The "Misirlou" clips are good example of the importance doing your own musical research. If you just download a single version of a song at the suggestion of a teacher and listen to it 15 times, you're going to have a more impoverished learning experience than if you spend the same amount of time listening to Shanazel's clips and poking around online to find...
Mosavo's version
and George Abdo's version
and this frantic Latin-fusion/ elevator-music version by Xavier Cugat
and this vintage version produced for classic Turkish star Özel Türkbaş
and the famous Dick Dale version
and a Greek version
and Chubby Checker's version with a Spanish verse in the middle
and late, great cymbal-casting master Harry Saroyan's version (he also chose the lyrics with the Spanish verse)
and a klezmer version
and this group's "Gypsy Swing" version
and an Armenian version
and this organ version by Korla Pandit that: (1) sounds like it would rock a Halloween hafla, and (2) is such a racial hornet's nest that you definitely need to understand the backstory before even considering performing to it (no, seriously, go read who Korla Pandit was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korla_Pandit)
and an Indian version
and a version with an orchestra and a Theremin?!
A kaleidoscope of ethnic versions! Traditional versions! Modernized versions! Crazy versions!
"Misirlou" is one of the most beloved and covered songs from that part of the world, and everybody has an idea for how to play it, so it's a bit of an outlier. (Don't be intimidated. Most songs won't have hours of different versions online.) Nevertheless, which dancer got a better understanding of the ways a band might play "Misirlou"? Or how production changes between different ethnic musical traditions? Or how the lyrics sound in different languages, even without understanding the words? Not the one who listened to the same MP3 15 times!
You can't learn everything from one song, but over time, patterns start to develop, and that's where you build those critical dance skills.
Now, I'm going to get up on the soapbox and holler.
ANY STUDENT WHO TREATS MUSIC AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT TO THEIR BELLY DANCING IS A FRAUD.
Dancing is about hearing music and wanting to move to it .
Magicians have sleight of hand skills and a collection of illusions.
Dancers have dance technique and music.
The songs you choose and the way you dance to those songs are the equivalent of a magician's tricks and the vibe of their act (e.g., Doug Henning was mysterious, Penn & Teller are funny, Harry Anderson was grifty).
These things define you as a performer.
You should be passionate about what defines you!
If your priority is swanning around in pretty clothes while people clap, you're just doing formalwear exercising for an audience.
Pre-internet, students had an excuse to be musically uninformed, but we have a richness of resources now that should leave every dancer sobbing at how much amazing music you'll never have time to discover and share.
Don't be afraid of ME music. Make time to listen to as much different ME music as you can. Hearing a wide variety of songs builds your ear, so songs and artists that sound "too foreign" at first become familiar and relatable.
No, you won't love everything you find, and that's okay. Dive in anywhere. If you only like Tarkan's voice or Gulf pop at first, cool. Start there. Just start. And keep digging. There's so much wonderful music in that part of the world!
Mosavo's version
and George Abdo's version
and this frantic Latin-fusion/ elevator-music version by Xavier Cugat
and this vintage version produced for classic Turkish star Özel Türkbaş
and the famous Dick Dale version
and a Greek version
and Chubby Checker's version with a Spanish verse in the middle
and late, great cymbal-casting master Harry Saroyan's version (he also chose the lyrics with the Spanish verse)
and a klezmer version
and this group's "Gypsy Swing" version
and an Armenian version
and this organ version by Korla Pandit that: (1) sounds like it would rock a Halloween hafla, and (2) is such a racial hornet's nest that you definitely need to understand the backstory before even considering performing to it (no, seriously, go read who Korla Pandit was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korla_Pandit)
and an Indian version
and a version with an orchestra and a Theremin?!
A kaleidoscope of ethnic versions! Traditional versions! Modernized versions! Crazy versions!
"Misirlou" is one of the most beloved and covered songs from that part of the world, and everybody has an idea for how to play it, so it's a bit of an outlier. (Don't be intimidated. Most songs won't have hours of different versions online.) Nevertheless, which dancer got a better understanding of the ways a band might play "Misirlou"? Or how production changes between different ethnic musical traditions? Or how the lyrics sound in different languages, even without understanding the words? Not the one who listened to the same MP3 15 times!
You can't learn everything from one song, but over time, patterns start to develop, and that's where you build those critical dance skills.
Now, I'm going to get up on the soapbox and holler.
ANY STUDENT WHO TREATS MUSIC AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT TO THEIR BELLY DANCING IS A FRAUD.
Dancing is about hearing music and wanting to move to it .
Magicians have sleight of hand skills and a collection of illusions.
Dancers have dance technique and music.
The songs you choose and the way you dance to those songs are the equivalent of a magician's tricks and the vibe of their act (e.g., Doug Henning was mysterious, Penn & Teller are funny, Harry Anderson was grifty).
These things define you as a performer.
You should be passionate about what defines you!
If your priority is swanning around in pretty clothes while people clap, you're just doing formalwear exercising for an audience.
Pre-internet, students had an excuse to be musically uninformed, but we have a richness of resources now that should leave every dancer sobbing at how much amazing music you'll never have time to discover and share.
Don't be afraid of ME music. Make time to listen to as much different ME music as you can. Hearing a wide variety of songs builds your ear, so songs and artists that sound "too foreign" at first become familiar and relatable.
No, you won't love everything you find, and that's okay. Dive in anywhere. If you only like Tarkan's voice or Gulf pop at first, cool. Start there. Just start. And keep digging. There's so much wonderful music in that part of the world!