heksje

hi,

I'm just taking my first steps in the bellydancing world and I was wondering if some of you could give me some advice on what music to look for. To learn the basics. I kind of like the music that is in spanish, because then I can understand what they're singing about. But any other posibilities are very welcome as well.

thx

Heksje

Kharmine

I'm part-Hispanic myself, and love Latin/ME fusions, when it's good, as well as some secular Sephardic Jewish music, which has a very ME feel. Our own nicknack gave me this link for Ladino music from Israel: Ladino Music from Israel

The "Desert Roses" series has a wide variety of modern ME music, some of which has definite Hispanic influence with Spanish and Arabic lyrics alternating.

I recently saw a new "Rough Guide to Latin Arabia," which I haven't checked out yet, but the "Rough Guide to Belly Dance" has long been a classic for traditional and more modern versions of music so it's probably a good bet.

You can find flamenco/Arabic fusion music on Amazon.com if you use those words searching their CD section.

Welcome to the forum!

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BellyDance Girl

I'm learning Lebanese Cabaret - only 6th week- any suggestions on music true to this form?

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Kharmine

Again, Amazon.com has a slew of CDs with Lebanese music, traditional and modern, with titles such as "Beirut Cafe" and "Lebanese Lounge." When I'm trying out a new genre, I like to find compilations by "various artists" so I can get a wider idea of what is available.

I'm sure other dancers on this forum can suggest some great stuff more specifically.

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What if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about?

Aisha Azar

Dear Bellydance Girl,
You might try Setrak as his stuff is pretty Lebanese in its basic rythms and tempos. For modern pop stuff, Haifa Webe is nice. Hopefully our resident Lebanese dancer, Mark, will take note of this, or I will drop him a line about it. He knows all the great Lebo music.
Regards,
A'isha

BellyDance Girl

you are all so kind, thank you!

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My Belly Dance Diary - from the Beginning

heksje

yes, thank you so much! It's really hard to choose otherwise, there's so much available. It's always nice to get some advice from someone who knows more about it.
all reactions are welcome

Mark_Balahadia

Thanks for the heads up, A'isha!

Bellydance Girl, out of curiosity, who is teaching you Lebanese Oriental Dance? There arn't that many people out there teaching it (well except in Lebanon of course).

By the way, those compilation CDs suck if you are looking for anything traditional or folkloric. They are usually just a lot of techno-ized folklore or pop music like Nancy Ajram, Haifa Wehbi, or Fadl Shaker. Plus the CDs usually lack any liner notes for information about the song etc.

Although a lot of traditional Egyptian entrances like Set el Hosen and Mishaal work fine with Lebanese (the dancer will just interpret the music differently from an Egyptian dancer) there are originally Lebanese entrances pieces like Tales of Sahara, which was performed by the last Dani Butrous. Lebanese folklore is way different from Egyptian folklore. Dabke music (a Levantine folkloric line dance) and folkloric songs are used with a cane or without during the folkloric section of a show.

There are several prominent singers from Lebanon and other Levantine countries who have great music for Lebanese dance (Oriental and folklore). Here's a good sampling to look for:

Sabah: [female singer, Lebanese] (Zay el Assal, Ya Dalaa ya dalaa, yana yana for Oriental and Marhabtein ou marhabetin, Aal Nadda Annada, Massaynaakum for folklore).

Tony Hanna, Lebanese: Yaba yaba lah for folklore

Georgette Sayegh: [female singer, Lebanese] Dallouni for folklore

Samira Toufiq: [female singer, Jordanian] Bii el jamal ya ali for folklore (bedouin dialect)

Melhem Barakat: [male singer, Lebanese] Jet Be Waqtak for Oriental

Sabah Fakri: [male singer, Syrian] Ya Mal EsSham for Oriental (be careful, this song is a patriotic Syrian song, some Lebenese might not like it).

Songs that don't have authors (as far as I know): Ya Ain Moulaytein, Aala Dalaona, Mayyil el Ghazyyil, Hizzy ya Naweim (which I suspect was written by Farid el Atrache but I'm not sure as of yet). All these songs are good for folklore.

There's also a lot of new folklore like El Tannoura by Faris Karam and Samra El Hasoodi by Ali el Deek.

Unfortunately, anything by Feyrouz (besides dabke) isn't really for dancing, it's more for listening.

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BellyDance Girl

Thank you, A'isha and thank you, Mark.

My Instructor's name is Paula in the Cleveland, Ohio area. I must remember the name of her and her daughter's troupe. They are both talented and helpful.

And, I appreciate your suggestions! I don't like techno - so I'd like as little of it as possible in my music. I have a mixed cd they burned for the students - they intentionally included a wide variety. It was a great platform for me to quickly decide which kind of music I did and did not like. Some of the tracks sounded straight from a night club with strobe lights. That's perfect for some, but I've been intrigued by this dance because of the history and culture. That's just me, though.

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My Belly Dance Diary - from the Beginning

BellyDance Girl

Mark, I love your site - lots of info and links. I linked you on my blog. Thank you for all your assistance.

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My Belly Dance Diary - from the Beginning