Thread: Egyptian Style Drum Solos & Dancing

Hello!
I am trained in "tribal" style for the most part, and am expanding my knowledge. I want to get your opinions and suggestions on dancers to watch to get the Real Deal in Egyptian-style drum solos and dancing. I'm familiar with Golden Age, so perhaps the stars of the last 20-30 years or so? Video links are much appreciated :)

Thanks in advance!

--Teejei

Great Topic! Here is Mona Said (same performance in 3 parts):

Here is one of my faves with Fifi Ness.

Although (most? some?) Egyptian dancers do do drum solo it is not a big part of the style and not characteristic at all. I have have one dancer sneerly call it "empty dance to empty music". Emotional expression is far more prized in Egypt than technique.

That said, when it is done it is often less frenetic than western or Turkish drum. Accents can be totally ignored - either by only marking the underlying beat or even ignoring that. Less arms and no huge (or sharp) upper body movement; there might be a little chest pulse but nothing that looks like it could have come from "Alien".

When watching Egyptian dancers do drum solos, or dancing choreographed drum solo bits by Egyptians, I have noticed that the approach is not really so different to the approach to any other music. It's less about shimmy lock pop pop pop type of stuff and has a very relaxed sort of feeling. Obviously they dance *to* the drum music. And there isn't necessarily a lot of travelling, though I have definitely seen travelling steps used. But you will see things like big loose figure 8s, soft circular patterns and so on. It is definitely not so much about hitting every strike the drummer plays or being fiercely isolated while doing it.

Originally Posted by kashmir

Although (most? some?) Egyptian dancers do do drum solo it is not a big part of the style and not characteristic at all. I have have one dancer sneerly call it "empty dance to empty music". Emotional expression is far more prized in Egypt than technique.

That said, when it is done it is often less frenetic than western or Turkish drum. Accents can be totally ignored - either by only marking the underlying beat or even ignoring that. Less arms and no huge (or sharp) upper body movement; there might be a little chest pulse but nothing that looks like it could have come from "Alien".

Wow. You never danced in the 1970s and 80s in Egypt or Europe if you believe drum solo was not a big part of Egyptian dance!!! Sahar Hamdi did 6-7 minutes. So did Shoo Shoo Amin, Zizi Moustapha, Hanan, Aizza Sharif, Nelly and even Sohair Zuki when I saw her live. What about Fifi Abdou? She usually did her standing shimmy where she got the audience to clap beat for her instead of her drummer. In the beginning Dina did drum solos. I worked with her drummer for a while. And of COURSE Mona Said ... We were all expected to do 4 minutes at least.

And absolutely NO pops, locks or jazz stuff. Mainly complicated shimmies.

Originally Posted by Serpentine

Wow. You never danced in the 1970s and 80s in Egypt or Europe if you believe drum solo was not a big part of Egyptian dance!!! Sahar Hamdi did 6-7 minutes. So did Shoo Shoo Amin, Zizi Moustapha, Hanan, Aizza Sharif, Nelly and even Sohair Zuki when I saw her live. What about Fifi Abdou? She usually did her standing shimmy where she got the audience to clap beat for her instead of her drummer. In the beginning Dina did drum solos. I worked with her drummer for a while. And of COURSE Mona Said ... We were all expected to do 4 minutes at least.

And absolutely NO pops, locks or jazz stuff. Mainly complicated shimmies.

Working? Hardly, I was still at school! I never said they didn't do it - but even 6-7 minutes in, what, 2 hour show? - is a tiny part. At such a small percentage it isn't "typical".

I'm pretty sure in 2009, of the four belly dancers I saw in Cairo none of them did a "drum-solo" - they shimmied but not to just drum. Could have been an aberation. But with at least two teachers from Egypt being anti-drum solo in the last few years it may be a change in fashion.

This (far-from-complete) list contains Egyptian dancers and foreign dancers who were successful in Egypt:

Egyptian drum solos:
Dina:



Dina of Alexandria:


Randa Kamel:


Aziza od Cairo:


Asmahan:


Soheir Zaki:


Nagua Fouad:



Lucy:


Fifi Abdo:


Soraya:


Dandesh:


Sahra Saeeda:

Don't forget this classic by Azza Sharif!

It maybe a trend that teachers aren't teaching drum solos because you really can't teach a dancer how to do a really good drum solo. It's impossible. My teacher, who was Arabic, never taught drum solos. She would demonstrate how to do one but she never taught it. I don't teach drum solos either.

The drum solo was a staple of every dancers shows in the 80's but I know for a fact that the drummers preferred to do drum solos for the better dancers. The better of a dancer you were, the longer and more complicated drum solo you got.

Originally Posted by kashmir

Working? Hardly, I was still at school! I never said they didn't do it - but even 6-7 minutes in, what, 2 hour show? - is a tiny part. At such a small percentage it isn't "typical".

The shows were about 45 min long. The drum solo usually came at the end as the climax. It's not the % of a show that matters but it's place within the show. And Norma is absolutely correct. It's hard to teach good drum solos. They are NOT supposed to be choreographed - but felt - a joining of the dancer and the drummer. I was fortunate to work with the Henkesh brothers. They knew how to watch the dancer, repeat phrases and build a sequence. So many of the cues are intricate lead-ins on the 7-8th counts of the second or fourth repetition that if a dancer doesn't have a trained ear to follow these transitions she will look like a fool - and make the drummer look bad.

That's why, again as Norma said, only the good dancers got long juicy drum solos. The musicians didn't want to look stupid with the others. The audiences on the other hand LOVED them and waited for them with anticipation.

The list of clips above is GREAT. Thanks for sharing them Mahsati.

This is me with the Henkesh Brothers taken during Ahlan Wa Sahlan 2006.

Here´s a blog post about drum solos that I can truly say I laughed,nodded and shouted "YES!!!"in front of my computor when reading(whole blog is fab btw):http://emmabellydancer.co.uk/blog/?tag=drum-solo

Love to see *dancing*to a drum solo,not mechanical "tic-toc-roll-pop-chest lock-chin lift ad naseum".Yes,that "chin nod movement":may look good on canadian Aziza,but used 20 times it just becomes like a tic of the wrong kind.

When it´s supposed to be a drum solo in the egyptian style,I prefer to watch dancers who "talks with the hips"to the audience, and enjoy themselves instead of showing me how they can layer 20 different movements on top of each other in different tempos.

The clips Mahsati posted are great examples:-)

Originally Posted by norma

Don't forget this classic by Azza Sharif!

Oh, I LOOOOVE this --- I have it on an old VHS tape I bought about 20 years ago, and it is one of my favorite classics by one of my favorite dancers. I think I almost wore the tape out, I watched it so often!

Titooooooooo!!!!!!! (and little Memo, who probably isn't so little any more)



I'm also REALLY fond of this Baladi progression that builds into a drum solo, just because Saad el Soghayer drums for Dina and they look like they're having SUCH a great time.



Always been crazy about this clip, wish the quality was better:


Not Egyptian, but certainly Egyptian style, performing in Cairo, the lovely Russian Nour:


And Brazilian dynamo Soraia Zaied, also performing in Cairo:

Originally Posted by emma-bessa

Here´s a blog post about drum solos that I can truly say I laughed,nodded and shouted "YES!!!"in front of my computor when reading(whole blog is fab btw):drum solo « emmabellydancer.co.uk

Love to see *dancing*to a drum solo,not mechanical "tic-toc-roll-pop-chest lock-chin lift ad naseum".Yes,that "chin nod movement":may look good on canadian Aziza,but used 20 times it just becomes like a tic of the wrong kind.

When it´s supposed to be a drum solo in the egyptian style,I prefer to watch dancers who "talks with the hips"to the audience, and enjoy themselves instead of showing me how they can layer 20 different movements on top of each other in different tempos.

)

Yes, this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, yes, yes!