Thread: Need music suggestions from my mentors!

Hi ladies, I am a "baby belly dancer", just starting out and dancing at one restaurant. I would love music suggestions for my sets. I am still working with CD's but hope to work with a live band eventually and need to learn some of the most popular songs as well. Any and all advice you may have would be great! So far I really like dancing to Hossam Ramzy. Thanks everyone!

Hiya cutie.

If you are dancing with Mitchell, buy his cd. If he no longer has any copies, I still have mine and am happy to lend it to you.

For this area, you would be well advised to buy Belly Dancing for Fortune and Fame, available on dahlal.com, it has all the standards that the bands here know.

You'd be better off though learning as much as you can about the rhythms and how to interpret each one for an Arabic show, if those are the bands that you'd be dancing to.

I have yet to get the show that I've asked for, but have been able to do pretty decently just knowing the rhythms.

Danced at the red fez on Saturday and got ONE song (out of 2 sets, where I hummed the songs, gave the names and was assured that the band knew the music, and it was Alf Leyla!) Didn't get alf leyla, but still danced ok, I think.

and dahlal's list (10 songs every dancer should know) is comprehensive and has a good range

my new philosophy for dealing with bands is to forget requests and just say "I know you guys will do a great job for me. Play whatever you're in the mood for." It has not failed so far to produce beautiful music.

I think when you request something, you get it in your head that you're gong to hear it, and then you don't, and it's disconcerting. Or you keep wondering when they are going to play it. So, I've stopped doing that.

Then if you follow Kina's advice and get familiar with a lot of music out there, you'll never feel lost.

Thanks ladies! :) This is very helpful advice and I will be sure to look into it. Happy dancing!

Kina let us know when you are dancing again! We would love to see you :)

Originally Posted by Odella26

Kina let us know when you are dancing again! We would love to see you :)

will do ,r:;

I have listed my own current restaurant set selections here: Kiyaana's Restaurant Set Picks

It actually needs updating! But it may be helpful to you.

Originally Posted by kina

and dahlal's list (10 songs every dancer should know) is comprehensive and has a good range

Looks like 10 songs every dancer should know is now out on CD!!!!

https://www.dahlal.com/default.aspx?...1=1181&s2=1181

Originally Posted by kina

Hiya cutie.

If you are dancing with Mitchell, buy his cd. If he no longer has any copies, I still have mine and am happy to lend it to you.

I just tried to order one from his site after listening to the clips, but after I put in my cc info, the page broke. ..c::

Kina, do you happen to be in contact with Mitchell? I would love to have one of his CDs...

Here's a previous thread with classic song suggestions, including live band favorites: http://www.bhuz.com/forum/music-trad...d-dahlals.html

Lotus, he definitely still has them - he gave me a free one the other night when I performed with him at the Red Fez (well, "free" - we did tip the band pretty hard-core as it was a very very good night.)

Originally Posted by kina

Danced at the red fez on Saturday and got ONE song (out of 2 sets, where I hummed the songs, gave the names and was assured that the band knew the music, and it was Alf Leyla!) Didn't get alf leyla, but still danced ok, I think.

Keep forgetting to tell you--while you were changing, the band did piece out a few bars of Alf Leyla, I guess just enough for them to decide they didn't know it well enough after all. So they did try, more or less.

Also you were more than "ok" ..g.:

Thanks ladies!

Originally Posted by badriya_al_ahmar

Keep forgetting to tell you--while you were changing, the band did piece out a few bars of Alf Leyla, I guess just enough for them to decide they didn't know it well enough after all. So they did try, more or less.

Also you were more than "ok" ..g.:

oops, just saw this!

Aw, thanks, you're such a sweetie! AND they held onto my zills and gave them to Alicia for me. They are absolved any wrongdoing at this time

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

my new philosophy for dealing with bands is to forget requests and just say "I know you guys will do a great job for me. Play whatever you're in the mood for." It has not failed so far to produce beautiful music.

That never works for me. That's when they pull out some really obscure and bizarre song that doesn't even seem to have regular meter and goes on forever. You must be charmed or something.

Originally Posted by shems

That never works for me. That's when they pull out some really obscure and bizarre song that doesn't even seem to have regular meter and goes on forever. You must be charmed or something.

that exactly why I stopped doing that and decided to request or at least give a range of music that I know so they can pick and choose from that if they like.

I have had success with asking what they want to play, and negotiating from there.

It was reassuring to watch Bozenka at a nightclub doing a great job to the music but having trouble with catching the musician's eye, to the point that she stopped her final spin, took off her sleeve and spun that instead until he re-connected with her, THEN she did her big flourish bam end.