This is a guest post by Dawn Devine – Davina. I am really honored to have her work shared here on my blog. I have such respect for her dedication to research and her ability to show us the depth of history in all aspects of our art. If you are as fascinated by this history of zills as I am, you will be very excited about what we’re doing over the next few days! Learn […]
Who, What and When? “Misirlou” is one of the most recognizable Arabic melodies there is, thanks to modern covers by Dick Dale and more recently, sampling by the Black Eyed Peas. The earliest recorded version is from Egypt in 1919, with credit for the composition given to Sayyed Darwish, a prominent composer in Cairo at the turn of the century. Darwish worked with many Greek and Turkish session musicians there and it is likely that […]
Who, What and When? “Lamma Bada Yatathanna” is a song with a hauntingly beautiful melody. Maybe that is why it is still around! This song is from the era of Moorish Spain, also called the Andalusian era (c. 711-1492). Yes, this song is somewhere between 500-1000 years old and rather than being a piece of obscure history, it is still part of our dance repertoire. It is from the “muwashshat”, or secular music of Al-Andalus. The original […]
At a bellydance event, I recently overheard one dancer remark to another that she thought that the performer they were watching had “bad musicality”. Putting aside questionable politeness, was does that mean anyway? We have discussed musicality in the Daily Bellydance Quickies many times and in many ways. Loosely defined, it is the ability to illustrate the music with movement. It can include larger elements such as instrument sound textures down to the tiny details of accents and […]
Have you ever wished you could peek into the iPods of famous bellydancers? I have – so I thought I’d ask a few… Anasma is the co-founder and co-director of the New York Theatrical Bellydance Conference, director of World Citizen Dance and an incredibly versatile all-around artist! Her performances tap into her background in ethnic dances, yoga, martial arts and acting, often creating a clear character and storyline told through dance. Her wild creativity, free […]