Belly Dance Styles

Baladi. (Pronounced "BELL uh dee".) Alternate spellings include Beledi, Beledy, and Balady.

In Arabic, people who have relocated from their rural homes to the city would use this word to refer to "my country", "my village", or "my home town." City people, in turn, may use it disparagingly to mean the people that come from the countryside, or hicks. In belly dance circles, the word baledi has several different meanings. Some people, especially in the United States, use this word as another name for the maqsoum rhythm, which is a folkloric rhythm, and asking a musician to play a "baladi" means you're asking for a song based on that rhythm. In an Egyptian nightclub show, after performing cabaret-style raqs sharqi in bedleh, the dancer may exit and do a costume change. When she re-enters, she may be wearing a baladi dress and do a "baladi" section to her show, which means a folkloric dance done to folkloric music.

Sharqi (Classical)

'Sharqi' or 'Classical' Egyptian dance expresses the rich and beautiful traditions of Egyptian Arabic classical music. It emphasises 'musicality' in Egyptian dance: movements take on new qualities to express the melodies, rhythms, moods and instrumentation of the music. In other words the movement conventions reflect the music. There are two forms of Sharqi Egyptian dance: 'Traditional' or 'Courtly' Sharqi and 'Modern' Sharqi.

‘Traditional’ or ‘Courtly’ Sharqi

This is danced to ‘traditional’ or ‘courtly’ style Egyptian classical music – originally Turkish-inspired Egyptian art music of the late 19th century. It was played by small ensembles of highly trained musicians, mainly in the homes of wealthy or ‘aristocratic’ families, as private entertainment.

The music was refined and exquisite, following set patterns, creating a feeling of ‘Tarab’ or ‘enchantment’ – and performances could last for hours. Performances were usually for men, but women would have been familiar with the music, having heard it filtering through from the men’s quarters or possibly as versions played by professional female musicians (‘Awalim’) on occasions in the women’s private quarters.

'Modern' Sharqi

This is danced to Egyptian classical music composed during the mid-20th century and played by large orchestras that sometimes included western musical instruments such as the cello and double bass. The music was innovative and confident, expansive and sweeping, with strong rhythmic lines and lyrical melodies. Key composers of this period include Mohammed Abdul Wahab and Farid el Atrash - look out for recordings by them. Their compositions are still hugely acclaimed.

The movement conventions reflect the music: expansive use of space and body line and varied qualities of movements ranging from powerful to refined through which the dancer can express the rhythm and 'feel' of the melodies. The taqasim sections (solo instrumental improvisations) offer rich opportunities for interpretation.

Modern Sharqi is the most contemporary form of Egyptian dance. It embodies influences from the film star Samia Gamal and her ballet training and has been developed for theatre performance in the UK and rest of Europe.

Obviously, there are no moving images available of dance in women’s private domains, but this form of Egyptian classical music has become a valued part of Raqs Sharqi performances in a western concert or theatre venue. The Society defines the dance conventions of ‘traditional’ or ‘courtly’ Sharqi as being refined and delicate with contained use of body and floor space - reflecting the essential qualities of the music. The ‘taqasim’ (solo improvisation by a single musical instrument, expressed by the dancer) is a feature.

Raqs Assaya (men's stick dance)

There are two types of Saidi stick dance. Raqs assaya and Tahtib. The word Tahtib means dancing with sticks and it was originally a kind of conflict with sticks between men to show their power.

Tahtib is the oldest form of Egyptian martial arts to have survived. Tahtib dancing is a product of Egyptian martial arts from the Pharaonic times. The Pharaohs painted this kind of dance on their temple walls, and their soliders learned it.

The stick itself is about four feet in length and is called an assaya. It is often flailed in large figure of 8 patterns across the body with such speed and violence that the displacement of air is loudly discernible.

Stick fights have been used to settle disputes between members of rival families, mostly in the Egyptian countryside. The mens stick dances are very dramtic and manly, and often performed at family occasions, as well as practised by the men as a pastime.

Tahib has changed over the years to be just a kind of dance with a stick. The stick dance belongs to the folk dances. The stick is regarded as a symbol of masculinity.

Although the dance form originally started as a male-only dance, there are women who perform it dressed as men and dance with other women.

Any guys wishing to attend a Raqs assaya class, please contact Samirah using our contact page.

The Melaya Leff is a dance form Alexandria Egypt, it depicts a market scene and the young Egyptian women flirting with the fishermen and market sellers.

The large black shawl used for this dance is called a Melaya the dancer would wrap and unwrap sha as she flirts with the fisherman and market sellers. The word Leff means wrap.

This is a fun dance not too dissimilar to burlesque!

Generally speaking, the cabaret style of Belly Dance is intended to be performed in a show-business venue, such as a restaurant, nightclub, bellygram, birthday party, corporate function, etc.

The look is often very glamorous, with sequins, beads, and glittery fabrics, but sometimes dancers who do this style select a more earthy look such as a coin bra/belt set teamed with a skirt made of natural fibres.

This style is a combination, influenced by dances in Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Armenia, North Africa, Persia, other Middle Eastern countries, and Hollywood, and leaves great freedom for personal creativity within a show business framework. It also incorporates many innovations, such as veil work and sword balancing, tray balancing, tea light candles, silk fan veils and more.

Most dancers of this style incorporate audience interaction and other "show-biz" approaches into their acts to grab and hold the attention of an audience that expects entertainment to be flashy.