khanjar

Since I have taken more of an interest in this music , I have begun to notice it in the strangest of places. The BBC for example, when advertising an upcoming documentary or incidental music in documentaries, particularly those dealing with events or culture in any ME country, there it is, the music and the rhythms. Sometimes even with TV advertisements it is there in the back ground.

And since I have been learning ME dance, if I detect the rhythms, I am aware of a need to move. Something which can be a right annoyance when in public, fine in private, but it makes my friends laugh when they see it, and they do tell me, eventually.

It does interest with the rhythms how much the rhythms play in Western music, I have identified so far an 8/4 rhythm in something I forget the name, played on the radio.

This I see as good, as in the past, me and rhythm did not see eye to eye.

Anyone else find this with the music ?

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Knitting Jo

One of the things I noticed in western music is that some older ME rhythms can be found in DrumnBass in the UK. They use a lot of broken beats that sit outside of the dum dum dum dum of most western dance music.

adiemus

I love the music, and any slight hint of tabla or dombek or (shhhhh! dare I say, zill?!!) AWAY I GO!!! to the embarrassment of my nearly-15-year-old daughter!!

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jenc

I have been much complemented on my dancing recently - as I can't stop dancing ME style to any music. Folk Rock anyone?

Caroline_afifi

Ha ha.. this have drove me nuts for years. I have forgotton how to dance in any other way. It is a big challenge to me now if I go anywhere with music which is not Middle Eastern. Has anyone else noticed this?

PS I once had a slightly drunk competition with a friend to see how long we could dance without doing one single bellydance move... it was hilarious.

Yshka

Since I started dancing, I went on a search to hear as much Arabic music as I could. I also LOVE listening to Turkish music, but Arabic (especially Egyptian) music has captured my heart. I started out with a few songs downloaded from internet, then I got my first compilation and then..... now I rarely listen to anything else.

I have these periods from time to time that when I get out of a two hour dance class, and say, walk by a shop in the trainstation that is playing music, I percieve it to be middle eastern even though it is american or something..
Is it just me or....

EDIT: and I cannot dance 'normal' anymore when I go out. I try, but it's a lost cause heheh. Even if it seems to be working out, after a few minutes the 'bellydancer hands' kick in and Oriental takes over.

khanjar

Not all Arabian music is BD music, but I have found the rhythms in other types. I recently got hold of some Arabian club music, mostly Turkish but there it is, even if in the background and often swamped with electronic music a familiarity, the darbouka and it's call.

This is a novelty for me, as in the past, I have not danced, I am one of those that will not be swayed to dance, not even foot tap, but this music, it has something I have not encountered before, it seems to call and movement to it, is natural. I have not learned much of the dance, but with this music the dance comes.

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Brea

Yshka - I feel you there!

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Farasha Hanem

Wait until you've done a few moves behind the electronics register at Wal-Mart in front of your co-workers...

The electronics department is a baaaaad place for a bellydancer to work, what with all that loud music and all; if "Walk Like An Egyptian" or "Desert Roses" plays on the satellite radio, OFF I goooooooo...

lizaj

...so that's why a mate and I kept getting funny looks on New Year's Eve!