Amanda (was Aziyade)
Well-known member
Wow, Salome! What a great post! Each one of these could be its own thread.
On the music thing:
I'm going to come out in the open and say I can't stand new-age music or industrial music. So I'm obviously prejudiced against any performance done to either, whether it's krumping, ballet, or bellydance.
I'm also getting a bit weary of DANCING to modern Arab pop. I like listening to it and driving to it, but dancing to it is somehow unsatisfying. Correct me if I'm wrong, but are there now just two categories of Arab pop?
1. Upbeat saiidi rhythm with what sounds like a drum kit overlay, with a focus on vocals.
2. Techno beat over what COULD be Arab rhythms, but you can't tell because of the driving techno rhythm, and the odd vocal here and there, or techno remixes of old favorites.
When I started in classes, one of the hardest things I found about learning to dance in the Arab fashion was not hitting the obvious 4/4 downbeats all the time. (Think of any Hakim song and trying to NOT dance to the obvious). My dancing seemed to feel more like a step aerobic routine (4 of this, 4 of that, now turn, and 8 this way, 8 that way, and back to 4 again.)
Ironically, using the "harder" (classical) music made dancing easier and certainly less mathematically perfect.
To me, a lot of the "essence" we talk about comes from just being IN that Egyptian music. I feel like I can do basically the same steps to Wahab as I can to Kochak, but the overall feel of what I'm doing is different.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that each kind of music has a different emotional resonance, and part of what makes Egyptian dance so uniquely Egyptian is the emotional response you get from dancing in the music.
Anyone else find this to be true?
On the music thing:
*music should be Arab, Turkish or a true interpretation of either/or. Alternative music changes everything in my eyes. Because so much of all these points are directly related to the music. The fundamental movements are 'designed' to speak the physical language of Arab and Turkish music. As is the expression, the purpose, the essence... This is one point that I don't see a lot of wiggle room in.
I'm going to come out in the open and say I can't stand new-age music or industrial music. So I'm obviously prejudiced against any performance done to either, whether it's krumping, ballet, or bellydance.
I'm also getting a bit weary of DANCING to modern Arab pop. I like listening to it and driving to it, but dancing to it is somehow unsatisfying. Correct me if I'm wrong, but are there now just two categories of Arab pop?
1. Upbeat saiidi rhythm with what sounds like a drum kit overlay, with a focus on vocals.
2. Techno beat over what COULD be Arab rhythms, but you can't tell because of the driving techno rhythm, and the odd vocal here and there, or techno remixes of old favorites.
When I started in classes, one of the hardest things I found about learning to dance in the Arab fashion was not hitting the obvious 4/4 downbeats all the time. (Think of any Hakim song and trying to NOT dance to the obvious). My dancing seemed to feel more like a step aerobic routine (4 of this, 4 of that, now turn, and 8 this way, 8 that way, and back to 4 again.)
Ironically, using the "harder" (classical) music made dancing easier and certainly less mathematically perfect.
To me, a lot of the "essence" we talk about comes from just being IN that Egyptian music. I feel like I can do basically the same steps to Wahab as I can to Kochak, but the overall feel of what I'm doing is different.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that each kind of music has a different emotional resonance, and part of what makes Egyptian dance so uniquely Egyptian is the emotional response you get from dancing in the music.
Anyone else find this to be true?