Teaching & Music

[Zorba]

I just had a thought - I'm going to be at Carnival of Stars on Sunday - in fact, I'm opening the main stage at noon. Maybe they'll only play it once or twice that day?

[Farasha Hanem]

Then there's the stuff that's definitely middle eastern - and even GOOD middle eastern - that has been so overplayed that its like fingernails on a chalkboard. My favorite to biotch about is "Sahra Saeeda" (drum solo). It is a VERY nice drum solo, it really is, - but I hear it at least 10 times at Rakkasah every year, and at least 2 or 3 times at just about every smaller festival and halfa I attend. It makes me want to strangle myself with my veil!

Oh, myyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! 8/

[Shanazel]

Wow. I have never wanted to murder kittens or strangle myself with my veil (being a cat lover and very into self-preservation) but I have occasionally wanted to whack offending CDs with a hammer and tongs.

Remind me to avoid both of y'all when you get into one of these moods... or at least to not meow.

[Farasha Hanem]

Wow. I have never wanted to murder kittens or strangle myself with my veil (being a cat lover and very into self-preservation) but I have occasionally wanted to whack offending CDs with a hammer and tongs.

Remind me to avoid both of y'all when you get into one of these moods... or at least to not meow.

I love cats, too, but...wellllll...I'll put it nicely: I don't enjoy the sound of Shakira's voice. A lot of people like her and think she's fantastic, and that's fine. I just prefer other singers' voices over hers. >.>

[Shanazel]

Go out and swat mosquitos instead. I make no comparisons between Shakira and mosquito voices, of course.

[Zorba]

If you want to talk about voices, Hakim's goes right through my skull. I've heard it compared to the braying of a certain barnyard animal!

[Farasha Hanem]

If you want to talk about voices, Hakim's goes right through my skull. I've heard it compared to the braying of a certain barnyard animal!

Hakim is actually my favorite. As far as Shakira goes, I won't mention what kind of animal her voice sounds like to me... >.>;;;

But anyway, like I said, I do enjoy Westernized versions of ME music in class, but NOT ALL THE TIME, especially the SAME SONG every week, over and over... xP

Now when I hear "Hips Don't Lie," I respond like Pavlov's rabid dog.

[Darshiva]

Hakim is actually my favorite. As far as Shakira goes, I won't mention what kind of animal her voice sounds like to me... >.>;;;

But anyway, like I said, I do enjoy Westernized versions of ME music in class, but NOT ALL THE TIME, especially the SAME SONG every week, over and over... xP

Now when I hear "Hips Don't Lie," I respond like Pavlov's rabid dog.

<-- makes a note to use hips don't lie as warm-up music next tuesday/wednesday. :P

[Shanazel]

Pavlov's dog was rabid?

[Greek Bonfire]

What's sad for me is that for my first solo, I chose a very modernized club version. My teacher never said a word, nor did she ever talk to me about my choice, nor even help me choose a song. On the one hand, I guess I can reason that she felt I should choose what was comfortable for me, but overall, she didn't really get involved at all. I've seen other teachers instruct their students in their first performance with totally western songs, and to me, that is just flat out wrong in every way. It bothers me like nails scratching a chalkboard!

Speaking of nails on the chalkboard, I'm not big on Hakim, but I adore Amir Diab, so smooth. But in all actuality, the longer I dance, the more I love really, truly authentic Middle Eastern music. I have to defend newbies though, that Middle Eastern is SO DIFFERENT from western, that the transition to it through club mixes and techno, made it easier for me to absorb the beauty of it. My ear was not ready for the depth of it. And, sad to say, the only time prior that I had ever heard a zaghareet was not in a very nice setting, so there were huge cultural walls to climb and learn that the bulk of this culture is much more about beauty and artistic. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to find out too.