Thread: Dabke Cane Dance?

I was at a hafla the other day and the teacher/organizer announced a routine her students were doing as a "debke cane dance". Later in the show she announces another routines as an "Arabic cane dance". The execution of both seemed interchangable to me except that the first one was done to debke rhythm and the other a saidi.

Now, I have never heard of a "debke cane" dance only, saidi with cane. Could someone fill me in? Is there really such a thing?

Thanks for the info.

A lot of Lebanese dancers use debke music for cane and they throw in debke steps, moves and feel.

I worked in a Lebanese club and sometimes they would play me Egyptian saidi music for me but mostly they would play Lebanese debke. My cane work stayed the same. I would add a little more bounce to my step and some shoulder shimmies with the depke music.

Oh I see...
Is the costuming different with the Lebanese debke? I assume you won't wear a Saidi dress...right?

Originally Posted by audie

Oh I see...
Is the costuming different with the Lebanese debke? I assume you won't wear a Saidi dress...right?

In America with the typical 20-25 minute show- there are are no costume changes (no time), so if in the middle of a show, you'd be in your regular show costume.

Thanks for the info everyone.

My understanding is that the Lebanese cane is done more to the Nawari rhythm rather than the Egyptian Saidi rhythm. The variation of Nawari I hear used most often sounds almost identical, but the count is somewhat different -- maybe something like tekateka doum teka doum doum tekatek? And of course, ya gotta have that big toupan drum . . . and a dancing drummer, too!,r:;

"Nawari rhythm rather than the Egyptian Saidi rhythm"

Thats a new rhythm for me. I'm gonna go look it up. -thanks.

I know that some differences between dabke/leb cane and egyptian cane were discussed here.
http://www.bhuz.com/forum/belly-danc...aia-zaied.html

Here are a couple of You Tubes featuring the rhythm:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pxQPCWb-OE]YouTube - Lebanese Cane - Ya Ein la Mouletaigne[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkVGd6o3X8U]YouTube - Howaida Hachem[/ame] (and this one features that all important dancing drummer ..g.:)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0SFcIfdz7w]YouTube - Lebanese Part I[/ame]

Originally Posted by damariz

I know that some differences between dabke/leb cane and egyptian cane were discussed here.
http://www.bhuz.com/forum/belly-danc...aia-zaied.html

Wow, that helped a lot. There is a big difference between Saiidi and Labanese cane dance. I like them both.

Thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by kat

Here are a couple of You Tubes featuring the rhythm:

Ooohh.. I know those songs and that rhythm. Just never had a name to put to them. The first vid is so cute and the dancer in pink is amazing.

That explains something else... I was reading a thread on a youtube clip with Fifi doing a cane dance. She did a lot of twirling and even went to the floor with the cane. Some of the comments were negative because they said she wasn't being "authentic".

There's a section of the video titled Nadia Gamal: The Legend where she dances with a cane to debke music. Unfortunately, this is the audience interaction part of her show, so she spends most of the song away from the stage, just going through the audience and interacting with them, so you don't get to see much "cane dance to debke" technique. But it gives you some flavor.

Originally Posted by audie

Ooohh..That explains something else... I was reading a thread on a youtube clip with Fifi doing a cane dance. She did a lot of twirling and even went to the floor with the cane. Some of the comments were negative because they said she wasn't being "authentic".

Okay, out on a limb here because I'm certainly not an expert -- but isn't there the Saidi style and a more urban, maybe called "Cairo" style, of Egyptian cane dance? Wish I could remember where I heard that . . . .(mumble, old age and forgetfullness settles in

There can be a number of differences. The rhythm for one. Also Lebanese cane technique tends to be faster, showier and more in your face than sa`iidi. Sa`iidi cane is usually dance with cane; Lebanese cane tends to be cane with dance ..g.:

Also, I don't think Lebanese go in for as much folk tableau stuff - so you are more likely to see Lebanese cane in bedleh - unless it is in the middle of an Orientale piece most Egyptian style dancers will switch to at least a beledi dress for sa`iidi cane.

Originally Posted by kat

Okay, out on a limb here because I'm certainly not an expert -- but isn't there the Saidi style and a more urban, maybe called "Cairo" style, of Egyptian cane dance? Wish I could remember where I heard that . . . .(mumble, old age and forgetfullness settles in

Curiouser and curiouser...

When I first learned cane with Momo Kudas (sp?) he taught techniques that were basic in comparison, tap on the floor, spin on the side, cradle in the arms, rest it on the shoulder and a slight suggestion of balancing it on your head. There was more emphasis on the body movements than cane acrobatics.

This is the way I always did it even after seeing Fifi's vid (she is my inspiration,r:;) as I'm always afraid of bashing someone in the head.

So there's another style of Egyptian cane?

Okay – went looking cause I was curious, too:

here’s a recent OrientalDancer.net discussion where Tarik mentions “baladi cane dance,” specifically in reference to Fifi Abdu:

Music for cane dance - Belly Dance Forums

In this blog review of the “Hoda” CD, the dancer, who states she is a student dancer, talks about sha’abi cane and baladi cane (but doesn’t know what the differences might be)
Bellydance: Experiences: CD Review: Hoda - Sha'bi Chic

And here’s a bhuz discussion from awhile back. Not the first place I heard the term “baladi cane” – but it’s in there! (Thanks, Shems!)

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/belly-danc...tick-cane.html

Thanks, great info. It's interesting to find out that not all Egyptian cane dances are saiidi and that there are so many other types of cane dances.

The vid I saw of Fifi was the one where she only did cane in the formance and was wearing a long man's shirt with a hip scarf. -think it was a tv show. I wonder, what style she was doing. Her cane work was much flashier than in the vid above.

Originally Posted by audie

The vid I saw of Fifi was the one where she only did cane in the formance and was wearing a long man's shirt with a hip scarf. -think it was a tv show. I wonder, what style she was doing. Her cane work was much flashier than in the vid above.

This one?
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUwqHgLHwtQ]YouTube - Fifi Abdou - Shisha (part 2)[/ame]

If so, it's from a play -- can't remember the Arabic name offhand, but it translates as "tie me up" I think. You can get it on dvd (but no subtitles -- it's hilarious anyway and the dancing scenes are too few but terrific).

Oh, I love that one. But, it's not the one I was thinking of.
I think this is the one. Anyway the title of the clip explains it "Lebanon-Saidi Dance".


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMng6xXFs2Q]YouTube - Fifi Abdo in tv Lebanon-saedi dance[/ame]

Originally Posted by audie

Oh, I love that one. But, it's not the one I was thinking of.
I think this is the one. Anyway the title of the clip explains it "Lebanon-Saidi Dance".

I could be wrong, but I think the title means she's on Lebanese tv doing Saidi dance--I have seen clips of other dancers on the same set, and I'm pretty sure it's a Lebanese show.

I know the subject of Ghawazee cane has come up before on bhuz, as a non-Saidi style...

Yeah I got that too. It is a Lebanese show. But she is doing a lot more twirling than I've usually seen from Egyptian dancers. Including the clip Kat mentioned.

It seemed to me that she was throwing in a little Lebanese style for the audience.