![\"Karim\"](\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art53\/graphics53\/aubre\/karim.jpg\")
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I came into Bellydance without any knowledge of Arabic culture. I was unfamiliar with the music and, in fact, the sound of the mizmars<\/em> blaring through the speakers in our little dance studio made me not only want to cover my ears but reminded me of dying cats, howling in misery! Maybe it was my youth in the teen years that didn\u2019t allow me to see the beauty in that agony, or maybe my ears were just not open enough to understand the complexity of Arabic music. Either way, I had no idea what a journey I had begun and how vast the experience would be. <\/p>\n Thirteen years later, I found myself in a dance studio in the middle of Manhattan. I had heard about the Arab Dance Seminar<\/em><\/strong> a few years prior when I met Karim Nagi.<\/strong> I was impressed with his ability to articulate about culture, music, and dance, and the deep understanding of both American and Arabic culture that allows him to communicate in such a profound way. After hearing him give a lecture on Arabic music, structure and composition, I knew I had to attend the seminar at some point. There was so much information I couldn\u2019t get anywhere else in simply an hour of lecture with this man. <\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t imagine a whole weekend with a faculty of similar artists and academics and what epiphanies would result. <\/p>\n The Arab Dance Seminar was created by Karim Nagi in 2005 and has become an annual event. It fits with his mission to help educate people about the depth and beauty of Arabic culture beyond its exposure in the news. His seminar emphasizes the cultural roots and context of this dance form; it is a form that is experiencing a disconnect as more dancers are entering the community through fusion and often not developing an understanding of its historical origins. Each seminar is themed to focus on a variety of elements within the culture, dance, and music of the Arab world. I was fortunate that this year\u2019s seminar was focused on lyrics and poetry of Arab music and how they relate to and influence dance: The Language of Movement, the Movement of Language. Having recently started learning Arabic, this theme included a variety of elements upon which I was already focusing.<\/p>\n The first day of the seminar laid the foundational ideas for the weekend, including some background and personal viewpoints from our teachers. Nourhan<\/strong> represented Egypt, specifically Raqs Sharqi <\/em>and Raqs Assaya\/Saidi<\/em>. Amel Tafsout<\/a><\/strong> was our North African teacher, focusing mainly on Algeria. Kay Hardy Campbell <\/strong>became our resource for the Gulf, including Khaligi & Bedouin dance. Dr. Taouriq Ben Amor <\/strong>was an Arabic language specialist as well as poet and musician. Karim Nagi represented the Eastern Arab world with Debke<\/em> while also maintaining the overall flow and organization of the weekend. <\/p>\n Extremely knowledgeable and dedicated to their topics, each teacher brought a level of enthusiasm and passion that was contagious. As dancers from all over the world came together, we sat quietly during this first evening taking all this information in and the level of excitement only grew as the lecture turned to the poetics of Arabic and the aural tradition in which songs and stories have been passed on for centuries, \u201c…populating an empty desert with words,\u201d as Dr. Taouriq Ben Amor so eloquently put it. Having this background was essential for the theme of our seminar and stressed the importance of language within Arab culture. <\/p>\n\n
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