{"id":3061,"date":"2011-08-15T23:36:10","date_gmt":"2011-08-16T06:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/?p=3061"},"modified":"2011-08-15T23:36:10","modified_gmt":"2011-08-16T06:36:10","slug":"hana-music-choices-egyptian-dance-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/08\/15\/hana-music-choices-egyptian-dance-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Ghannili Shwayya, Shwayya\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"topphoto\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sFp9l7WUVm0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h6>19 minute video of interviews conducted for this article<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<h2>(Sing for me a little, a little)<br \/>\nMusings: Music Choices at BDUC 2011<\/h2>\n<h3>by <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/aboutuspages\/hanaAli.html\">Hana Ali<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<span class=\"footnotes\">posted August 15, 2011<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I was excited and full of anticipation as I settled  into my carefully chosen seat and admired the new BDUC 2011 venue, eagerly  awaiting the Egyptian preliminary competition to commence. The previous year,  it had occurred to me that the percentage of contestants choosing to dance to a <em>mergenci <\/em>seemed disproportionately high. I wondered what this year\u2019s  music choices would be. <\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\">Thirty-one contestants and thirty <em>mergencies<\/em> later, I had my answer.<\/p>\n<p>I should clarify that the term \u201c<em>mergenci\u201d<\/em> means an Oriental dance  opening instrumental, and it is a composition specific for dance entrances, not  to be confused with plain instrumentals that could be a Samai or instrumental  versions of an <span class=\"artist\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art36\/YasminOmK.htm\">Umm Kulthoum<\/a><\/span> or <span class=\"artist\">Abdel Wahab<\/span> or other classic composition. For  the purposes of this article and especially the interviews, I used the terms \u201cinstrumental\u201d  and <em>\u201cmergenci\u201d<\/em> interchangeably, and it appears that (given the context)  most dancers will understand my intent. However, the more accurate choice would  have been <em>mergenci.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the spirit of full disclosure, I admit that I have  a strong preference for music with singing and tend not to find most <em>mergencies<\/em> particularly inspiring. Maybe that is why the strong predominance of said form  struck me so. I can understand a segment of the population choosing to dance to  an instrumental piece for the sheer love of it\u2026but 97% of the contestants? I\u2019m  no statistician, but that seemed significant enough to me! <\/p>\n<p>Thus I enlisted the help of our gamely editor,  <span class=\"artist\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/aboutuspages\/Lynette.html\">Lynette<\/a><\/span> of <span class=\"company\">Gilded Serpent<\/span>, and set out to find out why. My \u201chighly scientific\u201d  approach involved scanning the field for giant sparkling eyelashes, dashing  over and inquiring whether owner of said eyelashes had competed in the Egyptian  preliminaries and were they to respond in the affirmative, to proceed to badger  them with questions about their musical choices. This was day two of the event,  so I only managed to interview eight of the thirty-one contestants (25%),  because a lot of the non-finalists were no longer around, and others were just  hard to get hold of at the time. <\/p>\n<p>I also interviewed the five estimable personalities  that judged the Egyptian preliminaries this year, namely: <span class=\"artist\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/aboutuspages\/alishali.html\">Aisha Ali<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/aboutuspages\/amina.htm\">Amina Goodyear<\/a>, Angelika Nemeth, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/aboutuspages\/jillina.html\">Jillina<\/a><\/span>  and <span class=\"artist\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2010\/12\/28\/amina-sahra-goes-to-egypt\/\">Sahra Saeeda<\/a><\/span>. My so-called research was rather impromptu, and though not  exactly worthy of inclusion in a peer-reviewed journal, it did begin to answer  some of the questions in my mind and helped me to anchor some thoughts that had  been floating around in there. Below is a summary of the interviews, followed  by my personal take on the whole thing. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sectiontitle\">Contestants<\/p>\n<p>\nThe contestants\u2019 responses (give or take) generally  comprised of answers to the following series of questions: <br \/>\nWhat piece of music did the contestant choose for the  Egyptian category?<br \/>\nWhat made him\/her choose that particular piece?<br \/>\nWhether he\/she usually prefers to dance to an  instrumental piece versus a song (implying singing)?<br \/>\n(If applicable) Why so?<br \/>\n(If applicable) Follow-up questions, if the  conversation called for it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mireyah Yamilet (Puerto Rico)<\/strong><br \/>\nMireyah danced to a<em> mergenci<\/em> because she  thought the piece was \u201cexotic, sensual, and mystical.\u201d She added that she  generally prefers to dance to instrumental music. \u201cIt\u2019s my favorite!\u201d she  declared.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shereen (Czech   Republic)<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Egyptian Champion BDUC 2011<br \/>\nTaxim Champion BDUC 2011<\/em><br \/>\nThe music Shereen danced to was \u201cdefinitely <span class=\"artist\">Sahra  Saeeda<\/span>&#8216;s music,\u201d chosen because she fancied it the most among all the tunes in  her collection. <br \/>\n\u201cI picked an instrumental because I think that,  mainly, people pick instrumental songs for the Egyptian category. It&#8217;s not a  requirement, but for competition, I think it&#8217;s better to choose an instrumental  piece of music because, with instrumentals, it allows for bolder technique and  a bolder movement, but with a voice, it&#8217;s more about the emotion and the story  in the song. It&#8217;s beautiful to tell a story by your dance, but I don&#8217;t think  it&#8217;s the best thing for a competition.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Competitions are not only about the technique of  course. They&#8217;re also about the soul and stage presence.<\/p>\n<p><\/strong>However, I think that emphasis is more on technique,  and when you perform for a normal audience in a theatre, it&#8217;s not that much  about the technique. That is not a priority, why everybody is going to the  theatre. People are coming to see the emotions (the story), but in a  competition, I think showing that you have good technique is one of the main  objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/aboutuspages\/sadiyya.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art54\/graphics54\/sadiyya.jpg\" alt=\"Sa'diyya\" width=\"70\" height=\"100\" align=\"left\" \/>Sa&#8217;diyya<\/a> (Texas,  US)<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Universal Champion BDUC 2011<br \/>\nSpecialty Champion BDUC 2011<br \/>\n2nd Runner-up Egyptian BDUC 2011<\/em><br \/>\nSa\u2019diyya selected a <em>mergenci<\/em> from <span class=\"artist\">Asmahan<\/span>&#8216;s  latest CD. Sa\u2019diyya chose this piece because she found it charismatic, full of  changes and well-orchestrated. She liked that the piece was energetic, with  varying tempos and energy levels that she felt would help sustain the audience\u2019s  interest. She also thought that the variety of rhythms within her chosen piece  of music would allow her to showcase commensurate variety in her dancing.<br \/>\n\u201cI prefer instrumentals. There is a lot of Belly  dance music that is instrumental, that originally had lyrics with it, so we&#8217;re  still supposed to know what the music means if we&#8217;re going to dance to it. <\/p>\n<p><strong>However, I would say overall, just for a wider range  of audience, most people are going to connect more to instrumental music, and  you have more freedom to express yourself.<\/strong> <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I always prefer really energetic or robust music; it  doesn&#8217;t matter about the mood. As for performing for a different kind of  audience: yes, I might use this music in a restaurant&#8230;\u00a0 That would be similar music.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art54\/graphics54\/venus.jpg\" alt=\"Venussahara\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" align=\"left\" \/>Venus<\/strong><strong>ahara (Arizona,  US)<\/strong><br \/>\nVenusahara danced to a <em>mergenci<\/em> because: <br \/>\n\u201cThe instrumentation of it was very beautiful, very  complex\u2026and it was a little above my level, but I wanted to strive for  something just a little bit out of my grasp and push myself to another level.\u201d <br \/>\nShe added that although vocals sometimes resonate  with her, in this particular case, it just happened to be the instruments. <br \/>\n\u201cThe instruments tell so much of a story. You hear  them cry, and you hear them sing with joy, and I wanted to be able to try and  portray that with my dance.\u201d<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art54\/graphics54\/Tatiana.jpg\" alt=\"Tatiana\" width=\"81\" height=\"100\" align=\"left\" \/>Tatiana Kuzmina (Russia)<\/strong><br \/>\nTatiana chose a piece composed by <strong>Dr. Samy Farag<\/strong> because its tempo was quick and  allowed her to \u201cplay\u201d with her costume. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Tatiana said that she usually prefers vocals over  instrumentals, but chose an instrumental piece for the competition in  compliance with BDUC rules. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere, we can&#8217;t perform with song\u2026 In the Egyptian  category, (there should be) no song &#8230; instrument &#8230; rules.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Roxy (Washington,   US)<\/strong><br \/>\nRoxy danced to a <em>mergenci<\/em> as well. <br \/>\n\u201cI don&#8217;t know what my song is titled. I got the it  from <span class=\"artist\">Cassandra&#8217;<\/span>s store. I took a workshop from her, and so I used the first  piece of it. I was going to dance to a pop Turkish song, but I thought, because  this is the Egyptian category, I picked that one\u2026\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cIt&#8217;s an instrumental arrangement of a very  traditional Egyptian song.\u201d (author-I wondered what made it so traditional.) <br \/>\n\u201cI know it was Cassandra&#8217;s,\u201d she said, \u201cso I picked  that song. It was supposed to be 38 min long, but we just have it for 2 minutes  for that one.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kenya<\/strong><strong> (New York,   US)<\/strong><br \/>\nKenya danced to an instrumental piece by <strong>Mario Kirlis<\/strong> because she found it emotionally moving. <br \/>\n\u201cI usually listen for a piece that moves me and makes  me feel good when I listen to it. <\/p>\n<p><strong>They both (instrumentals and songs) move me, but if I  don&#8217;t understand the music and the language that they&#8217;re speaking, I tend to  stick with instrumentals.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art54\/graphics54\/Oleg.jpg\" alt=\"Oleg\" width=\"79\" height=\"100\" align=\"left\" \/>Oleg (Russia)<\/strong><br \/>\n(Translator: Natika)<br \/>\n<em>Fusion Champion BDUC 2011<br \/>\n3rd Runner-up Egyptian BDUC 2011<\/em><br \/>\nOleg danced to a <em>mergenci<\/em> as well, although I  was not able to gather any details about it. He said that his goal had been to  try to show his emotions as well as to display his technique. <br \/>\n\u201cI like instrumental music more because the dancer  should be like the orchestra and he should express every instrument.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><strong>He further opined, \u201cToday I was surprised because America is behind Russia in technique and in  music&#8230;and emotionality, too.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"sectiontitle\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art54\/graphics54\/BDOUjudgesEgyptian.jpg\" alt=\"Judges\" width=\"299\" height=\"172\" align=\"right\" \/>Judges<\/p>\n<p>In the interest of efficiency, we cornered four of  the judges in pairs: <span class=\"artist\">Aisha Ali<\/span>  paired with <span class=\"artist\">Angelika Nemeth<\/span> and <span class=\"artist\">Amina Goodyear<\/span> with <span class=\"artist\">Jillina<\/span>. <span class=\"artist\">Sahra<\/span> proved to be  the most elusive due to her judging and workshop schedule, and thus, was the  last to be questioned (off the camera because, by this time, it was well past  our illustrious editor\u2019s bedtime and she was bravely using the last of her  dwindling energy reserves to fight off a complete meltdown). <\/li>\n<p>We briefly explained to the judges that I had been  interviewing contestants about their music choices for the Egyptian category  and that I was curious as to why it was predominantly instrumentals when in my  view, there is so much more to Egyptian music than only <em>mergencies<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0I posed the  following question to the judges:<br \/>\n<strong>\u201cIf you were to advise a student on what music to  pick to compete in the Egyptian category, to win, what would you recommend?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Angelika Nemeth<\/strong>\n<p>\u201c(It should be) Egyptian, first of all, and I would  say (that you should) choose something that&#8217;s produced by a really good  orchestra in Egypt.  So, you have to know a little bit about the musicians. So, (pick) something  that (first of all) turns you on, because you have to listen to it many times  and express the love, the joy, and the passion that the music calls forth in  you. I think it should have variety. (It should have)&#8230;an exciting opening,  some good taqsims; it should not be too long (because nowadays they tend to be  rather short, attention span is short, and you don&#8217;t have a lot of time). (It should  include) a good, short drum solo, followed by a nice finale that ties it all  together. I like to hear at least three or four rhythm changes, just like a  nice <em>masmoudi<\/em>, back to something folkloric, either <em>saidi<\/em>, <em>bamboteya<\/em> (in the chosen piece of music), so it shows the dancer has knowledge.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><strong>Angelika, while clarifying that vocals were  permissible, issued a caution regarding their use: \u201cYou have to be careful when  they have song, because you really have to know what&#8217;s being said, and you have  to interpret that with gestures.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>She agreed with Aisha Ali\u2019s  opinion that most dancers do not know what is being said and added, \u201cunless  they&#8217;re Egyptian&#8211;or unless it&#8217;s translated for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Aisha Ali<\/strong><strong> <\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cI&#8217;m very much a traditionalist; so I would advise my  students to choose what I love, which would be traditional Egyptian  instrumentation played by about five musicians. Sometimes some of the new  instruments do become Egyptian, like the trumpet did after 20 years and the  accordion&#8211;and even the synthesizer. So, you could have some of those  instruments if they&#8217;re really integrated with the music. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Mainly, (the music should) have those instruments  which elicit a virtuoso response from the dancer.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Aisha Ali was of the opinion that music containing lyrics  require the dancer to understand the meaning of those lyrics and that most of  the dancers \u201csimply do not know\u2026If they&#8217;re lip-syncing it, and they&#8217;re off,  it&#8217;s embarrassing.\u201d<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amina Goodyear<\/strong>\n<p><strong>Amina lamented that the contestants \u201cshowed more  technique than themselves\u201d and advised future contestants to select music that  would allow for greater emotionality.<\/strong> <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cChoose about a 2 minute portion of an Oriental to  just have the introduction for the \u2018walk around&#8217;, and then, I would choose  something emotional. If they don&#8217;t want singing, I would choose an emotional  piece that, maybe, had singing but would be (predominantly) instrumental&#8211;such  as an <strong>Umm Kulthum<\/strong>, <strong>Warda,<\/strong> or <strong>Abdel Halim Hafez<\/strong> that&#8217;s  (been arranged as) an instrumental, so that I could see the emotion and the  feeling behind the dance.\u201d <br \/>\nAgreeing with Jillina\u2019s comment about including pop  or shaabi and lightening the mood, Amina added, \u201c Then, a little bit of their  personality would come out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jillina<\/strong><br \/>\nAgreeing with Amina\u2019s comments, Jillina said:<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cFor me, watching thirty dancers all do Oriental  instrumental pieces, the program got a little dry, so I was waiting for  somebody to do a pop song maybe, to show a range of emotion.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There was only one girl who did a little bit of Umm  Kulthum with vocals that I loved. I was like, \u2018Okay, this is pure Egyptian, and  I actually really appreciate it.\u2019 So I would try to do that; edit out a piece  of music that has maybe a minute of entrance to get you on the stage, show  (using some choreography) that you can travel, show an emotional range with  some Umm Kulthum and maybe some pop, some shaabi, something fresh. (You need)  something to lighten the mood, because it gets tense in the competition. We  feel tense judging; they feel tense competing. Maybe (the music should have) a  little bit of drum solo. However, with everybody doing the same thing, it made  it hard to clean the palate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She offered a related bit of advice to the dancers in  the audience:<br \/>\n\u201cWhen you&#8217;re watching one of the other dancers, it&#8217;s  really important to ask yourself: \u00a0\u2018What  am I feeling? Am I feeling sensitive? Hot? Am I laughing?\u2019 <\/p>\n<p><strong>You have to make the audience, especially the judges,  feel something, whatever it is. They can&#8217;t just say, \u2018Okay, good technique,  good dance, good choreography.\u2019 What do I walk away feeling? What do I  remember? That is the key.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Responding to my comment about having enjoyed the  Fusion category the most, Jillina added, <br \/>\n\u201cI was surprised that I was actually judging fusion,  and I got in there, and it was really exciting. I had a lot of fun. You&#8217;re  right, people just brought out their best.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sahra Saeeda<\/strong><br \/>\nSahra\u2019s advice to future contestants was to use a  piece of music with a grand beginning that would allow the dancer \u201cto enter  with flourish and command, followed by a section where she could do more  internal stuff, and go inwards.\u201d She suggested something with variety as a way  to hedge one\u2019s bets. <\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cIf you do something that\u2019s all one piece or style  then maybe I will love it, but another judge might hate it.\u201d<\/strong><br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nShe did not think necessarily that instrumentals  allowed for variety more than singing, but that a lot of the <em>mergencies<\/em> did possess that variety already. She was of the opinion that many audiences  for whom most dancers perform, do not understand the music. Therefore, the  lyrics and their meanings (their emotional content and the dancers\u2019 emoting)  tend to be lost on some audiences. \u201cAlso, a lot of the dancers, themselves, don\u2019t  understand the lyrics,\u201d she commented.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art54\/graphics54\/Sahrateaching.jpg\" alt=\"Sahra\" width=\"300\" height=\"350\" align=\"right\" \/>What did I walk away feeling? What do I remember?  That is, indeed, the key!\u00a0 At the  conclusion of the Egyptian preliminaries, I felt mostly enervated. The dancers,  their technique, choreography, costumes, all had been gorgeous and impressive.  Yet, I could not shake the sense of boredom. The obvious cause of my vexation  was the utter lack of variety in the music, of course. However, it goes beyond  that alone. <\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\">Lack of variety in the music is frustrating enough,  but even more so because it translates into lack of variety in the dancing.<\/p>\n<p>When thirty people all dance to nothing but <em>mergencies<\/em>,  it makes for thirty Oriental pieces infused with a heavy dose of ballet, jazz,  or modern technique with limited room left for expression of emotional and  cultural context, for a change in mood, or for that internalization that is so  quintessentially Egyptian. <em>Mergencies<\/em> have their due place within the  Egyptian show but are not the entire show. So why were they the predominant  musical choice at the contest? <\/p>\n<p>Apart from the occasional case of misconception that  instrumentals are the standard for the Egyptian category (or possibly even a  BDUC rule) I suspect that ease of use, and maybe in the case of some, a limited  awareness of equally Egyptian alternatives, may play a role.<em> Mergencies<\/em> tend to have a lot of rhythmic variety built into the format, often with  varying tempos and energy levels, so are ready-to-use versus the extra burden  involved in devising one&#8217;s own cocktail or medley.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>Another possible reason seems to be the perception  that competition equals technique equals <em>mergenci<\/em>&#8211;the belief that a <em>mergenci <\/em>allows for better display of technique, which, in turn, is the priority in  a competition setting, even at the possible cost of feeling and story-telling (<em>tarob<\/em>).  <\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\">I understand that technique is important, especially in a competition setting,  but I do not understand why feeling and emotional expression should be thought  of as something secondary to it. The two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, a  good dancer is expected to display both concurrently. Is she not? So why the  compartmentalization?<\/p>\n<p>Finally, in my quest for answers, one of the most  common refrains that I heard had to do with the language barrier.\u00a0 Many dancers, as well as their audiences, do  not typically understand Arabic lyrics or the cultural context behind much of  the music. Instrumentals, therefore, offer greater freedom of expression to the  dancers and make it easier to connect to an uninitiated audience. <\/p>\n<p>I understand this <em>status quo.<\/em> What I do not  understand is why it is acceptable for it to remain so. Why is it acceptable to  disregard a beautiful song merely because the lyrics are not in one&#8217;s  mother-tongue? I have yet to attend a Flamenco show where the dancers and  musicians omitted the singing because I, as a member of the audience, did not  understand Spanish. In fact, most serious Flamenco artistes make it a point to  learn the language if they do not already know it. I feel that we \u201cEgyptian-style  dancers\u201d should hold ourselves up to slightly higher standards. If a dancer is  competing to claim authority in Egyptian style dance, it should be his\/her  obligation to understand or find translations of lyrics. Yes, it may not be  his\/her native language, but then neither is this dance style. <\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\">Dancers should  be expected to give as much weight to understanding the language and cultural  context as to learning how to execute a perfect Arabesque. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Instead of brushing off the language barrier as an  immutable fact of life, we should make a greater effort to educate, not only  ourselves but, our audiences as well. The uninitiated will become initiated. I  am not saying that all of us should, or even can, be fluent Arabic speakers,  but at the very least, we should and can, mine the Internet for translations,  pester our Middle Eastern friends and acquaintances for their help, train our  ears to listen for key words and phrases, attempt to understand the cultural  context of the music via movies, and yes, even YouTube! The resources available  nowadays seem endless. Many dancers already do this and more. Unfortunately,  many more do not. Rather than dismissal and disinterest, it would be nice to  make the effort to understand and educate. What is the reward? &#8230;why, piles  and piles of beautiful poetry to feed your dancing soul! <\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s hoping for a better-mixed \u201ccocktail\u201d at BDUC  2012!<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/graphics\/acommentbox.jpg\" alt=\"use the comment box\" align=\"right\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"ready4more\">\n<p>Have a comment? Use or comment section at the bottom of this page or <a href=\"mailto:editor@gildedserpent.com\">Send us a letter!<\/a> <br \/>\nCheck the &quot;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/let2ed.htm\">Letters to the Editor<\/a>&quot; for other possible viewpoints!<\/p>\n<p>Ready for more?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<!--end ready4more --><\/p>\n<div class=\"articlelist\">\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">10-16-09<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2009\/10\/16\/hananatvidrevintro\/\">Tasting Cairo Stars in Your Home&#58; Randa, Diana, Leila, Natasha&#39;s Video Package &#45; &quot;Masters of Egyptian Choreography&quot;<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">Reviewed by Hana Ali<\/span><br \/>\nBegin with the interviews and you will benefit from an understanding of their individual teaching methods.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">3-24-11 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/03\/24\/sadiyya-jillina-weeklong-intensive\/\">A Transformational Week, A Fan\u2019s View of Jillina&#8217;s Weeklong Intensive Report<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Sa\u2019diyya of Texas<\/span><br \/>\nI think that\u2019s another benefit of having scholarships in the world of Bellydance because it gives dancers another goal to work towards: \u201cWhat do I have to do to rise to the occasion, to receive this other kind of award?\u201d<\/li>\n<li> <span class=\"articledate\">10-4-10<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2010\/10\/04\/amina-shaabi-music-history\/\"> From the Street to the Virtual Cafe, The History of Shaabi<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Amina Goodyear<\/span><br \/>\nThere were several movements throughout the world that seemed to simultaneously create music in the genre called &quot;cassette culture&quot;. Most notably this type of music was evident in England and the U.S. with punk music, in Jamaica with Reggae, in Algeria with Rai and in Egypt with Shaabi music. <\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">3-16-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/03\/16\/ameras-dina-dvd-reviewed\/\">Amera&#8217;s Dina DVD Reviewed An evening of Arabic Dance and Music featuring World Renowned Belly Dance Artist DINA<\/a><span class=\"articleauthor\"> Review by Amina Goodyear<\/span><br \/>\nNonetheless, we need to move beyond her expressions. Her dance is Dina. She is agile, melodic, rhythmic, and her movements are so intertwined with the lyrics and the music that she exists as the music\u2013always reaching out to us and, thereby, bridging the gap.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">2-11-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/02\/11\/amina-review-cds-nesma-george-sawa\/\">Egyptian Classical Music: Entertainment or Education?<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">2 CD Reviews by Amina Goodyear <\/span><br \/>\nThe Art of the Early Egyptian Qanun Vol. 1 \t&amp; 2, performed by The Traditional Arabic Music Ensemble &amp; Egyptian Taqasim: Produced and distributed by Nesma <\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">8-13-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/08\/13\/mashuqa-your-stage-name\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Your Stage Name, Choosing the Right One<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Ma*Shuqa Mira Murjan<\/span><br \/>\nBeware of letting others name you! Years ago, dancers were often surprised before going on stage to dance as they were announced by musicians or club owners by a name unknown to them that they hadn\u2019t selected. <\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">8-11-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/archives\/gigbagvideos.htm#suhaila\" class=\"articlelink\">Gigbag Check #30 &#8211; Suhaila Salimpour<\/a><br \/>\nSuhaila take us on a tour through her gig bag and what is important for her to have with her for performance. This video was shot in May 2011 in the dressing room at Tribal Fest in Sebastopol, California. <\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">8-10-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/08\/10\/robyn-friend-pamirs-tajikistan\/\" class=\"articlelink\">From Town to Goat Track, A Tour of the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Robyn Friend PhD<\/span><br \/>\nOne lithe young girl twisted her way through this crack and into the tiny cave, and brought back some mineral crystals, said to have healing powers.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">8-8-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/08\/08\/stasha-perfumes-araby-diane-webber-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"articlelink\">Becoming the Object of Your Own Fantasy, &quot;Perfumes of Araby&quot; in the 1970s, Part 2<\/span><\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Stasha Vlasuk<\/span><br \/>\nWe are packed tightly shoulder to shoulder, impulsing to the dramatic beat with great solidarity: traditional hand gestures, chest drops, all very serious and trance like.  This mood was broken however by a guy at the back of the 200 plus audience, who stood on his chair, raised his beer glass and shouted &quot;The one in the yellooooow\u2026.&quot; then actually fell completely backwards like a tree that had just been cut!  I hope he was OK! <\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">8-5-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/08\/05\/carl-canival-of-stars-p-4-o-z\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Carnival of Stars, Page 4: O-Z Photos<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Carl Sermon<\/span><br \/>\nThe Carnival of Stars Festival is produced by Pepper Alexandria and Latifa at the Richmond Auditorium each year at the beginning of August. The stage at this facility is hard to beat. The wonderful lighting and the large stage make every dancer feel like a diva! Once again, Carl has done an amazing job catching the character of each dancer.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">8-4-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/08\/04\/maria-interview-ahmet-ogren\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Intervew with Ahmet Ogren, Bringing Gypsy Dance to the People<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Maria Grayson<\/span><br \/>\nAhmet is a sexy and masculine dancer who combines a sense of playful humor and has the dedication and drive of a consummate professional. He pushed us hard, laughed, and encouraged us. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Related Videos:<\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"425\" height=\"349\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q3fw8T-MwVM\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"425\" height=\"349\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vmB7RwbTZM0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"349\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tq3VR8qUEOE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>19 minute video of interviews conducted for this article (Sing for me a little, a little) Musings: Music Choices at BDUC 2011 by Hana Ali posted August 15, 2011 I was excited and full of anticipation as I settled into my carefully chosen seat and admired the new BDUC 2011 venue, eagerly awaiting the Egyptian [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3061"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3061\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}