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Aisha Azar · 01-15-2008, 04:52 PM

Dear Shanazel,
I think it's pretty safe to say that most pop music, regardless of cultural origin, does not really lend itself well to belly dance. Most of it is just not complex enough to really give the dancer room for physical expression in depth. I think that occasionally one sees one of the big Egyptian stars doing a pop piece among other dances in her evening's repertoire, but it is just one dance in a whole show, NOT the sum total of her dance offerings.
American Pop, Rap, Algerian and other cultural offerings such as Rai music, etc, are not meant to accompany belly dance. Rap and Rai often have political messages that must be found beyond the rhythm and lyrics, cutting to the heart of the meaning. Like one of my Arab friends once told me about a certain Jeel song. "He's saying one thing but it really means something else.

Dear Yasmine,
Thank you for giving a very succinct and clear statement about Rap and Belly Dance.

Regards,
A'isha

01-15-2008, 04:52 PM	#19 (permalink)
Aisha Azar V.I.P. Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Pacific Northwest USA Posts: 4,768	Pop music Dear Shanazel, I think it's pretty safe to say that most pop music, regardless of cultural origin, does not really lend itself well to belly dance. Most of it is just not complex enough to really give the dancer room for physical expression in depth. I think that occasionally one sees one of the big Egyptian stars doing a pop piece among other dances in her evening's repertoire, but it is just one dance in a whole show, NOT the sum total of her dance offerings. American Pop, Rap, Algerian and other cultural offerings such as Rai music, etc, are not meant to accompany belly dance. Rap and Rai often have political messages that must be found beyond the rhythm and lyrics, cutting to the heart of the meaning. Like one of my Arab friends once told me about a certain Jeel song. "He's saying one thing but it really means something else. Dear Yasmine, Thank you for giving a very succinct and clear statement about Rap and Belly Dance. Regards, A'isha Last edited by Aisha Azar; 01-15-2008 at 10:44 PM.