MENAHT is a short hand way to say Middle East, North Africa, Hellenic (Greek), and Turkey. ​

Hello bellydance students! This post is going to list many of the folk dances of the MENAHT area. Thanks to the influence of various empires and the silk road I've also included Iran. Bellydance music and shows will often include references to many of these folk dances, sometimes in a tableau during the folkloric part of an Egyptian stage show, sometimes as a verse in an oriental entrance piece, sometimes in the name of an ATS move that subtly references one of the folk dances of that area. Knowing about the different folk dances and folkloric dances will enhance your appreciation for bellydance shows and MENAHT music. And who knows, maybe you'll even find a new dance that you want to learn to do!

The other day, I picked up some pink paint swatches. I'm considering repainting my bedroom (currently a light green) in a color that I spent years "hating"; or, more accurately, not allowing myself to like. Femme folks (girls, trans-women, cis-women, femme-presenting non-binary folks, and other shades of lady-like), and really everyone else too, have all gotten plenty of messages throughout our lives that "girly" things are bad. I think this quote from the intro to a Madonna song sums up society's attitude well. 

If you've taken my classes, you've heard me talk about how raqs is traditionally improvised, about the cultural value of the feeling in the moment, and probably about how impossible it is to do choreography in a restaurant or birthday party-type gig.

A good map makes exploring more fun, you can strike out confident that you'll be able to find your way back. In dance, mapping the music is my favorite way to structure improvisation, prevent over-dancing, and create texture and interest in a dance. It's also the backbone of how I keep track of what part of the song I am making choreography notes about, and how I find patterns in a song to use for the choreographies I make for students.

Takeem (also spelled taqasim, taqsim, takseem, taxim, etc, etc) is a solo melodic improvisation. There is a structure to it that explores the maqam the taxeem is in and returns to the home note established at the start. There is more to it that gets pretty technical, for now you should just be aware that it is the musician following their feeling and displaying artistry. One interesting thing, it means "division" in Arabic, and something along the lines of "bridge/connection" in Turkish. It is often used to create a smooth transition from one song to another, especially if there is a maqam (mode/scale/key) change from one song to the next.

Part 1:This semester, we've worked on musical phrasing and learning to identify different instruments. All of that comes together when a band or orchestra plays. So, let's look at some different types of bands!

I like to start teaching phrasing with call and response because I think the change between the call and the response helps to draw attention to the end of one "sentence" and the start of another. There are three main types of call and response, but the lines between them are blurry and the categories are more guides for understanding that call and responses can sound differently, they are not hard rules.

This is intended as a source of review for students, or as an orientation. It is by no means an exhaustive list of all MENAHT instruments, but it is a good foundation list of instruments for raqs sharki dancers to be able to recognize in their music. For a more comprehensive list of Middle Eastern instruments, go here. As you learn to identify the sounds of each instrument, practice interpreting their textures. Over time, you will develop certain associations, or moves that "feel right for this sound" to you. Look also at the how the musicians play, their faces and their hands, for information about the feeling and ideas about how fast/slow or sharp/smooth you might want to move. Studying taxeem (solo improvisation on a melodic instrument) is also a key skill as you progress in your dancing.

This is intended as a source of review for students, or as an orientation. It is by no means an exhaustive list of all MENAHT instruments, but it is a good foundation list of instruments for raqs sharki dancers to be able to recognize in their music. For a more comprehensive list of Middle Eastern instruments, go here. As you learn to identify the sounds of each instrument, practice interpreting their textures. Over time, you will develop certain associations, or moves that "feel right for this sound" to you. Look also at the how the musicians play, their faces and their hands, for information about the feeling and ideas about how fast/slow or sharp/smooth you might want to move. Studying taxeem (solo improvisation on a melodic instrument) is also a key skill as you progress in your dancing.
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Blown instruments are closest to the human voice which, being capable of religious praising, puts them at the top of the musician's hierarchy.

This is intended as a source of review for students, or as an orientation. It is by no means an exhaustive list of all MENAHT instruments, but it is a good foundation list of instruments for raqs sharki dancers to be able to recognize in their music. For a more comprehensive list of Middle Eastern instruments, go here. As you learn to identify the sounds of each instrument, practice interpreting their textures. Over time, you will develop certain associations, or moves that "feel right for this sound" to you. Look also at the how the musicians play, their faces and their hands, for information about the feeling and ideas about how fast/slow or sharp/smooth you might want to move. Studying taxeem (solo improvisation on a melodic instrument) is also a key skill as you progress in your dancing.

Percussion Instruments form the backbone of the music. Rhythms even impact the emphasis patterns of the melody. Each percussion instrument gives a different feeling.

This post is a place for level 2 students to find resources to support the rhythms and drum solo semester of classes. It is by NO MEANS a comprehensive list of rhythms! For the most part, the rhythms we start with are the most commonly used in bellydance music, there is a certain bias towards Egyptian music in this class. Count on continuing to learn more rhythms each semester.

When working on mapping out a song's verses/section, what I like to call paragraphs, there are some common pattens they can take. You can find examples of these listen in the "Egyptian Music Appreciation and Practice for Bellydancers" book and CD set I keep bringing up in class.

A musical phrase is a bit like a sentence in a conversation. You will notice there are some places that you naturally try to fit in a breath, and some places where you might have to awkwardly squeeze one in. Those places where a breath naturally fits are the ends of a sentence/phrase. (As I mentioned in class, a sentence is just a way I conceptualize what a musician more properly calls a musical phrase). Just like in a conversation, it's not usually a good idea to switch topics in the middle of a sentence! Unless the music has some sort of change happening during the phrase, you usually want to stick with the movement you're doing until the end of a phrase. Again, this is a general guideline to help overcome the tendency to over dance that most students go though, it is not a rule.

Articles
There are many ways raqs sharqi can be healing: it brings us back emotionally in touch with our bodies, balances physical muscle imbalances, builds confidence, provides a creative outlet, and creates community. In Egyptian and other MENAHT cultures, there are also dance rituals specifically for psychological healing, one of which is the zaar. Although it is illegal due to it's pagan roots, folks who need that sort of outlet still find a way. Roxanne talks about one ritual she witnessed in this article.