Music, Improvisation, and Choreography

I had the opportunity to spend time in a near-two hour interview with a ethnomusicology student, interviewing bellydancers about their relationship with the music. It was great! I really enjoyed being able to articulate my thoughts. I really feel strongly about the importance of Arabic (or Turkish) music to this dance form. I have danced to other genres of music, but as I become more experienced, it is harder and harder to do so. Music from that region of the world just tells you how to dance. Western dance music makes you want to get up and shake your booty; Arabic music actually informs the type of booty-shaking you will do. I was explaining in the interview, there are many elements in the music that help a dancer improvise. The instrument can tell you how to dance, the shimmer of a qanoun echoed in a shimmer of the hips. The rhythm can tell you what to do, directly when a drum roll is a shimmy, or inspired by the folk style where the rhythm originates, as in saidi, khaleegy, or haggalah. The genre of music, from orchestrated classical Egyptian to baladi to sha'abi, can tell you what your style and general demeanor should be. One of the things I love about Arabic music is the frequent changes, so that I never get bored of listening and responding to the music.

I am an improvisational dancer, although I will spot-choreograph an entrance. I "choreograph" by repeatedly improvising to the music until certain combinations crystallize, particularly if there are dramatic accents.

Yet, I take a lot of choreography-based workshops. Choreography workshops focus on learning a choreographed dance to specific music, rather than learning technique or styles. Why would an improvisational dancer take so many choreography workshops? I know some people who hate choreography and avoid choreography-based workshops. I just see it in a different way. I am not learning the choreography so that I can perform it on my own. Even if I could replicate what I learned in my own performance, it wouldn't be "me". Instead, I am learning, through the choreography, how someone puts a dance together, what movements they choose to put to what music, and occasionally new moves and combinations. I can remember the exact workshops where I learned certain moves, such as traveling with an undulation while raising the arms slowly above the head. I learned that from Amar Gamal. From Yasmina Ramzy, I learned a sassy grande hip circle, accented by little bumps on each of the 4 corners. From Yasmina Ramzy, I also learned to snap my fingers Arabic-style!

I really enjoyed the workshop I took from Katia this weekend, on Nagua Fouad inspired choreography. I learned so much about Nagua Fouad. Although I have been studying her videos, it was not until Katia pulled out her specialties (beautiful arms & hands, for example), that I realized I had noticed the same things in my video studies. I also learned the right way to do a hip drop-kick with coordinating arms, apparently a move that Nagua was known for. The music was beautiful and elegant and it was a pleasure to be studying the classical roots of our dance. Often people try to keep it interesting with workshops on folkloric styles, pop music, or some kind of fusion. To be dancing pure Raqs Sharqi style was a delight!