Lovely Cane Dance by Soraia Zaied

[WildAnmar96]

Her shimmies are just damn! *runs to room to practice*
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug-HMEeJUxA]YouTube - Soraia Zaied[/ame]

[jessedan]

I have this video, it's on part three of her instructional video series. She is fabulous, one of my favorites. Soraia does shimmies differently than most, she actually teaches two movements in one for shimmies. A back and forth knee movement, combined with a side to side hip movement that she calls a "rach"(pronounces it rosh) The exercises she teaches in preparation for these shimmies are interesting as well. She has you bend over from the waist, put your hands agains a wall for support, and then sway your butt side to side.
I'm wondering if the guys in her band might be Lebanese (I know the singer is Syrian) ...this sounds more like dabke than Saidi to me.

Regards
Priscilla

[WildAnmar96]

I'm wondering if the guys in her band might be Lebanese (I know the singer is Syrian) ...this sounds more like dabke than Saidi to me.

You're so right, this does not have an egyptian feel to it. Thanks for correcting me. I'll go change the title. :)

BTW, do the soraia dvds have subtitles in either spanish or english?

[jessedan]

Yes they do! They come with subtitles in several languages including spanish and english.

Regards
Priscilla

BTW, do the soraia dvds have subtitles in either spanish or english?

[Fotia]

WOW - this is a fabulous video! I just adore cane dancing and this by far has got to be one of the best I've ever seen. I love the part where she puts her cane on his shoulder and he starts playing the drum faster, like his heartbeat. Somethin' else!

[nisaasaintlouis]

I'm wondering if the guys in her band might be Lebanese (I know the singer is Syrian) ...this sounds more like dabke than Saidi to me.

Definitely...they're playing "Ya Ein Moulayatein." Very nice vid!

[Lauren_]

Yes they do! They come with subtitles in several languages including spanish and english.

Regards
Priscilla

Where do we get these instructional videos???

[Taj]

Where do we get these instructional videos???

I'd like to know, too. Nothing's coming up on teh google apart from online clips of performances.

[Lauren_]

Haven't Mark Balahadia and/or Meissoun told us that Lebanese do a very different kind of cane, and often to Debke music? Or did I imagine that?

I always think of Soraia as an Egyptian style dancer, though, because of her living/working in Cairo. With a Latin/Brazillian flavor, of course!

[maranajla]

I like her! I have never heard of her before *puts head back under rock*

Slight threadjack- any recommendations for a good cane instructional video? I am attempting to fall in love with my cane and need a bit o'prodding...

[habibiyaeini]

Hey this is great! I love her, she is a FAB dancer!

Where can you purchase her instructional vid/dvd? Anyone know?

Lebanese dancers always dance to this song with the cane. Seen it heaps of times. I think Howayda Hashem is one of the dancers that does.

[Lauren_]

I like her! I have never heard of her before *puts head back under rock*

She's on some of the Raqia Hassan technique videos, and also on some Ahlan Wa Sahlan vids. (So I assume she's one of Raqia's students/stable of dancers?)

She performs regularly at the Hilton in Cairo, or did when I was there 2 years ago. She's also a poster child for Sahar Okasha designs! (by that I just mean she was one of the first to wear them and helped make them famous, after Dina of course).

There are lots of great clips of her on youtube, but sometimes she's just listed as 'Soraya' or sometimes as 'Soraya Zayed' or 'Soraia Zaied'

Slight threadjack- any recommendations for a good cane instructional video? I am attempting to fall in love with my cane and need a bit o'prodding...

My personal favorite is Nourhan Sharif's Raqs Assaya video. She teaches technique & combinations, basic Saidi style, footwork and canework, traditional entrances & finales -- but no choreo. She does demonstrate a couple of short improv pieces though.

[jessedan]

I bought mine from Shayna Baradar (Shaynaz on Bhuz) She's always got cool Brazilian stuff. ..g.:

I actually like Lebanese cane dancing alot better than Egyptian. There's a bigger movement vocabulary and it's not repetitious (when well done) it's very lively and uses steps that aren't used in Egyptian saidi. It is intermingled with dabke steps but other steps as well. I saw Suha Deeb (Azar) perform a Lebanese Assaya once that just blew my mind. I had never seen anything like it before....or since.

Regards
Priscilla

[shems]

I saw Suha Deeb (Azar) perform a Lebanese Assaya once that just blew my mind. I had never seen anything like it before....or since.

took an assaya workshop from Suha once, it was awesome. I wish I could see her perform! I need to take a trip to Lebanon.

I like Soraia's clip, thanks for sharing!

[maranajla]

Thank you, Lauren!! I am checking out all of your suggestions. :)

[emma-bessa]

Haven't Mark Balahadia and/or Meissoun told us that Lebanese do a very different kind of cane, and often to Debke music? Or did I imagine that?

I always think of Soraia as an Egyptian style dancer, though, because of her living/working in Cairo. With a Latin/Brazillian flavor, of course!

Yes!
First of all,they mostly use Syrian/Lebanese dabke instead of saiidi(diffent rythm).
THEN look at the cane used-often shorter and thinner than in egyptian style.

In Brazil I saw several dancers do this kind of cane dance,
and only one do it the Egyptian way.

I liked this clip:)

[Suzana]

There's a bigger movement vocabulary

Hi, Priscilla. Could you please talk a little about this? What vocabulary do you see in Lebanese cane that isn't in Egyptian cane, other than debke steps? Thanks.

Suzana

[Uulady]

Great clip! I really enjoyed that! She has such power in those hips. Priscilla, can you elaborate further about her technique?

[jessedan]

One of the main differences I saw between lebanese and Egyptian assaya is that there is floorwork in Lebanese cane dancing. Suha went into some lovely backbends on the floor while twirling the cane, and she also did floorwork with the cane balanced on her head. She just handled it differently than a Saidi dancer does, she would at times twirl it above her head baton style with her fingers, as well as grasping it with a closed hand. She would hold it from both ends equally, not just from the straight end. Also, the way she would "hit" the cane against the floor was different. Not quite sure what was different about it, it just was.
It's hard to remember all the steps she did, because there were many. (damn....I wish I COULD remember so I could do them) but the dance just had a completely different look and feel to it than Saidi.
Perhaps Marky can add something to this, since he's seen her perform assaya as well.

Regards
Priscilla

[Mark Balahadia]

I have this video, it's on part three of her instructional video series. She is fabulous, one of my favorites. Soraia does shimmies differently than most, she actually teaches two movements in one for shimmies. A back and forth knee movement, combined with a side to side hip movement that she calls a "rach"(pronounces it rosh) The exercises she teaches in preparation for these shimmies are interesting as well. She has you bend over from the waist, put your hands agains a wall for support, and then sway your butt side to side.
I'm wondering if the guys in her band might be Lebanese (I know the singer is Syrian) ...this sounds more like dabke than Saidi to me.

Regards
Priscilla

The song is Ya Ein Moulaytein, an old school levantine dabke song. So it's definitely Lebo/Syrian.

[Mark Balahadia]

One of the main differences I saw between lebanese and Egyptian assaya is that there is floorwork in Lebanese cane dancing. Suha went into some lovely backbends on the floor while twirling the cane, and she also did floorwork with the cane balanced on her head. She just handled it differently than a Saidi dancer does, she would at times twirl it above her head baton style with her fingers, as well as grasping it with a closed hand. She would hold it from both ends equally, not just from the straight end. Also, the way she would "hit" the cane against the floor was different. Not quite sure what was different about it, it just was.
It's hard to remember all the steps she did, because there were many. (damn....I wish I COULD remember so I could do them) but the dance just had a completely different look and feel to it than Saidi.
Perhaps Marky can add something to this, since he's seen her perform assaya as well.

Regards
Priscilla

Sorry for not getting to the post sooner!

Yes I have seen Suha perform cane before. There are several steps I can remember including a back a forth step, with the right foot leading and a delayed sway in the torso reminiscent of a typical dabke step, although the step is feminized quite a bit. It's totally Levantine and completely authentic. She also uses a unique cane spin I've never seen before...it's very hard to explain except it's an internalized cane spin with a hip circle.

[Bellydancefanatic]

Where else could we find Soraya's instructionals? Somebody's got to have 'em!

[Julsie]

I have looked & looked, too- no luck!

[Bellydancefanatic]

Arrgghh! Now that makes me even more curious! Did you try any Brazilian websites? We might try that. I can only speak Spanish, but Portuguese is similar enough to get the jist of it.

[tanze26]

I was able to purchase Soraia's DVDs from ..: Brasil Esotérico :... The contact email is: contato@brasilesoterico.com.br (Ronaldo Neves). He signed up for Paypal so I could pay for 1 DVD (Soraia Zaied Vol. 2 with Tony Mouzayek) and have it delivered to the US. I wrote to him in Spanish and he replied in Portuguese although he can have a friend translate but I would just put Soraia's DVD in the subject line so he'll know what it's about.

He was very professional and the DVD arrived in good time so I was pleased. You can pay extra for faster shipping. Just don't pay through the website b/c you need to enter some type of Brazilian ID like a passport and non-Brazilians won't have one and i didn't care to put my personal info in there. I sent him the payment via paypal using his email after we agreed to payment and shipping terms (exchange rate was fluctuating).

[Mosaika]

I was able to purchase Soraia's DVDs from ..: Brasil Esotérico :... The contact email is: contato@brasilesoterico.com.br (Ronaldo Neves). He signed up for Paypal so I could pay for 1 DVD (Soraia Zaied Vol. 2 with Tony Mouzayek) and have it delivered to the US. I wrote to him in Spanish and he replied in Portuguese although he can have a friend translate but I would just put Soraia's DVD in the subject line so he'll know what it's about.

He was very professional and the DVD arrived in good time so I was pleased. You can pay extra for faster shipping. Just don't pay through the website b/c you need to enter some type of Brazilian ID like a passport and non-Brazilians won't have one and i didn't care to put my personal info in there. I sent him the payment via paypal using his email after we agreed to payment and shipping terms (exchange rate was fluctuating).

Is the DVD in English? and is Vol 2 the one with cane dance instruction. I noticed 3 DVDs by Soraia.

[reyhan]

Well I don't realy want to be bitchy, but Saidi ?????!!

[jessedan]

Where?

Well I don't realy want to be bitchy, but Saidi ?????!!

[dunyah]

Nice clip! Love the live musicians, and her dancing is great. The whole time I was wondering how they had the mizmar player's volume so low in the mix - when all the musicians are playing together in one room and recording, the sound of each instrument "bleeds" into the tracks of the other instruments, even if they are miked separately. Especially an instrument like mizmar. IRL that thing would be screaming loud. I thought they had him turned down too low, he was way in the background and it just seemd odd. He seemed to be playing very well. Maybe the keyboard player was also the sound engineer, LOL. Loved the dancer/drummer interaction, that was awesome!

[WildAnmar96]

girl please. I wrote that title initially but as you can see throughout the course of the thread, I changed it. The lovely Bhuzzers schooled me on the difference. Thats why I love bhuz! So much information here

Well I don't realy want to be bitchy, but Saidi ?????!!