It’s time again to see what’s hot on the Arabic Top 10 music charts! This month my pick is by the Lebanese singer, Naji Osta. I really like this one! It starts out with beautiful strains of a solo violin followed by vocals. The music ramps up in an almost classical Arabic way then the electric beat drops. It’s cool. I can’t wait for this one to become available for download for us in the […]
It’s time to check out the Arabic Top 10 charts again! This month Nancy Ajram is back on the charts with “Ma Tegi Hena” or “Come Over Here”. Even if you don’t recognize her name, I can almost guarantee you’ve heard some of Nancy Ajram’s other big hits, including Akasmak Ah, Lawn Eioynak and Ah Wa Noss! “Ma Tegi Hena” is the #1 song this week. This one has a nice relaxed but fun tempo […]
Very few books on belly dance catch my attention enough to actually read them. Even fewer find a way to be relevant to both the beginner and the seasoned performer. After being a fan and follower of Princess Farhana’s blog for years, I knew “The Belly Dance Handbook” would make it onto my reading list. This lady is one of the hardest working and most diverse performers in the biz, and she’s got a wealth […]
I got a very interesting question from a DBQ subscriber recently. She asked how to turn the combos she’s learned into a choreography without it looking like just a bunch of combos. Well, that’s a complicated one – and there are many ways to use combos as stepping stones to build a choreography. For many first time choreographers this may be feel more approachable. It’s not the ideal way to generate choreography in my opinion, but […]
For several months now, I have run a monthly feature of a danceable pick from the Arabic Top 10 chart on the Daily Bellydance Quickies. Often I am able to get a translation, or at least a rough paraphrasing of the lyrics, for these new songs from native Arabic speakers. It is very important to have at least a basic understanding of a song’s mood and general idea if you plan to perform to it […]