Thread: 6 weeks; 6 rhythms. Which ones?

I used to do 6-week intro to bellydance classes, where I would introduce a different rhythm each class, and then work on basic movements to each rhythm. I'd like to do that again, but I'm reconsidering the rhythms.

If you had 6 weeks to introduce people to "bellydance" music, which ones would you use?

My first syllabus was this:

Maqsoum Family:
(1) Balady
(2) Saidi
(3) Maqsoum - used Greek music

(4) Ayoub
(5) Chiftitelli - used both Arabic and Turkish music
(6) 9/8 "karsilama"

I don't know why I neglected Malfuf, Fellahi, or Masmoudi. Should I add them back in? If you were doing a rhythmic overview, and you could only pick 6 rhythms to represent bellydance, which ones would you pick?

Should I leave out the 9/8 since it always confuses beginners anyway? It's just SUCH a part of American bellydance that to leave it out seems like blasphemy.

Hm, leaving out Malfuf in favor of 9s seems more blasphemous to me (and I am positively passionate about 9s). I'd cluster - saidi/maqsum/beledi aka small masmoudi are so closely related that maybe two weeks for this family may be a good use of time?

How about 6 groups for 6 weeks? How long is each class?

Maqsoum family
Turkish family (Chiftiteli, karsilama, etc.)
Religious family (Ayoub, etc.)
Egyptian family (malfouf, nubi, sinbati, etc.)
Middle East (dubki, khaleegi, Iraqi, etc.)
North African (6/8, etc.)

Just a thought.

Originally Posted by aziyade

I don't know why I neglected Malfuf, Fellahi, or Masmoudi. Should I add them back in? If you were doing a rhythmic overview, and you could only pick 6 rhythms to represent [an introduction to] bellydance, which ones would you pick?

[above brackets mine]

I LOVE teaching rhythms and associated appropriate moves, context, etc. One of my first and foremost video guides in this was Hadia's "Raks Esharqui Oriental Dance Volume Three"; really well done and includes zill rhythms as well as interesting and varied combinations for nine rhythms.

If I had to choose six basic rhythms for an intro course they would be, in alphabetical order:

1. Beledi (Masmoudi Saghir)
2. Chiftitelli
3. Fellahi
4. Maksoum
5. Masmoudi Kebir
6. Saidi

Re grouping the maqsoum family, I would do this only if my beginner students were knowledgeable about dance in general and able to pick up on rhythmic variation quite quickly. In my experience, students were often confused between Beledi, Maqsoum, and Saidi in the beginning and actually needed more time to learn them. Then again, my student population tends to be mainly adult and learning Oriental Dance (or any dance for that matter) for the first time, so needs to progress a bit more slowly.


Khalida

Originally Posted by khalida777

Re grouping the maqsoum family, I would do this only if my beginner students were knowledgeable about dance in general and able to pick up on rhythmic variation quite quickly. In my experience, students were often confused between Beledi, Maqsoum, and Saidi in the beginning and actually needed more time to learn them. Then again, my student population tends to be mainly adult and learning Oriental Dance (or any dance for that matter) for the first time, so needs to progress a bit more slowly.

Hm, for me (deep in the adult learner group at then over 35), it was an mind-blowing insight when I watched Hadia's DVD and realized how beledi/small masmoudi and saidi are so very smilar on paper, but how the different emphasis by moving just one doum can change the feel of the rhythm and make different moves capture that feel. That's why I think that a compare and contrast may be useful. But, I am a bit of a nerd ;-)

Well Steffi, from one nerd to another I agree with the compare and contrast, but the format of Beledi-Maqsoum-Saidi *in one class* would work better in my studio at present with my more advanced students. After tonight's Level 1 class when more than half of them (who had missed last week's class) had to really drill to keep a RLRL turning hip circle going on the correct foot/beat, when we had to break it down into a step right, step left and keep *that* going on a regular beat a) facing the mirror and b) turning in a circle, it would be confusing to them to learn Saidi, Beledi, and Maksoum all in one 75-minute class.

But I do mention the various rhythms in class and I know it is sinking in, all in good time. They really try and have a lot of fun, bless their hearts, and I as teacher need to respect their present capacities and push them along gently at the same time.

On another note, a local figure skating team recently booked me for one class to teach them some basic moves that they could incorporate into a competition choreo. Bellydance on skates, very cool! So much fun and at the end of the class I was amazed by their progress and connection with the moves and rhythms. I could see them all in my troupe already! If I had this group as a Level 1 class then yes, absolutely, they would be able to quickly learn the various rhythms mentioned above in one class, they soaked it up so very easily.

All this to say, as teachers we need to be able to assess our classes and provide them with instruction appropriate to their specific general level and to the various levels in class. Some Level 1 classes in our studio are quite advanced, others not so, and I'm not being judgmental here; it's as fulfilling to me to see a 65-yr. old do a hip circle turn RLRLRLRL in time to the rhythm, as happened tonight, as see xyz in any other level.


Khalida

Originally Posted by aziyade

I used to do 6-week intro to bellydance classes, where I would introduce a different rhythm each class, and then work on basic movements to each rhythm. I'd like to do that again, but I'm reconsidering the rhythms.

If you had 6 weeks to introduce people to "bellydance" music, which ones would you use?

My first syllabus was this:

Maqsoum Family:
(1) Balady
(2) Saidi
(3) Maqsoum - used Greek music

(4) Ayoub
(5) Chiftitelli - used both Arabic and Turkish music
(6) 9/8 "karsilama"

I don't know why I neglected Malfuf, Fellahi, or Masmoudi. Should I add them back in? If you were doing a rhythmic overview, and you could only pick 6 rhythms to represent bellydance, which ones would you pick?

Should I leave out the 9/8 since it always confuses beginners anyway? It's just SUCH a part of American bellydance that to leave it out seems like blasphemy.

I don't think you should do balady, saidi and maqsoum. Definitely do maqsoum and choose between balady and saidi or combine them though that might be confusing.
I don't see why you included Ayoub and left out malfuf. Malfuf, imo is more important.

So I think you should have
1) either baladi or saidi or both (might be confusing)
2) Maqsoum
3) malfuf
4)masmoudi (kabir)
5) wahda kabira/chift.
6) 9/8 karsilama

That's just my two cents!!
Sounds like a fun class! At the end of the day, it's to your taste.

..g.:

personally, I like what you have.
If it is an intro, you don't want to dump too much on them at once. Start with Beledi and then the next week show them the subtle different to Maqsoum, then switch to Saidi. Then totally change up the time signatures.

Personally, I would hit 4 rhythms:

1. Saiidi (it is the most common backbeat found in today's Arabic pop and new oriental music arranged for belly dance so it would come first)
2. Beledi/maqsum (the most basic maqsum skeleton first, then the beledi variation)
3. chiftitelli -- also in this class introduce the taqsim concept. Do plain single instrument taqsim, chiftitelli beat no melody, and then taqsim layered with chiftitelli
4. Malfuf and Ayub -- because they are the most commonly used "fast" 2 count rhythms, and lots of belly dance music either starts with one of these in the introduction, or changes to one of these along with an increase in mood/energy.
5. Review all 4
6. Review all 4

Just a note -- this is an intro to BD for absolute beginners, and I also teach the basic movements in this 6-hour, 6-week class, but my goal is to have them leave class believing the dance is more than just movements, and to have an appreciation for ME music.

I chose these rhythms because we work with songs in those rhythms in the class. Usually 2 or 3 different ones. I didn't choose Masmoudi because I actually couldn't find an entire song in Masmoudi (2 or 3 -dum version) in the songs I use for beginning classes. Same with malfuf, actually.)

For Saidi I use a long song from Hossam Ramzy's CD, Ayeela Taheya and a pop song -- usually Hakim.

"Beledi" is one of the first rhythms the SCA drummers here learn, and I figured it would be one of the main rhythms you'd hear at a drum circle.

For maqsoum, I still want to use Greek music -- even though I think Uber-Technically they don't call it maqsoum. But here we have lots of Greek restaurant parties and there's a big Greek presence in our cultural and ethnic festivals, and inevitable when I ask students to bring in whatever "Bellydance" music they have at home, it's Greek music.

I hate to leave out the 9/8 -- even though it's confusing -- but maybe I just need to turn that into it's own 6-week choreography. I have another 6-week session entirely on the taqsim -- clarinet, ney, qanoun/oud, and violin.

Why Ayoub? I have several songs in upbeat Ayoub, and I also like the idea of introducing them to the whole zar / music therapy idea.

Any suggestions for full songs in Malfuf, or one where the malfuf section is REALLY long, long enough for drilling? And not the 6-beat debke version -- I personally still don't understand that one.

Thanks!!

I get it. You have this all worked out.

Hmmm, now that I think about it, masmoudi is not all that important.
What full songs do you have in ayoub?

As for full songs, in malfuf, besides malfuf:the war by issam houshan which is good for drilling, I can't think of anything on the spot. I'll have to search/think.

Originally Posted by sharifeh

What full songs do you have in ayoub?

(I should preface this by saying these are "mostly full" on Ayoub. There will be points in all of them where they move into other rhythms, but for the majority of the song, it's ayoub.)

Well here's where it gets confusing for me because I've had different drummers tell me the following ARE and ARE NOT Ayoub:

Ya Amarna by Hissham Abbas
Big Heart by Essam Rashad
Lah by Emad Sayyah <-- This I use in class, along with a percussion Ayub by Uncle Mafufo.

and we have ongoing argument as to whether or not Eebo Turman's "Play Your Cymbals" is Ayoub. I think it's not -- I think it's a Western rhythm in 4/4, but I'm NOT a rhythm expert, obviously.

I really like the idea of including khaleegi and/or saidi - in order to introduce some some of the steps from the regional style of dance that goes with these rhythms. I like to throw these ones in my beginner course, just so that students know that regional styles exist. The rhythms are easy to hear, and the dancing is vibrant, too, which makes it a lot of fun for beginners.

My opinion is to keep the 9/8. Since the session is a "sampler", you can let them know it is a bit confusing anyway. It is also a great contrast to the other rhythms making for a great teaching tool.

I think I have some long mystery Malfouf from long ago copied rhythms CDs. Maybe look at some of the rhythm teaching discs for ones you are missing.

Originally Posted by aziyade

Any suggestions for full songs in Malfuf, or one where the malfuf section is REALLY long, long enough for drilling? And not the 6-beat debke version -- I personally still don't understand that one.
Thanks!!

I've just listened to "Rihlat el Ghawzia", Track #1 on Jalilah's Raks Sharki 3, Journey of the Gipsy Dancer. There are three malfuf sections. The entrance is at a moderate tempo from 1:18 - 2:50 with a Khaleeji bridge between 2:00 and 2:10. A middle section malfuf is played at a quicker tempo from 4:52-6:06, as is the finale from 10:03-10:57.

With a sound editing program you could remove the Khaleeji section and make a repeating loop of one or more of the above portions for extensive drilling practice.

Good luck!


Khalida

I'm not sure if I should start a new thread for this response, but ...

Last fall I attended a famous Canadian instructor’s teacher training program (levels one & two) where we were told not to focus on specific rhythms (or finger cymbals / veil) with beginner students. She suggested using music that's fairly generic, like Arabic pop.

Prior to that I had always introduced some of the most common rhythms .. usually introducing one, or maximum two rhythms per session and throughout the course of a year we'd have worked with at least six rhythms. We didn't work exclusively with the rhythms, it’s just that there would be some focus on them throughout the class session.

We'd also spend a bit of time most classes working on finger cymbal patterns, fitting them with basic movements. My students loved it, but after the teacher training program I felt I'd done wrong by them and abandoned what I'd been doing and replaced it with content following the instructor’s suggestions, deferring to her decades of experience and expertise.

I can honestly say that my students who started out with my original class content want it back. My next session starts in two weeks and I'll be going back to introducing rhythms and finger cymbals. I think that assuming new students will be overwhelmed and turned off by rhythms and finger cymbals is selling them short. I suppose how its approached will make a difference, but from my experience (which is limited to the past few years) introducing rhythms to beginners isn’t always a bad thing. I was glad to read the messages in this thread to see that others also introduce rhythms early on.

Amal : )

As I'm mostly into Egyptian style I would pick:

- Baladi / Masmoudi saghir: as it's used a lot in folkore and popular Arab music
- Maqsoum: because it's a base rhythm, much used in folklore and a lot in Arab pop and bellydance music
- Malfouf: as it's commonly the entrance and exit rhythm in a routine
- Saidi: being earthy Egyptian folklore rhythm
- and last I can't decide between Wahda and Masmoudi kbir..

Good luck on your decision and classes!

B

Originally Posted by rakkasah_barbara

As I'm mostly into Egyptian style I would pick:

- Baladi / Masmoudi saghir: as it's used a lot in folkore and popular Arab music
- Maqsoum: because it's a base rhythm, much used in folklore and a lot in Arab pop and bellydance music
- Malfouf: as it's commonly the entrance and exit rhythm in a routine
- Saidi: being earthy Egyptian folklore rhythm
- and last I can't decide between Wahda and Masmoudi kbir..

Good luck on your decision and classes!

B

If we are to choose six rhythms, you have listed only six; no need to decide between Wahda and Masmoudi Kebir. I love Wahda too, btw :)

Two rhythms or six, it's all arbitrary, but we are answering the OP's thread topic. Personally, I think all the rhythms mentioned in this thread would be interesting for beginners to learn. As long as we know our students' level and present the rhythms in a skillful and interesting way, then hopefully they will return to learn even more in the future.

So many rhythms, so little time. . . .


Khalida