Who, What and When? The original version of “Sawah” was recorded by Abdel Halim Hafez, also known as “The dark-skinned nightingale”. The lyrics were written by Mohammed Hamza and the music composed by Baligh Hamdy. It was released somewhere between 1965 and 1969 as it is included in an anthology of those years – the exact year is surprisingly hard to find. What is “Sawah” about? “Sawah” means a wanderer or vagabond. This melancholy […]
We are moving on to #10 from the “Must Know Songs for Bellydancers” list with “Taht Il Shibbak” – a real favorite of mine! Who, What and When? This song first appeared in the Egyptian movie “Laabet el Sitt” (The Lady’s Puppet) in 1946. The music was composed by Asis Osman and they lyrics were written by Badeh Khairy. Taheya Karioca dances to “Taht Il Shibbak” in the movie, accompanied by an ensemble that includes […]
Around this time of year, I get the urge to clean out things and get rid of what I no longer have use for. I literally spent 8 straight hours ripping my bedroom apart this week. I even vacuumed under that bed – take that dust bunnies! Not only did I clear my room of useless clutter that just got in the way, I found things I had long forgotten I owned or that I had […]
Who, What and When? “Habeena Habeena” was written and performed by Farid al-Atrash, one of the greats of Arabic music known as the “King of the Oud.” This song appeared in the film “Nagham Fi Hayati” which was released in 1975 and was the last film he made. What is this song about? “Habeena” means “love us”, however it implies “love me”. In Arabic songs, direct address to women is often hidden behind the use […]
Have you ever wished you could peek into the iPods of well-known bellydance instructors? Well, I have – and thought I’d ask a few! Our first guest drill list comes from Aubre Hill, a performer and instructor based in Los Angeles, CA. She is also the director of the LuminaDance Co. and Qabila Folkdance Co. Aubre is a very versatile dancer so I suspected she’d have some interesting and eclectic music to inspire her classes […]