Karim Nagi’s Arabized CD was just released this week and is one of his finest, in my opinion. The concept behind this CD is that he “Arabized” popular “Western” tunes. For instance, Low Rider appears on the CD with a distinctly Arabic sound. The CD is a fun listen, because not only is it interesting [...]

Despite my hectic week, I did indeed manage to sift through all my dance music (over 1000 songs) and pick something suitable. I was initially going to pick something very slow, but I found a mix of “Move Your Belly” on the “Belly Dancer’s Odyssey” CD. If you are unfamiliar with the song, here’s a [...]

For those not in the know, a hafla in the US is a smallish, informal party where there is a combination of open floor dancing and performances. I signed up to perform. I’ve been crazy busy lately (three jobs is rough), but I figure that I can either make excuses or just freakin’ do it. [...]

Although it would’ve made more sense to start with Secrets of the Stage: Vol 1, I found  Secrets of the Stage Volume 3: A Performance Course for Belly Dancers by Michelle Joyce on the Bhuz Swap. The deal was good and it helped a lady out. The Secrets of the Stage series is produced by [...]

I decided wherever I end up during fall 2009, I’m going to make a very big effort to dance more. I want to do something professional soon (in a few years or so) with dance, and I’ve been thinking about what I need to do this summer. I need to come up with some solid [...]

Last week I went to a workshop about improvisation dance. My first dalliance with improv was in NZ, when we had 5 minutes of “play time”, where the teacher would put on music for the last 5 minutes of class to let us jam. It was so difficult. My mind would freeze, and I would [...]

Someone located my blog by the search term “I don’t know how to dance but I want to.” Without knowing what kind of dance that person wanted to learn, I can’t give specific advice, but I hope it is helpful for someone. I think if you didn’t grow up with dance lessons, you feel hesitant [...]

One of the most difficult parts of studying a dance from a country not your own is familiarizing yourself with your music. I wrote an entry a while back about  how to build a good music collection. This entry is more about how to get yourself adjusted to the music, since understanding the music is [...]

One of the best ways to get info on Middle Eastern dance is through internet discussion. There isn’t a lot of quality academic work out there, and depending on the info you seek, sometimes your best bet is someone online. With so many options, which one is right for you? Here are my takes on [...]

To kick back the reviewing, I decided to go with The Essence of Belly Dance, by the Al-Ahram Orchestra. This was yet another find on Emusic. Overall, it’s a nice mix of classic music, perfect for building up your collection. Although I do like the classics, I don’t feel that this mix is anything standout [...]