Thread: Folk dance styles on a need-to-know basis

What folk dance styles does an oriental dancer need to be competent in, or at least knowledgable about, to be a well-rounded dancer?

You know, you see so many styles taught, and styles from so many different countries- Tunisian, Moroccan, Sudanese, Nubian, Haggala, Bamboutya.

I guess this question kind of brings up the question about what regions are accepted as being in the realm of oriental dance?

Thanks!

Saidi, Khaleeji, Debke are the most important ones to know, I think. The others make for a well-rounded education, but those are the folk styles most useful to the majority of belly dancers.

Beledi, Saiidi a must. Khaleegi I think important for those entrance numbers. Haggalah/Ghawazee adds a nice flavour too. So those, I think, in that order. Debke for getting folk up at private parties, yeah - but your knowledge can be *very* basic on that and you'd get by just fine.

At least one 9/8 Turkish Roma.

Kitty

*ahem* Nisaa will be teaching debke & khaleegy at my studio on Sunday, October 28 from 2-4:30pm. Only $25! I'll post a link to the page when I get it up.

My answer would be that it depends on what style of dancer you are and who is your audience. I used to dance for a lot of Egyptians & Palestinians, you need to know saidi & debke for them. Now I sometimes dance at a Turkish restaurant, there's not much folk dancing that goes on, but it seems right to dance to karsilama sometimes. I know some dancers have a large Armenian audience, others more Greeks.

Depends on what style your "main" dance is. I'm Egyptian so the main folkloric I concentrate on is sa`iidi. A good grounding in beledi styling would also be useful - and some khaleegi (it's Saudi - but over the last few decades it has been included in Egyptian routines). After that I'd say meleya and Nubian. Other folk styles such as bedouin/haggalah, ghawazee, zaar are less mainstream within an oriental piece - and I can't imagine using Bumbotaya!

If your basis was more Lebanese - a couple of debke styles.

If your basis was Turkish - some Rom.

Originally Posted by wigglewhiz

Beledi, Saiidi a must. Khaleegi I think important for those entrance numbers. Haggalah/Ghawazee adds a nice flavour too. So those, I think, in that order. Debke for getting folk up at private parties, yeah - but your knowledge can be *very* basic on that and you'd get by just fine.

Khaleegy for entrance numbers? Ooh, is there oriental music with a khaleegy entrance? Would love to hear it.

Hi Eva! A lot depends on how much you want to specialize. For example, do you want to proclaim yourself to be an Egyptian-style dancer, or do you prefer to be more of a generalist?

I think it would be valuable to dip your toe into the Reda folk troupe style, just to be able to understand it well enough to survive if you find yourself in an Egyptian-style workshop whose teacher specializes in that style. I went to a recent workshop by someone who used a lot of stuff she'd learned from studying Reda style, and the people who hadn't previously been exposed to it were struggling. You don't always know in advance when someone will be springing that on you, unless you're already really knowledgeable about a given teacher's style!

I think you could get by without knowing fellahin (which is something Reda made up), melaya leff (ditto), Sudanese, or bamboutiyya. You probably wouldn't need Nubian unless you really like and want to dance to pop music by Nubian artists such as Mohammed Monir.

If you do Egyptian style, there could be value to getting just a little haggala because sometimes choreographers use it. You would definitely want Saidi and Khaleegy in your bag of tricks because a number of Egyptian classical music songs and written-for-dance songs incorporate these. (For example, Leilet Hob has a few places where there are a couple of measures of Khaleegy rhythm before it moves on to other stuff.)

I agree with those who recommend debke, because sometimes starting/leading a debke line is just the right thing for a party. Another good simple folk dance to have in your repertoire is a Greek hasapiserviko (sometimes called fast hasapiko) or syrtos, for cases where you're dancing at a Greek restaurant or event that has a lot of Greeks present.

It can be nice to have some Tunisian, Moroccan, and Turkish 9/8 in your repertoire if you want to be a generalist rather than specializing in one style.

In addition to the ones mentioned above I think it helps to have an idea of Andalusian styles for when those samai rhythms pop up.

silly question...where/how do you learn these? I'm familiar with the terms, and know that they're folkloric, but I have no idea how to recognize any of them. My first teacher (who I learned most everything from) danced Turkish, her husband is Armenian, and we learned a bit of Greek line dancing. Since then I've not encountered any other info on folkloric styles, though I think perhaps I ought to learn a bit.

Originally Posted by bintbeled

Khaleegy for entrance numbers? Ooh, is there oriental music with a khaleegy entrance? Would love to hear it.

Not my question to answer of course but anywho...

I think Wiggle was talking of the oriental routine/majenci that has the multiple rhythm changes throughout and that sometimes including a bit of khaleegi rhythm.

I could be wrong... wouldn't be the first time

Originally Posted by NajlaHalem

silly question...where/how do you learn these? I'm familiar with the terms, and know that they're folkloric, but I have no idea how to recognize any of them.

I think a similar question came up recently. Best strategy, learn as close to the source as you can. For example, if it is Egyptian folklore learn from someone who has solid folkloric experience in Egypt. This would realistically be some one from Firqa Kawmiyya or Reda Troupe. Next, someone who has learnt from one of those for several years (I have attended workshops by teachers who had attended a single workshop in the style themselves!! - needless to say waste of time)

Next, familiarize yourself with a range of dance by the actual people eg Aisha Ali's or Morocco's DVDs. See the variations and similarities.

Good luck.

Hi there!

WOW!! Can someone refer/explain Bamboutya style. I have not heard of that one! I am always trying to learn more folkloric styles.....

Also, I've added to my list Andalusian styles. I empahsize plural form since I have come across a range from Spanish-Moorish to Reda troupe style to even just dancing raks sharqui to Malouf/Mwoshahat rhythms. When I think of Andalusian, Lama bada yeta thena (10/8) & Fayruiz's Arg alaya alf a leila (7/8), Sabah Fakri's classic style of "Dulab intro" & mwoshahat come to mind. So if the crowd is from Syria, Lebanon, Palestine/Isreal, Jordan, nearby areas, these works well too for raks sharqui with Andalusian style. If you want to stick with Egyptian style with Spanish flair, include in your repertoire the Classic Abdel Wahab: Msafer Wahdak -one of my faves & a challenge (for me) to dance to....

Good luck & have fun!!!
-T

Originally Posted by kashmir

... Best strategy, learn as close to the source as you can. For example, if it is Egyptian folklore learn from someone who has solid folkloric experience in Egypt. This would realistically be some one from Firqa Kawmiyya or Reda Troupe. Next, someone who has learnt from one of those for several years (I have attended workshops by teachers who had attended a single workshop in the style themselves!! - needless to say waste of time)

Next, familiarize yourself with a range of dance by the actual people eg Aisha Ali's or Morocco's DVDs. See the variations and similarities.

Good luck.

We're really lucky here in the DC area. A bunch of guys from an Egyptian troupe moved here. One of them has been a professional (folkloric) dancer his whole life.

Bambouti is an Egyptian spoon dance if I remember correctly.

Originally Posted by nbahri_rhythms

Hi there!
WOW!! Can someone refer/explain Bamboutya style. I have not heard of that one! I am always trying to learn more folkloric styles.....

From what I understand, the Bamoutya is a dance of the fishermen of Port Said. I know Magdy el Leisy has something about it on his Folklore 2006 instructional.

Bamboutiya has very fast footwork. Some of it looks like the Charleston. Dancers might also mime fishing-related stuff, like throwing out a net and pulling it in. I learned some from Ibrahim Farrah and some also at Ahlan wa Sahlan 2000, in a spoon dance. It can be done with or without spoons.

Originally Posted by bintbeled

Khaleegy for entrance numbers? Ooh, is there oriental music with a khaleegy entrance? Would love to hear it.

Hiya Latifa,
Did you ever run across these? If you are still curious, I know I can pull out a few. I've definitely seen and danced to entrances with Khaliji in them.

Originally Posted by shems

Hiya Latifa,
Did you ever run across these? If you are still curious, I know I can pull out a few. I've definitely seen and danced to entrances with Khaliji in them.

Shems, I've got a bunch, but would love to know what your faves are!

Originally Posted by bintbeled

Khaleegy for entrance numbers? Ooh, is there oriental music with a khaleegy entrance? Would love to hear it.

There are certain fills on slower malfouf that sound a lot like what dancers call Khaleeji. Are you sure that is not what is happening in those songs? "Khaleeji" is sort of a misnomer anyway. There is more than one rhythm used in the traditional songs of the Gulf, and each area/ethnic group has its own flavors of music and dance. The dancer's "Khaleeji" is probably the most common rhythm you hear in music, but it isn't the entirety on the subject.

Originally Posted by *Shira*

You probably wouldn't need Nubian unless you really like and want to dance to pop music by Nubian artists such as Mohammed Monir.

I don't think I'd even bother to associate Nubian dance with Mounir. Most of his output over the last decade or so has drifted pretty far from his ethnic roots. Besides, when dancers say "Nubian," they usually mean Reda's blackface "shuckin' and jivin'" (as Morocco calls it) version of Nubian dance, which pretty much flies in the face of Mounir's personal agenda of furthering inter-racial and -ethnic respect for one another as citizens of Earth. (I know their race issues are different than the ones in the West, but still...) To me, it's like saying you should do Moroccan dance to Samira Said. There are instances when it makes sense, and the rest of the time, it feels like looking at labels, instead of taking the big picture into account.

Anyway, back to the original question--for a beginner, I'd start with Saidi folkloric, Lebanese debke, and Khaleeji women's dance, but that depends on the style you're aiming for. For Turkish or vintage American styles, I'd add in karsilama, and Turkish Rom and non-Rom Turkish folk dance, if you want to specialize in Turkish. Include a little Greek and Balkan line dancing, if that makes sense in your area. If you want to concentrate on Egyptian style, pick up the Reda variations. For all-around dance education, you may eventually want to learn some Maghrebi styles like Tunisian and Moroccan. The area where I live is mostly Lebanese in terms of its (meager) ethnic population, but a good debke workshop may also cover other varieties, including Palestinian and Iraqi forms. Most belly dancers don't pursue Persian (it's hard to find good teachers), but that is another option for later.

Where do you learn it? Workshops and DVDs from qualified teachers, if your regular teacher isn't proficient enough to include it in her curriculum.