get over my shyness to talk more often. In fact, Amar remembered me from past workshops and a contest she judged - to my surprise since she must meet thousands of dancers. So, perhaps we fangirls are not so invisible or different from the dancers and musicians we look up to.

Baladi at a Beach Party

2009-06-28T18:57:00.001-07:00

It was so wonderful to perform for an audience again! I have been dancing in my studio alone for so many months, that I had forgotten the joy it gives me to connect with others when I'm dancing. The Bellydance Beach Party was one of the most fun haflis that I've attended in a long time, a perfect combination of social dance and conversation with performances of all kinds. I love the fact that a hafla provides the opportunity for us to see dancers who no longer perform in nightclubs, like myself - pregnant – or some of the more experienced dancers who still have all the skills and performance talent, but do not perform in nightclubs as much anymore.

Many women told me that they were amazed at how I can still dance at this point in this pregnancy, and even though I know I have slowed down a lot, I am proud of myself for doing as much as I have. I was glad to inspire some people. I hope my little baby enjoyed it too. As we watched the other dancers, I would drum the beat on my stomach – maybe he will pick it out and come out drumming – or dancing. Either one would be fine with me!

Thank goodness for stretchy baladi galabeyas – the only costume that still fits. I had told Zehara that I knew I'd be doing some kind of baladi – after all, it's the only costume I could wear! The crowd was great for baladi too – they really seemed to enjoy it, even with Badriya and I both performing baladi-style one after another. I loved the crowd today – could have kissed them. I had been so long without performing that I wondered if I had lost my ability to perform – it was good to see that I have not.

I performed the choreography I've been working on, Dr. Mo Geddawi's choreography to "Balady Yo'Kal". It is a super-cute choreography, and easy on my body. I also was able to make it mine, with expressions and nuances. I realized I was working with a semi-circular audience, so I worked in directional changes into the choreography. I must have had it memorized so well that I could do that, make eye contact, smile, express myself – and still not forget what I was doing. I think I only forgot one bit of choreography, towards the end, so I just did 16 counts of the next thing instead of 12 – and it was a travelling move so it gave me extra time to cover the stage. Normally when I do choreography, I feel it makes me more remote from the audience, unable to connect because I'm trying to remember the next step. The trick, I suppose, is practicing so much that the dancing goes on auto-pilot. It's been a great way to get my cardio workouts in – doing three repetitions of a 5 minute song. I've also spent HOURS with the DVD. To the point where when I see the dancers on the DVD (it's a live workshop film) make mistakes, I wonder "how could you forget that part – we've done it so many times." Then I remember – they are doing it for the first time live in the workshop but I've replayed this DVD dozens of times by now.

Now that I'm done with my last performance until I return after giving birth, I am going to focus on skill-building. I have two DVDs to work with – the new cheeky girls "combination nation" and Dr. Mo's melaya leff choreography DVD. I recently heard the new Saad El Soghayer album, which has a great song on it for melaya leff and I want to learn the style so that I can dance to that song at a future hafli.

I am writing this in Microsoft Word and I must tell you that it has no clue what to do with all these Arabic words or bellydancer names. Most of my blog post is highlighted with red for misspellings.

Review of World Dance New York “Love Potion” Bellydance Fitness DVD

2009-06-17T18:33:00.001-07:00

Love Potion from World Dance New York is the unofficial sequel to Luscious, a previous entry into the bellydance fitness market with the same instructors: Neon, Blanca and Sarah Skinner . Using American bellydance technique, they put together a drill session and workout. In addition to drilling the movements, the instructors make note of head angles, posture, and grace – the little details that make the dancer. As always, beautiful and flattering costumes are worn by the three instructors, varying by each section, and each of them trade off leading. The DVD is split into 7 different sections, each with a different inspiring name such as "Creative Flame" or "Goddess". There is a feel-good element to the DVD as well, little mantras uttered at the beginning of each section about loving yourself, talking about how shimmies give us joy. So, if you need a bit of a psychological boost, this DVD may just give you one. If not, these sentiments easily fade into the background.

It is more advanced than Luscious, as few movements are drilled consecutively and everything is mapped quickly into a combination. The viewer is expected to pick up on the combinations quickly and follow them, which is the reason why this is more of an intermediate/advanced DVD. There is, however, a beginner's practice flow, which goes through each of the sequences slower. I actually consider this to be a good thing, as the DVD will keep me entertained even if I repeat it over and over, which as a fitness DVD, I intend to do.

The movements themselves are not advanced – ranging from smooth moves like pelvic circles and infinity loops to hip accents and shimmies. You will get a core workout if you are utilizing proper posture, maintaining your core, and – as my teacher says – squeezing your princess. After the 40 minutes, I'm actually feeling it! For the cardio aspect, it's hard to gauge, since I'm 8 months pregnant and we don't seem to have the air conditioning on. I was sweating, but I don't know if the average person would. You might even see it as a "interval" workout, since the sections varied from undulating and circling movements to the more intense hip drops, accents, and shimmies, and back again.

The DVD is set to new-agey music. Most of it was OK. As a huge fan of Arabic music, the music on this DVD didn't really get going. It did make for nice backdrop music, but I wouldn't run out and buy the CD. The last section, where many of the combinations are joined into a dance, is set to a composition called "Goddess". I found myself feeling a little funny about the music – I just don't go in for this sort of thing, sung in English. It's very goddess-power type stuff. I don't object to the message, but it's not really my thing either. Luckily I was alone in the dance studio because otherwise I would feel pretty silly dancing around to "I'm a Goddess, Set me Free" if anyone could see me. That said, it's really nice to see the combinations and movements displayed in a dance, that was obviously connected to the music (as dance should be), and the dancers/instructors on this DVD display grace and, well, a goddess-quality when they demonstrate this section.

I should also mention that either of the two workouts on this DVD, Love Potion and Beginner Flow, can be done without voice cues, with the music only.

Overall, I got exactly what I ordered, a fitness dvd that works my core, drills my bellydance vocabulary, and keeps me entertained as I do it.

Dr. Mo’s Entertaining Balady Routine DVD

2009-05-19T18:47:00.001-07:00

As I've written previously, I became enamored of Dr. Mo Geddawi's teaching at Ahlan Cairo Nights in Montreal last month. At the workshop, I purchased two of his DVDs and one CD (Delli Ya Delli II) from Little Egypt. I had enjoyed his teaching so much that I wanted to take it home with me, but I didn't know whether the DVD would be as good as being in the classroom. This DVD I will talk about now is the Friday Night Workshop from Ahlan Cairo Nights 2008, the Balady routine. I also picked up the Melaya Leff routine and will probably write about that in a later post. This particular video is available here from Little Egypt: http://www.littleegypt.com/caironightsvideo.htm

This routine was taught to one of my favorite songs on the Delli Ya Delli II CD, the Balady Youkal. It's a 5 minute baladi song that starts with singing and then goes into a baladi taqsim progression. I have to say that this DVD was so much like taking class with Dr. Mo! Everything was filmed, from little stories and explanations he gave in between, and the repetitions of each part of the choreography, and even rewinding of the music and waiting for it to start. Normally, this verbatim reproduction of the workshop can be a disadvantage in these DVDs – but since Dr. Mo is such an organized teacher, it works very well. The DVD set contains 2 DVDs, each about an hour and a half long. The choreography is very clear and easy to learn, partially because of his explanation of the steps, and the whole thing is peppered with his thoughts on dancing and choreography.

The last DVD in the set contains a Q&A section where he talks about what makes a good dancer, the difference in talents between dancing, choreography and teaching, and even advice for a professional dancer to maintain her audience's interest and her performer's mystique!

One thing I had to learn about the Little Egypt DVDs. Each DVD tends to have two sections. The first section starts out always with an advertisement for Little Egypt's store. If you think that this is just an ad and skip to section #2, you miss the entire first section of the choreography. For a long time, with all my Little Egypt DVDs (I also own Dina Montreal 2007), I thought that the whole workshop wasn't filmed and that we only got select parts of it. It didn't seem to make much sense just jumping into the choreography. Of course, with Dina, I knew that we weren't really learning a choreography – it was mostly following the bouncing butt. But with Dr. Mo, I knew how he taught the choreographies in big sections, breaking it down into smaller combinations, so when the DVD started out in the middle of the song – I knew I had missed something. That's when I realized that you have to tell your DVD player to play the first section, and then use the "skip" button on your remote to skip the LE advertisement.

I am eagerly awaiting Little Egypt's release of the 2009 DVDs from the workshops I attended in Montreal. I really adored both the Baladi and the Oriental routine we learned. Something I like about his choreography is that I never find it awkward to execute, once I've gotten it down. I loved the Yousry choreography that I learned in April, but parts of it still feel uncomfortable on my body. Perhaps Dr. Mo's choreographies are simpler than Yousry's, or just better suited to my dance style – I'm not sure.

To learn more about Dr. Mo and his theories, there is a great interview with him at the Gilded Serpent. http://www.gildedserpent.com/art43/cebdrmo.htm

Nourhan Sharif teaches Raks Assaya

2009-05-17T15:07:00.001-07:00

May 17, 2009 – Pawtucket RI at the World Music and Dance Center

Nourhan taught Raks Assaya in Pawtucket RI this weekend. She included a lot of cultural information in her workshop – and not only about the Assaya. The first half of the class was mainly working across the floor with a variety of movements, the same movements that appeared later on when we picked up the assayas. It was hard work for my current shape. I completely agree that your chest should be more forward than your hips – but it's a bit hard to do that when your stomach has outpaced your breasts like mine has at this point. I just hope she realized I was pregnant and not just pudgy with terrible posture! I'm having more trouble keeping my balance when I turn these days as well. And forget about floorwork, which surprisingly there was some in this choreography (Ghawazee style). I have to believe that I will get my dancing mojo back along with my old body after I give birth. In the meantime, I'm giving Kai lots of great exposure to Arabic music, which I hope has an influence on him.

There was one embarrassing moment when she asked if anyone knew a rhythm and I volunteered Saidi. She asked me to describe it, so I said "dum tekatek dum dum tekatek". I think she must have heard me wrong because she said "No, that's not right." Then she told us it was Dum tekatek dum dum tekatek (same thing for the record, if you can't sound it out through the text)….even though I knew it was a matter of hearing, I still felt I had to prove my Saidi chops for the rest of the day. I know my music! I may not be the best dancer but I care deeply about the music and the culture! The important thing is that we all learned from it, we then worked on the Saidi rhythm of course. Which you kinda need for Raks Assaya!

The workshop was challenging in a completely different way than Yousry Sharif's workshop in April. The choreography, when we got to it, was simple and most of what we were learning was basic. However, it was hard work! Nourhan has beautifully muscled calves and the rest of her legs must be similarly stacked because I certainly would be if I worked out like that every day. Also, when I say it was basic, I mean that it wasn't complicated – doing it correctly is another matter. I know I certainly need a bit more practice with my cane, especially when we started spinning it backwards and with our left hands. I learned Raks Assaya initially from Nourhan's video, so I was familiar with the material, but I always need more practice and it was valuable to have the real thing, live and in three dimensions, and be able to ask questions.

It was a tight workshop space-wise. Somehow we managed not to hit each other with the canes, but there wasn't enough room at times to extend your arms. Across the floor exercises can be difficult when people are not familiar with how much space they take up and are not careful to see the person in front of them. I do not take huge steps – I tend to make small steps – so it takes me longer to get across the floor than people who take longer strides when they dance – even though I'm tall, I try to keep my feet closer together when I dance. I also believe those coin belts should be banned. If I ever run my own studio, I will ban them. Someone's coin belt burst and spilled coins and beads all over the floor. Sarah and I were the only ones to be picking them up - maybe we're the only people with sensitive princess feet. They are also so noisy. Too bad they don't come with silencers.

Bellydancing in Mexico

2009-05-16T08:34:00.001-07:00

This is a long overdue post about my fantastic trip to Mexico City, where I experienced the generous hospitality of Sharid Sana, fellow bellydancer and Mexico City native.

February 28^th, 2009

We arrived in Mexico City to be greeted by Sharid Saná and her boyfriend. It was such a joy and relief to see the big pink sign with my name on it. I literally jumped for joy. Sharid could not be a nicer person, and although we were stuck in traffic for an hour and a half, she was very good-natured and we talked about bellydance most of the way, talking about teachers we've taken with and workshops we've attended. I had made up a little present of the By Dancers for Dancers 4 DVD, and I was thrilled that she didn't own it already.

Alli and I caught up on some sleep; then Sharid picked us up for the evening. I knew we were going to a Lebanese restaurant, the first one she danced at, and the one she considers to be like a family – the way I feel about the Middle East Restaurant. I did not know that in two days she had put together a hafli! She invited some of the best dancers in Mexico City to perform along with the members of her two troupes. The restaurant, Al Andalus, is beautifully appointed with a marble floor, tiled walls, high ceilings and lots of plants. Any of us would be so lucky to dance in such a place. And their food was top-notch, some of the best Lebanese food I've had – particularly the kibbe.

I was so honored by the surprise, and of course so happy to be enjoying Arabic music and dance. Some of the dancers used Latin music, and one even danced to the Pink Panther. All had a lot of personality, and her students are a credit to her. One of my favorites was a special guest, who danced an authentic Raks Assaya. I also enjoyed the duo dancing sha'abi style to El Toto Nai (heck, I sang along.) Particularly impressive was her student Hana Malak, who has studied for only two years but shows incredible virtuosity in this art form.

To complete the amazing surprise, Sharid did a 5-part routine. She opened her set playing zills while swirling a silk veil, the topic of her workshop where I met her in Las Vegas. Then, she performed a double-sword piece to fast music, another impressive feat. The next piece I think was an Arabic pop song, complete with lip-synching and gestures – very charming. I think it started out going "la la la la" (la means no in Arabic), so she was shaking her finger No. I loved that! Then the drum solo – all I can say is that this woman is equal to Jillina. All in all the show was simply amazing – I had only seen Sharid dance to one song (E Hantour) in Vegas – but I remember it was one of my favorites of the whole evening. Tonight I was just in awe.

Another thing that awed me – the friendliness of everyone. All the performers came over to greet me after the show, and I was also seated with some other friends and students of Sharid. To some levels of success, we chatted in a mixture of Spanish and English – mostly Spanish and I tried to express myself – again, to varying levels of success. I just don't have the fluency, to know the words I want to use. Trying to remember the word for Eggplant in Spanish (to describe Baba Ghanoush to another woman who had not had Lebanese food before) left me speechless. Eventually I found myself describing the "a big purple vegetable", it was the best I could do.

Alli was practicing her Spanish too and I was pleased to see her try to talk to people, with the few words she knows. I just love that she is learning Spanish too. I envision many more trips to Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries where we will get better and better at speaking Spanish, and taking our kid with us too to also become bilingual. Besides, I already love Mexico and I would love to come here again and again.

After the show and the meal, we sampled some of the delicious desserts offered by Al Andalus in their bakery. To my surprise, as guests of Sharid, we received our little dessert box as a gift. We met the owners of the restaurant, and I had to remember that they probably speak Arabic and Spanish, not Arabic and English as I've come to expect – so I did get a chance to use my Arabic as well. The honey balls, which I had not seen before, were delicious. I also had a pistachio filled roll and baklava. I wish the Middle East back in Boston did more Lebanese desserts.

Mexico City is a beautiful, tree-filled city. The air pollution has been over-rated – it is perfectly easy to breathe here (unlike Cairo or Agra). Some avenues are lined with tree-shaded walkways in their center, and the old buildings in the colonia roma where we are staying are charming. The traffic however is miserable – I am glad we do not have to drive here.

Today we are going to go out with Sharid on the turibus, visiting the centro, and then Coyoacan and San Angel. Whatever we do, I know it's going to be fun.

Ahlan Cairo Nights 2009 - Montreal

2009-04-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take one more big dance trip this year, and so I chose Ahlan Cairo Nights in Montreal. I was exactly six months pregnant and I found I was able to keep up with MOST of the workshops, although Randa pushed me beyond my limit. Gone are the days where I could dine on a single Larabar and keep dancing all day!

The biggest surprise of the weekend was the fantastic Dr. Mo, co-founder of the Reda troupe. At seventy years old, he is as strong and lively as a man half his age. He has a calm, kind teaching style, and doesn't hesitate to correct. I liked that he would get down on the floor, hold hands with someone struggling with a move and walk them through it. For each workshop he taught, we got through an entire choreography and they were easy to remember because he has studied how people's memories work. We learned each choreography in a series of blocks. He is also a fan of repetition, returning to something from an earlier part of the choreography. In fact, he told us - if you do something beautiful, you must repeat it - and if you do something complicated, you must repeat it immediately so that the audience can understand just how difficult it was.

He taught a classical oriental routine with Andalusian elements, where Andalusian dance is an imagination of the court dances of Moorish Spain, as there are no records of what their dance styles were like. He also taught a Sha'abi choreography to one of Saad's latest hits. The Sha'abi/Baladi choreography was my favorite - cute, fun, and sassy. But I did feel like a princess with all of the arabesques and turns of the Andalusian routine.

But it was more than the choreography . . . it was the advice he gave on the dance. One of my favorites: "We do not dance to impress - we dance to make people happy". I couldn't agree more. I wouldn't want to share all his secrets - for those, you can pick up a DVD from Little Egypt or attend one of his workshops.

Exhausted, but so Inspired

2009-04-05T17:29:00.001-07:00

I'm back from the weekend-long Yousry Sharif workshop in Mansfield, MA – with two new music CDs and a head full of beautiful choreography. It is the first time that I have enjoyed the choreography from a workshop enough to want to memorize it and keep it forever. I noticed that several others felt the same way. We learned seven and a half minutes of choreography in total, to the adorably named "Raqset Kitty!". It included everything from latin-inspired steps to khaleegy to the Robot. Yousry was a kind and clear instructor, who did not live up to his reputation of sternness. In fact, he smiled quite a bit and was fun. Don't get me wrong – it was a serious workshop – and serious hard work. I was thoroughly beat by the end and could barely lift a hip.

My friends and I also had the pleasure of going to the World Dance and Music Center in Pawtucket RI for a post-workshop show (not connected to the workshop). Lola put together a beautiful evening with four dancers (Ok, I was one of them) and the highlight for me was the band. George Rizk is an expert drummer, and I already knew that I enjoyed Mitchell Kaltsunas' ensemble. They played the most gorgeous version of Leilet Hob for me, and the drum solo was the best drum solo I've had live. There was none of the usual muddiness, only clear and crisp Dums and Taks.

Both events were significantly far from my house, but I would drive that far again for either experience. For now though, I am going to rest my tired body.

Review: Ranya Renee’s Two Disc Instructional DVD on Baladi

2009-03-21T08:20:00.001-07:00

My favorite new DVD has got to be Ranya Renee's first in a series of three DVDs on Egyptian Dance, this one on Baladi. I have longed for a video or workshop about baladi, not just a choreography demonstration, but something that explained the essence of baladi. Baladi, in terms of this DVD and Egyptian dance, is a specifically Egyptian dance performed to their baladi (or country) music. Ranya explained that baladi can mean other things in the surrounding Arabic countries. It is commonly done at weddings and parties, by both men and women, but Raks Sharki performers will often do a baladi section to their full routine. The DVD is all I hoped for, and then some. It is actually a two DVD set, containing 3 hours of material.

The first DVD focuses on the baladi music, and movements stylized for baladi. She spends the first 30 minutes explaining the music, with live musicians, one of whom grew up on Mohammed Ali Street in Cairo. He demonstrates on the accordion how the baladi is different in Alexandria, Upper Egypt, at a street wedding, or a nightclub. Ranya Renee also had the drummers demonstrate the different rhythms you will hear in the progression, and how they play off the accordion. She demonstrated the differences between a women's street baladi, men's street baladi, and a nightclub baladi. Then, she demonstrates each style, in costume.

On the second half of the first DVD, she teaches techniques for each section of the baladi and demonstrates how to make them more "baladi" style. The drills are separated into movements for each musical section, the taqsim (musical improvisation) that starts each baladi, then the call & response section, the maqsoum rhythm – slow and fast – and the 2-beat Ingerara. The ingerara section (the fast section at the end of a baladi progression) was a challenge in the past for me. I always felt like I couldn't dance that fast and didn't have enough "fast moves" to fill the time. I would look for baladi progressions with a very short Ingerara. With Ranya Renee's DVD, I am no longer limited, except my own endurance!

The technique section begins with posture and even an advanced dancer should not skip over it. First, it is taught in a most charming way using props to demonstrate. The use of the amusing props, such as a miniskirt to show how your muscles are tight but fluid around that area, or the zipper up the pelvis to show how you are "zipped up" through those muscles, brought the points home to me in a new way. I have talked to several others about this DVD and all have remarked on this section, how it made them feel very different. Given these postural changes – and understanding the muscle mechanics – I feel I am getting a juicier look to my abdominal isolations.

With all this in mind, she talked about framing. She demonstrated the hows and more importantly the whys. I was thrilled that Ranya showed that you can in fact use your arms in baladi to express the music. I had a private lesson where I was taught not to use them as much, and I found it a little restrictive. It is just a matter of understanding how to use the arms. The abdominal core and hips are still the main focus of musical expression in the body. Ranya also talked about making it personal, letting the music sing through your body. As this music has always moved me to dance, I felt freer hearing this – I had let other people's hang-ups about what you should and shouldn't do creep into my mind until I became insecure dancing baladi. I loved the way she described this dance as one where you feel confident in yourself, your body – proud and strong.

While the movements she teaches in the instructional section will all be very familiar – aside from a new type of "jewel" that I had not seen before – the student may find they feel entirely different when engaging the muscles as instructed in the postural section. The fluid taqsim moves were quite delicious with that sense of holding and fluid tension in the core! The ingerara section could serve as a workout in itself – Ranya has endless energy.

The second DVD focuses on improvisation, as baladi is an improvisational dance. Ranya talks in general about improvisation in baladi, and then leads the student into drills. There are three baladi progressions on the DVD for improvisations. For each one, she discusses the music, danced through it twice, and then goes into the drills. It was not clear to me if the dancing section was intended for the student to watch, follow along, or dance alone to the music. In the drills, Ranya loops sections of the music over and over and you can follow along with her, although there is no voice instruction. You also have the option to flow into the music and dance your own improvisation. However, I found it instructive to "follow the bouncing butt" so to speak, and follow what Ranya chose to do – to try to capture the essence of it into my own body.

In summary, this DVD is extremely economical for everything you receive with it. I am looking forward to the next in the series – on Modern Cairo style.

Review of 1-2-3 Drum Solo with Bahaia

2009-01-18T21:43:00.001-08:00

This is a review of one of the newest releases from Cheeky Girls Productions - 1-2-3 Drum Solo with Bahaia.

This is one of the best beginner drum solo DVDs I have seen. Bahaia has a sweet voice and demeanor, and is enjoyable to watch. She does an excellent job of describing and drilling the movements, and then the simple choreography is demonstrated in 6 sections, each with 3 opportunities to practice. This drum solo choreography includes three different types of shimmies, and creative use of directional changes to spice up the hip and chest articulations. Best of all, the choreography is very adaptable. I learned the initial choreography and have already come up with some advanced variations and ornamentation, so that I could use this choreography in my own shows.

The DVD begins with technique practice. Bahaia explains the muscle dynamics and body positioning needed to execute the movements, and then the student has ample opportunities to practice it to movements, with variations. This section contained 9 different techniques, including the Saidi hip drop, the choo-choo shimmy, and the 3/4 shimmy. Next, the choreography put these movements together, with Bahaia facing towards a mirror, so you could see both the front and the back of the movements. The DVD ends with a live performance in costume. Because of the way the choreography was taught, I have it completely memorized only having done the video once. I loved the fact that the full choreography itself was repeated three times. Often, a dancer completes an entire choreography video and only has the chance to do the whole thing once - or even not at all on some videos.

Cheeky Girls Productions is known for their excellent video-graphy and this video is no different. The camera angle choices and panning made it very easy to follow. As dancers themselves, the producers understand that the audience can't get enough practice, and that we love to see costumed performances by the instructor we're already inspired by. This DVD also contains a number of extras, from a delightful performance by Bahaia to an Oriental composition, to descriptions and demonstrations of the drum rhythms used in this drum solo. There is also the opportunity for extended practice and drilling of the technique without the instruction.

I would not shy away from recommending this video to beginner students. For advanced students, the vast majority of the instruction would be review, although the choreography is cute - and the DVD footage of Bahaia is a nice to have. Intermediate and Advanced Students may also enjoy Michelle Joyce's Pop, Lock, and Shimmy, which shares a similar format, but has more advanced combinations and movements.

Snake Dance Theater

2008-11-14T09:46:00.001-08:00

I am joining Snake Dance Theater as a company member. I just got my e-mail back from Johara, and it sounds like I have an OK to join the troupe. I am excited because through the last two shows where I was a guest dancer, I had a lot of fun with the ladies in this group. It sounds like the company is going to start working on some folkloric pieces, Saudi and Saidi. That's right up my alley. I checked with my family to make sure I could commit to more time outside the house dancing – and until we have kids, I have carte-blanche to do more. Once we have a kid, I'll have to see how I can balance it all. However, I don't know when I'm going to have a kid, so I'm not going to put my life on hold in anticipation of something that hasn't happened yet.

I also just bought a beautiful new silver cane from Susi. Finally I have a cane that's long enough for me.

Arab Dance Seminar

2008-11-11T09:16:00.001-08:00

After meeting Karim Nagi at the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive, I knew I had to learn more from him. So, rather than going up to Montreal this year for Ahlan Cairo Nights, I decided to stay right here at home – for the Arab Dance Seminar was taking place only 15 minutes from my house. I did not know what to expect. I had a misconception that folkloric dance could be boring, but I knew that I would enjoy the Debke, the Saidi, and the Raks Sharki portion of the weekend. I did not know that I would fall in love with Khaleegy dance, or participate in a mock Zeffa procession! I knew that Zaar involved a lot of hair tossing, but I did not know that it would be a transportative, transcendant experience.

The first day took place at the YWCA Theater. It began with a lecture on Arabic weddings, a participative lesson on the rhythms we would focus on that weekend, a lecture on Arabic music as it pertains to weddings – including a sing-along!, and some video footage. During this time, there was the opportunity to do henna and I think that if I had had more energy, I would have stayed longer. I had come straight from work and was completely exhausted and ready to sleep by the time the evening concluded. However, it was extremely valuable to attend this first session, especially for the cultural information. The Arabic language is important too but for those of us who had studied it before, it was a review. I didn't mind though as my pronunciation really needs all the help it can get.

All of the instructors were well-spoken and educated in their field of knowledge. The weekend was very scholarly, and yet it was very physical and we experienced what we learned. We staged a mock Zeffa procession to understand all the roles people play in the zeffa. We learned how a bride should behave, and how the family behaves, and what kinds of dancers are hired and how they would act. With live drumming, we sang the Zeffa song we had learned and clapped along.

One of my favorite sections was the Khaleegy dance taught by Kay Hardy Campbell, an expert on Khaleegy dance who has lived in Saudi Arabia. I was so glad that I had purchased a thobe for the event and felt like a beautiful Gulf princess in it. A few of us fell in love with Khaleegy that weekend and I hope to be involved in some Khaleegy group performances soon.

Cassandra Shore is a gem from Minnesota, and it was a privilege to have her in Boston. Her dancing at Saturday night's concert brought me to tears, her style reminding me of Sohair Zaki, her connection to the music during the taqsim, and of course, Leilet Hob played and sung live. I know that was just a string of phrases rather than a sentence. She also taught Raks Sharki, and I just wish we had gotten further with the choreography but I think there were many varied experience levels in the room. Najmat's instruction prepared me well for what we learned. Her saidi class was inspirational, with new moves I hadn't seen before – that I used the next time I did Raks Assaya. I would love to spend another day learning from Cassandra.

Amel Tafsout taught Bedouin dance and led the Sufi spinning section on the final day. She's also a fascinating woman and I enjoyed listening to her stories throughout the weekend.

Karim taught a completely different Debke class than the one I had had before, so I learned more variations on debke steps. It's still a challenge to integrate all those aspects that would come naturally to an Arab person, but I am learning and I find it easier to do debke now when I'm at the Arabic restaurants.

The final hour is difficult to write about. It would be difficult to understand if you had not attended. With Karim drumming, Kay, Amel, and Cassandra led a meditative session with breathing, spinning, and Zaar. The experience left a big emotional impact, and was a powerful way to conclude the weekend.

The whole experience left me renewed in my passion for Arabic dance.

Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive

2008-11-11T08:49:00.001-08:00

It has been almost two months since I returned from the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive, but I suppose it's not too late for an update – especially for those considering going in 2009! I could write pages and pages, but I will hit the highlights.

The event was extremely well organized. From the very first morning at the Station Landing to the last day, there were Intensive staff available ensuring not only the logistics of getting hundreds of dancers into the right conference rooms for workshops, but also making all of the out-of-towners feel welcome.

Workshops

My highlights were:

A full day of workshops with Ava Fleming – she is a darling, and taught some fun oriental combos.
Karim Nagi's debke workshop – energetic, fun, a great way to start a morning, really explained the principles of debke, the music, the feeling.
Aradia's drum solo workshop – the choreography was creative and her teaching is very clear – I found it very easy to follow
Leyla Amir's Egyptian Entrance choreography – the music was so great that I've started to use it in my own shows, and she had a lot of good info. I just wish there had been more time with her!

The workshops ranged from wonderful to not so wonderful, but I got more than my money's worth for a full weekend. It is exhausting to dance every day for eight hours, plus all the evening activities. I recommend bringing a full bottle of Advil and plenty of Luna bars as the hotel does not have much in the way of healthy food. Take a notebook, sit down, and take notes if your body has exhausted itself.

Evening Activities

The organizers put together two great shows with both the local and the featured dancers (Kami Liddle, Karim Nagi and Ava Fleming). Saturday night's show was my favorite, as it featured a hilarious comedian introducing the acts. Saturday night also had a cocktail party. Friday, it was fun to get all dolled up and take a stretch limousine to the theater. Afterwards, we hopped out and went to a great restaurant, then a lounge and a nightclub all in one big casino – the Bellagio. Saturday night for me was the official after-party at a really cool nightclub, where the local dancers took us out on the town, garnered us some free admission and front of the line status at one of the hottest nightclubs in LV. Somehow, after all that, we managed to get to the tiger habitat on Sunday afternoon. If I went again, I'd definitely stay longer to see more of Vegas itself, as the weekend was jam-packed. There was hardly time to sleep. I should add that the hotel had great hot tubs and much time was spent recovering there, soothing our sore muscles.

Welcomed Back

2008-11-10T18:34:00.001-08:00

I had a pretty special class with Amira Jamal, so I wanted to write about it. It was the sort of night that you dream of having. I have just come back from a few months of hiatus from class. I had been very stressed by my day job and going to a 2 hour evening class where you have to improvise a performance, not just drill movements, was a bit difficult for me. But lately, things have been going better and my schedule has cleared up, so I decided to return. I was in a great relaxed mood when I arrived.

Our drills went by quickly, even though I haven't done them in months – all the movements I used to struggle with actually seemed to come naturally and easily.

So, this semester, we are working on classics of bellydance music. Tonight, Amira Jamal put on a 5 minute version of Masha'al. Now, I've never danced to it before, but I've certainly heard versions of it. We were all improvising as a group and I was just loving every minute of it, although still feeling out the newness of this song to my ears. After our first run-through, she asked me if I would perform alone in front of the class. She said that I had really seemed to grasp the musical phrasing and she wanted the other students to see my interpretation so that they would have an easier time dancing to it. And she said to particularly notice my facial expressions.

So I danced through it, with my arabesques and my reverse circle turns and shimmies over figure 8s and all the things I do in the different parts of the song, just trying to respond to the music, stepping lightly where it seemed light and playful, hip-dropping into the heavy baladi section, emoting through the taxim. I played to each classmate like they were an audience member – and for some reason tonight it was easier. I guess it was because of all those restaurant patrons – you know you occasionally get the ones who don't want to smile at you and you just make 'em smile.

Afterwards, one woman said that watching me, she understood how the music worked. Wow, what a compliment. And to such complex music.

So all those long hours of practicing those really hard choreographies – the ones that started to make me doubt myself and wonder if I was getting any better? It is subtle but effective. I _was_ struggling with Randa's choreography and Hadia's "Layali Zaman", and still do. But with all that struggle, I was able to perform Masha'al and translate the music with my body – which ultimately is the goal of dance.

Right now, I feel pretty good. I know I won't get to be the star every time, but it does feel great when it happens.

The Bellydance Intensive and What’s Next

2008-09-08T18:33:00.001-07:00

I just returned from the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive. It was wonderful to spend a few days completely immersed in my art form, meeting other people who share my love of Middle Eastern dance, and learning. Also, Vegas is a pretty fun city, as you may have heard. I really enjoyed the full day of workshops with Ava Fleming. My favorite workshops with Vegas locals were Aradia's class on Drum Solos and Leyla Amir's "Staging a Classical Egyptian Performance." Leyla is a gem who knows so much about Egyptian dance, and sadly, she was only given an hour within which to impart that information. Aradia taught an lively drum solo choreography, and I'm impressed with her DVD, which covers details of styles from Lebanese, Turkish to Egyptian. Karim Nagi, a fellow Bostonian, was another headliner (along with Ava and Kami Liddle) and his Debke class probably put me in the best mood while wearing me out the most. I couldn't wait to get back to the Middle East restaurant to join the debke line with the new steps I've learned.

It was expensive, however, especially when I ended up with a new costume. So I have decided not to travel to Montreal this year for Ahlan Cairo Nights. I can only hope that Randa and Lucy return someday to this continent for workshops.

Instead, I will be attending a local weekend, the Arab Dance Seminar. It's a combination of Arabic language, culture, music and dance classes, lectures and performances. Considering that there are three days of information, the cost is low – and of course I will be able to come home and sleep in my own bed at night.

Overall, I have come back from four wonderful days realizing that I love this dance so much, and I am so lucky to have found it and to have it in my life.

Wash Ya Wash Vol. 7

2008-08-28T10:47:00.001-07:00

Yousry Sharif has released another compilation of music composed for Raks Sharki. Lovers of the series will not be disappointed. For me, it usually takes me a few listens to become enamored of a song – and it was on my third listen-through that I really started to hear this new music. I thought I would make a post about the compositions on this album. I wish I knew more about music so that I could be more specific and I welcome contributions and discussion on the music for others that have listened to it.

Layalina Raks Sharqi & Finale Layalina Raks Sharqi

If the name sounds familiar, it should be. Yousry Sharif released Layalina as an instrument composition on a previous Wash Ya Wash release. This one is different because it has vocals, a lovely female singer. The chorus sounds lighthearted and playful, adding interest to what might be a monotonous introduction. The first two and a half minutes are the same upbeat pop sound. The three-minute mark does begin a slower section, followed by a juicier musical interlude. Many of the sections are repeated frequently. At five minutes, a chiftetelli clocks in with a nay and then accordion taqsim. It is long enough to fit in some floor work if you were so inclined. Then, it returns to an electrified repetition of the introduction. Some people might feel that a song that clocks in at 7:49 needs to cover a lot more ground. For those of us who have short sets, we might prefer a version with half as many repetitions of the sections.

Tango Arabeka

As you might expect, there is a bit of a tango feel in this song. I don't know much about tango, but I imagine you could do some actual tango to the steady beat, with some Arabic stylings to the melody overlying it. This is a relatively short song, under 4 minutes, that could be good for a Argentinian-Arabic fusion piece.

En Continuasse

Dum, teka tek teka teka teka tek – I believe this is called the Waheda rhythm. This song starts out slow with that rhythm with some female vocals singing "oohhhhh". Then it gets a bit more up-tempo, following the same melody. A little baladi sound enters at the 1 minute mark, with interesting drums. It's not exactly a baladi progression, but it has that feeling with the instrumentation and the accompanying drums. This transforms into a very up-tempo repeat of the original melody with a lot of musical ornamentation. A woman sings a vocal chorus in the following section, which is repeated for the meat of the song, before returning to the original slow and wave-like melody that began the composition.

Alf Layla wa Layla

This is not the Alf Layla Wa Layla you might be expecting. I'm not sure if it comes from a different part of the same Oum Kolthoum masterpiece, but it bears no relation to the song that most bellydancers are familiar with. It's extremely orchestral, with some Western orchestral instruments to be heard. It is definitely a grand piece of music, and quite beautiful. I'm not sure if I would be driven to dance to it, or just listen to it. It is full of drama.

Haneen Raks & Haneen Raks Finale

I have most definitely fallen in love with this song. It has a big orchestral prelude before a slow and melancholy waltz-like section, and then finally kicking into the malfouf after the one minute mark. The songs contains so many different sounds, from baladi, to saidi mizmars and rhythms, to chiftellis with taqsim. The accordion baladi taqsim begins at 3:20. This song would really give a dancer the chance to show off all of her skills and folkloric knowledge. Everything mentioned came in small bits but it is there.

Wadah Howak

This composition sounds like a modern balady, with singing that reminded me of Adawaya.

Shagalounee

This is definitely a fun song. It seems to have a bit of the Spanish-Arabic fusion thing going on, stronger than Tango Arabeka. Heck, it starts out with flamenco castanets, stomping and callouts of Ole and Arriba. It also has a strong Arabic foundation in the melody that begins around one-minute. Then there is a section starting at 1:45 that sounds like a celebration or a carnival, very much arms around each other swaying back and forth.

Ya Nessene

This composition begins with the sound of a lone violin, soon joined by other instruments. It reminded me very strongly of Western classical music. The song wanders in and out of this slow tempo, into an only slightly more uptempo melody. What it conjured in my mind was one of those classic Disney movie scenes where the heroine is waltzing along pretending that she is with her prince. It does speed up towards the end. There is potential in this song to create an internal storyline to enhance one's performance. The section that begins at 4:04 seems to have a fiddle rather than a violin. It's definitely very Western influenced, and classical for that.

Diva Pageant details

2008-08-24T13:01:00.001-07:00

I suppose I have not written much in here lately. Rest assured, I will have much to write about soon. Next weekend is the Diva Pageant, where I am entering as a soloist, and with my duet partner, Lilya. In two weeks, I will taking my zills and veil to Las Vegas for the Vegas Bellydance Intensive, a weekend-long event of workshops and shows.

People have asked me about the Diva Pageant, so I will decipher Za-Beth's flyer and post the relevant information here.

Diva Pageant with 3 categories of contestants – The Grande Dame (soloist), Troupe Choreography, and Fusion

Show Time 5:30 PM
Courtyard by Marriot, 700 Unicorn Park Drive
Woburn MA 01801
Pageant Tickets: $20

Don't quote me, but Suhaila Salimpour may be performing as well, and rumor has it that Issam Housham is teaching workshops – I wouldn't be surprised to see him on the stage. We'll see.

Men in Middle Eastern Dance

2008-07-03T08:34:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I enjoyed the workshop I took with Tarik Sultan? A New York dancer, well-known as the protégé of Morocco but an artist in his own right, Tarik taught a choreography to Saad's "Il Abd Lilah" in the Sha'abi style of Cairo. He sold a CD of hard-to-find Sha'abi music, which I have been enjoying immensely. In fact, I was just listening to it on my Ipod. One song is called "Weeka", but to me it always sounds as if they are singing "Weekend!", which is what I'm looking forward to right now!

After that workshop, I looked Tarik up on Youtube and discovered that there are several men working in Middle Eastern dance. Not nearly as many as the women, but there are quite a few. I have had male friends ask me about whether men can belly dance and whether men DO belly dance, so I've created this Youtube playlist to demonstrate that not only do men dance, but they choose to do so in a variety of ways. It must be a challenge for them: finding costumes, finding a teacher when so many belly dancer teachers only teach for women, learning how to adapt the movements into a style that fits their body, and of course, crossing gender boundaries when most people in the Middle East and America think that belly dance is for women, at least in the public performance arena. Folkloric dances on the other hand often involve men. For example, Raks Assaya is derived for a male dance/martial art called Tahtib. Some male dancers seem to stay in the realm of folklore, or become choreographers and teachers, but do not perform Raks Sharki (the traditional bellydance solo performance). I recently took an assaya (cane) workshop with Mohammed Shahin, a former member of the Reda folkloric troupe in Egypt. I haven't found any Youtube performances of his that aren't folkloric. Besides Assaya, I have also seen him perform the sailor role in a melaya leff tableau, and he is also famous for his tanoura (skirt-spinning ala Sufis). I have also taken a workshop with Jim Boz, an American dancer who definitely performs both raks sharki and fusion bellydance. He is a LOT of fun. This playlist includes all the dancers I've mentioned and more.

When I was in Egypt, I was talking to a jeweler there about dance and dancers, and he asked me if I knew about Tito. Well, of course I know about Tito! He's absolutely amazing. This man agreed, and said that in fact he would rather watch Tito dance than a woman. He said to me, Tito is better than any female dancer in this country. Of course, while Tito defies gender stereotypes by dancing professionally, he doesn't defy the societal rules for men. Men are permitted to be in public life. It's not shameful to watch another man dance, and your wife isn't going to be upset about it. Or so I would suppose – I am not a sociologist, but I know enough to know that I can't make statements like this. However, I've read a lot of articles about men and Middle Eastern dance, and my conversation with the Egyptian jeweler seem to dovetail nicely with the sentiments in those articles.

Happy Birthday

2008-06-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

No, it's not my birthday - I'm a December baby. I'm talking about the song "Happy Birthday". As bellydancers are frequently hired for birthday parties, it's useful to know where you can find a copy of the Birthday song, one with a bellydance flavor.

In my research, I have discovered the following bellydance birthday songs:

On an unknown Jehan album, there is a routine that starts with the Happy Birthday song.
On a children's album by Madonna (the Arabic Madonna), there is a version.
Walid Toufic's Greatest Hits album has Happy Birthday in English, Arabic, and French!
The album "Bellydance Party" by Isis and the Star Dancers has a short and sweet version of Happy Birthday.

If all else fails, this youtube video has a very silly, possibly Turkish, Happy Birthday.

What Nepenthe is listening to, right now

2008-05-04T12:04:00.001-07:00

Because I listen to Middle Eastern music all the time, I thought that I could have a recurring topic on this blog – what I am listening to right now. I go in phases, listening only to Egyptian baladi progressions for a few weeks, then drum solos, then maybe I'm listening to just Shaabi. Right now, I have discovered a new secret treasure cave within my IPOD, full of music that I had downloaded, but not really listened to yet.

I am seriously digging Dr. Samy Farag. I had just downloaded a few songs from Emusic after seeing Virginia dance to Gawaher on video. Most of his songs start out really exciting, and they all have a lot of changes. I really like the full routine Gawaher because it starts out with a really fantastic entrance, and then moves into a short baladi progression, and a drum solo. It has it all, but at 15 minutes, I probably can't use it in any of my shows. So the song I currently adore and will use in my next set is Rakasni Ya Habibi. I love that it's got the fast exciting entrance, slow juicy parts, and even a fun section with singing.

I thought he was Lebanese because the first song I heard of his, Moghram Ya Leil, was labeled as "Modern Lebanese". And another song he does is "Set El Hosen", which I thought was a Lebanese classic. However, I just now learned (thanks to the Internet), that he's an Egyptian living in Hollywood, CA. But it just doesn't sound like classical or even modern Egyptian to me. His music has a lot of the same elements that I like in Mohammed Ali compositions or the Wash Ya Wash albums, by which I mean the complexities and changes and variety. But it's also very different from those things, to my ear. It has more of a Vegas Showgirl sound to it. I just asked about this on an online bellydance forum so I'll update this post when I get the answer.

A lot of his albums are available on Emusic, and on Itunes. The songs I have been listening to have been from: Dunia El Raks (Set El Hosen, Towam Rouhi, Moghram Ya Leil), Midnight Magic (Gawaher), and Masters of Bellydance Music (Rakasni Ya Habibi).

whee!

2008-05-03T21:47:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful night performing at the Red Fez. I did two sets with the live band. The usual band (the Arabian Nightingales) had another arrangement, but the sub band was great too! I recognized the drummer from shows at the Middle East, so we had a rapport. Because of the dance space, we had more room to interact than we did at the Middle East and I really enjoyed it. One time, we actually level-changed down to the floor and it was like a competition to see who could stay down longer! I gave up - my knees aren't that good. I ended up playing my finger cymbals through my entire second set. I guess I can be comfortable with my finger cymbals, when the music is so good that it transports you into another place and your fingers with you! At any rate, I really enjoyed the band and had a wonderful time dancing and interacting with all the patrons of the restaurant. I really understand what people mean when they say there is something special about live music, something you can't capture with a CD. I do love dancing to a Cd, especially since most bands don't play some of my favorite songs, but there was a true connection tonight, and an energy that suffused the room from the live music.

At any rate, I can definitely recommend the Red Fez for its food, atmosphere, drinks, service. If that place is always as good as it was tonight, it well deserves more of my business. Don't even get me started on the grapeleaves - best I've ever had!

Music, Improvisation, and Choreography

2008-04-18T07:28:00.001-07:00

I had the opportunity to spend time in a near-two hour interview with a ethnomusicology student, interviewing bellydancers about their relationship with the music. It was great! I really enjoyed being able to articulate my thoughts. I really feel strongly about the importance of Arabic (or Turkish) music to this dance form. I have danced to other genres of music, but as I become more experienced, it is harder and harder to do so. Music from that region of the world just tells you how to dance. Western dance music makes you want to get up and shake your booty; Arabic music actually informs the type of booty-shaking you will do. I was explaining in the interview, there are many elements in the music that help a dancer improvise. The instrument can tell you how to dance, the shimmer of a qanoun echoed in a shimmer of the hips. The rhythm can tell you what to do, directly when a drum roll is a shimmy, or inspired by the folk style where the rhythm originates, as in saidi, khaleegy, or haggalah. The genre of music, from orchestrated classical Egyptian to baladi to sha'abi, can tell you what your style and general demeanor should be. One of the things I love about Arabic music is the frequent changes, so that I never get bored of listening and responding to the music.

I am an improvisational dancer, although I will spot-choreograph an entrance. I "choreograph" by repeatedly improvising to the music until certain combinations crystallize, particularly if there are dramatic accents.

Yet, I take a lot of choreography-based workshops. Choreography workshops focus on learning a choreographed dance to specific music, rather than learning technique or styles. Why would an improvisational dancer take so many choreography workshops? I know some people who hate choreography and avoid choreography-based workshops. I just see it in a different way. I am not learning the choreography so that I can perform it on my own. Even if I could replicate what I learned in my own performance, it wouldn't be "me". Instead, I am learning, through the choreography, how someone puts a dance together, what movements they choose to put to what music, and occasionally new moves and combinations. I can remember the exact workshops where I learned certain moves, such as traveling with an undulation while raising the arms slowly above the head. I learned that from Amar Gamal. From Yasmina Ramzy, I learned a sassy grande hip circle, accented by little bumps on each of the 4 corners. From Yasmina Ramzy, I also learned to snap my fingers Arabic-style!

I really enjoyed the workshop I took from Katia this weekend, on Nagua Fouad inspired choreography. I learned so much about Nagua Fouad. Although I have been studying her videos, it was not until Katia pulled out her specialties (beautiful arms & hands, for example), that I realized I had noticed the same things in my video studies. I also learned the right way to do a hip drop-kick with coordinating arms, apparently a move that Nagua was known for. The music was beautiful and elegant and it was a pleasure to be studying the classical roots of our dance. Often people try to keep it interesting with workshops on folkloric styles, pop music, or some kind of fusion. To be dancing pure Raqs Sharqi style was a delight!

Easter Show, Underbelly, Upcoming Schedule

2008-03-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Easter at the Middle East was a blast! All of the regulars were there, and the Egyptians were back! Usually they show up after the dancers, but this time they reserved a table and were there all night. One of the guys jumped up and did my entire drum solo with me. I bet he would like to be a belly dancer himself! Jemileh, Susi and Alicia were also on the schedule, and we got a table together after our sets. Social dancing was fun last night too. I danced to Bel Arabi with a guy who must be learning his dance moves from Saad El Soghayer himself. He really had it down! I am starting to get over my shyness. I started dancing there a little over a year ago, and I could hardly look the audience in the eye when I performed. Last night was probably the most audience participation of my life, not even counting drum solo guy. I just love the holidays there.

I caught the Boston premiere of Underbelly, a documentary about punk rocker, burlesque performer and bellydancer Princess Farhana. The movie was entertaining and touching on many levels. There is a bit of crassness though, so sadly I don't think it's a suitable movie for kids. Every belly dancer should see this movie because so many things are echoed in each of our lives.

In other news, I should announce that I will be off on a business trip until April 9th. When I get back, I have a very busy schedule if you check out my Performances page. I am performing in one of Johara's pieces for her newest show, Emergence. Then, I'm performing in Amira Jamal's student recital, both as a soloist and a duet with my friend Lilya. I'll also be at the Morocco workshop/birthday show. Then of course, I have my regular dates at the Middle East, and my newest venue - the Red Fez. It will be a very busy spring! I love dancing though so I am looking forward to it. Life is short, so we should spend it doing what we love!

Good Press

2008-03-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

The latest NBDA event - the People's Choice Awards 2008 - were written up in the Boston Globe. The writer did a really good job of representing our dance form, in all its variety! I know he interviewed a lot of dancers, but he chose his quotes and story structure to create a very cohesive article about belly dance. I've been interviewed for the press before and it doesn't always come out this well!

Be It Styles or Backgrounds, bellydancers like to shake it up
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/16/great_shakes

old times and new times

2008-03-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

I love love love this article on the Gilded Serpent.

Nina writes about the old cabaret clubs of eighth avenue New York and talks about how things have changed:
http://www.gildedserpent.com/art43/ninacab2dj.htm

This article made me a bit wistful. I can't imagine what it was like, and yet I have heard so many stories from my teacher, Amira Jamal. She was a dancer in the New York clubs in the seventies, and she has mentioned these musicians, even dancing alongside Ozel Turkbas. Back then, she tells us - the dancer's set could last over an hour. I can always imagine her as a young woman in a blue velvet bedlah, doing sultry floorwork to a slow chiftetelli or taxim in a smoky club, one hand undulating out towards the audience to the tune of a mournful clarinet. I am happy to be alive now, but I would love to time-travel back to these eighth-avenue clubs!

As the author laments the end of these clubs, I do feel lucky in Boston. Not only do we have several clubs (the Athenian Corner, the Middle East) where you could hear live musicians accompanied by dancers; but we also have some new Lebanese supper clubs where live bands play for some of our city's best dancers (like my other teacher, Najmat). On top of that, we have the dancer's community, the haflis and dancer's events. There seems to be an opportunity for anyone to perform in some way or another. I think we are also lucky here to have preserved that old Turkish, Armenian and Greek music - thanks to our musicians (like Michael Gregian, who co-taught a workshop last night on live taxim).

However, lately at haflis around here, and at national events like Rakkasah, I have noticed there is a trend towards non-traditional. It seems fewer and fewer dancers are interested in using Arabic music. Even the Arabic pop is giving way to American hip hop. I can appreciate the tribal-fusion stylings, and there was a time when I saw so much novelty that I preferred them to the traditionalists. But it seems like we're losing decades of knowledge. Although I meet many dancers online who care about Middle Eastern music and dance styles, I see in our events many new dancers who do not seem to know or care to learn about these things. They would rather do something cool, hip, new and ultimately American. I discovered this dance on a trip to Istanbul, and I feel even more strongly about representing the culture after my recent trip to Egypt. I know I will always have an American accent on this dance, but I also feel like it's my responsibility to learn as much as I can about middle eastern culture, and stay respectful to the grandmothers of this dance form.

Because of my teachers, I have been exposed to the traditional styles of dance and music. Thanks to Amira Jamal, I have learned about the early traditions of American Cabaret, that smoky nightclub dancing in the article. Katia has taught me about folkloric dance, and the importance of respecting it. Najmat spends as much time as she can listening to live Arabic music, and has created her own dance style by watching how Arabs dance - and she brings that to class. Then there is my dear friend Badriya, who is equally if not more obsessed with learning authentic middle eastern dance, and the great discussions we have. I count myself lucky because of these people, and even though I am young in this dance scene, I do feel strongly about tradition and keeping this beautiful Middle Eastern/Mediterranean dance form alive. This post is something of an homage to them, as well as to the author of that interesting Gilded Serpent article.