Thread: Dancing to Fairuz?

I know that dancing to Oum Kalthum's singing is not necessarily the best idea, unless one is an exceptional dancer who can truely express the music. That made me wonder - what about dancing to Fairuz? From what I understand, she has cult status, which makes me think that it may not be OK. But, at the same time, some of her songs are a bit more down-to-earth than Oum Kalthum's, and she is on several debke CDs. What is the proper choice here?

Originally Posted by steffib

I know that dancing to Oum Kalthum's singing is not necessarily the best idea, unless one is an exceptional dancer who can truely express the music. That made me wonder - what about dancing to Fairuz? From what I understand, she has cult status, which makes me think that it may not be OK. But, at the same time, some of her songs are a bit more down-to-earth than Oum Kalthum's, and she is on several debke CDs. What is the proper choice here?

You're right that she's as beloved to the Lebanese people as Oum Kalthoum was to Egyptians. Her versatility as a vocalist really amazes me - she sang a lot of muwashahat, debkes, AND more classical songs, always applying the right vocal intonations for whichever genre a given song was.

I started another thread in the "Product News and Reviews" section mentioning two documentaries about her. I've ordered both, but they haven't come yet so I can't tell you if they're good.

Yes, it's fine to dance to her music. I was one of the judges at the Maqam Bellydance Challenge in Chicago in August, and I was sitting next to Bashir, the CEO of the parent company that owns Maqam. He was ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY THRILLED when one of Lauren's students danced to a song by Fairuz. He was so enthusiastic that he asked Kimahri to bring her over to the judges' table so he could personally congratulate her on her choice of music. He continued to mention (with a big smile on his face) the fact that someone danced to Fairuz' music several more times throughout the day.

Thanks a lot, great information! That's good to hear. I was at a store not too long ago, and asked about the music, which turned out to be Fairuz - the owner (who I believe is from Morocco) seemed to really appreciate that I knew about her and told him that I have a few songs of hers and enjoy them.

I had seen your message about the DVDs, and am hoping for feedback that they will be worth adding to my collection. I love "The Voice of Egypt", and more like that would be great.

Do you remember which song, Shira? I suppose I could ask Lauren, too.

I have recently started paying attention to her music. I really like Sabah as well.

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Yes, it's fine to dance to her music. I was one of the judges at the Maqam Bellydance Challenge in Chicago in August, and I was sitting next to Bashir, the CEO of the parent company that owns Maqam. He was ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY THRILLED when one of Lauren's students danced to a song by Fairuz. He was so enthusiastic that he asked Kimahri to bring her over to the judges' table so he could personally congratulate her on her choice of music. He continued to mention (with a big smile on his face) the fact that someone danced to Fairuz' music several more times throughout the day.

Originally Posted by kiyaana

I have recently started paying attention to her music. I really like Sabah as well.

Hmmm, I don't remember which song it was. My brain was mush by the time the day was over! I'm sure Lauren could help you figure it out, though.

Over the past few weeks, I've posted a bunch of translations for songs done by Fairuz on my web site, if you'd like some ideas for ones to take a look at. If you pick one Fairuz song from the list at Arabic Songs Translated into English and scroll down to the bottom of that page, you'll find a list of other songs by her that I also have translations for.

I'm particularly fond of Nihna Wil Amar Jiraan, myself.

I too like Sabah's music. My favorite by her is A Nedda, which is a debke. If you're a fan of her music, you might want to get the DVD for Love Street, which is a movie that stars Sabah opposite Abdel Halim Hafez. It's the movie in which he sings the song Oolooloo, and while he sings it Nagwa Fouad makes her silver screen debut dancing to it. I emailed Sahra about that movie, suggesting she might want to get a copy of it for its portrayal of a Hasaballah Band. And Nagwa Fouad's outfit in that dance scene is an example of the style of dress that was used as the foundation for Reda Troupe's creation of the costume we associate with melaya leff.

At there risk of sounding like a smart aleck, it's not really a good idea to dance to any singer's music if you can't do it reasonable justice. Formal music demands a higher standard of interpretation than informal music, and isn't that what is really the deciding factor?

I understand taking into account the cultural gravitas of the singer, but these performers are on an ever-lengthening continuum, and reputations build over time. Where do you draw the line? You have to be very good to dance to George Wassouf, but you can be kind of lousy for Ragheb Alama, and you only have to worry about being good to dance to Amro Diab's music prior to the release of "Tamally Ma'ak"? I wouldn't like to bet a lot of money that fifty years from now, people will evoke Tamer Hosni's name in reverent whispers, but you never know. He may decide to remake himself down the road as an interpreter of the musical standards like Rod Stewart did, and end up being regarded as a master vocalist. I don't think anyone would have anticipated that Frank Sinatra would become the pillar of Western music that he turned into when they were making fun of him in those old Warner Brothers cartoons in the 1940s.

Thanks, Shira!

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Hmmm, I don't remember which song it was. My brain was mush by the time the day was over! I'm sure Lauren could help you figure it out, though.

Over the past few weeks, I've posted a bunch of translations for songs done by Fairuz on my web site, if you'd like some ideas for ones to take a look at. If you pick one Fairuz song from the list at Arabic Songs Translated into English and scroll down to the bottom of that page, you'll find a list of other songs by her that I also have translations for.

I'm particularly fond of Nihna Wil Amar Jiraan, myself.

I too like Sabah's music. My favorite by her is A Nedda, which is a debke. If you're a fan of her music, you might want to get the DVD for Love Street, which is a movie that stars Sabah opposite Abdel Halim Hafez. It's the movie in which he sings the song Oolooloo, and while he sings it Nagwa Fouad makes her silver screen debut dancing to it. I emailed Sahra about that movie, suggesting she might want to get a copy of it for its portrayal of a Hasaballah Band. And Nagwa Fouad's outfit in that dance scene is an example of the style of dress that was used as the foundation for Reda Troupe's creation of the costume we associate with melaya leff.