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Sometimes you don’t know what life is preparing you for, or even that you are being prepared. I never thought my experiences at music festivals and clubs would provide me with valuable insight on a dance scene that I would play a role in as a teacher. I’ve recently come to love working with Electronic House Music dancers. These kids are passionate and hungry for all the details within the EDM dance world. Also bringing an eagerness to learn have been single gentlemen looking to just survive the club scene with some movement basics. They are equally fun to show a little know-how on rave and party dancing. The EDM world is a huge and growing one. I recently shared some EDM dance resources and details for our Orange County dancers at Bella Ballroom in Newport Beach. Helpful info and awesome EDM dance links ahead: Everyday I’m Shufflin’ By Ziva Emityaz When stepping into Bella Ballroom, you may expect to hear John Legend’s “All of Me” as couples practice their first dance for an upcoming wedding. You might also suspect to find dancers smoothing out their waltz technique, or firing up their salsa patterns. What you might be surprised to find in Bella Ballroom are dancers getting down to Electronic Dance Music (EDM)... READ MORE.
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One of the most common questions I hear as a Shimmy Flow instructor is, “Where do you find your music?!” Being so far from its Middle East, it’s challenging for us Berkeley Beauties to know where we can access the tunes that inspire our shimmies. While I believe that the quest for music is part of the Arabic Dance learning experience, I have some helpful hints to get you started on your musical journey.
1. Ask your teacher Pick your instructor’s brain. When dancing in class, notice what inspires you and ask your teacher about your favorite songs. Question why your instructor chooses to play what she does. Discover how she has built her musical collection. When new dancers ask me for help, I usually direct them to Arabic techno remixes for drilling, “Awzan” by Souhail Kaspar for rhythm instruction, Oum Kalsoum for Arabic classics, and Arabic pop like Nancy Ajram and Natasha Atlas for upbeat party music. 2. Music Stores While this may seem like an obvious answer, sometimes it’s hard to know where to look. Ask for the Middle Eastern, Arab world, or World Music sections. Searc h for music featured on Egyptian, Lebanese, or “Belly Dance” compositions. I will be the first to admit, that many times it take a whole album to get just a handful of good dancing songs. At any rate, the experience of learning what’s out there can be invaluable. 3. The Internet We are so lucky to have the Internet! It offers a plethora of musical resources. As you get to know your artists, composers, and music labels, the search becomes easier. Try typing in any one of these components or a genre (Arabic, World, Belly Dance) into Itunes. Itunes is nice because it allows you to listen to a sample of the music before you buy it. You can also buy songs individually if you don’t want to buy the entire album. Itunes also features podcasts, or online radio, that can offer some new sounds to your collection. Pandora is a fantastic online radio that allows you to discover new music based on what you already like. While Pandora’s search function is limited in the ways of Middle Eastern artists, “Belly Dance” and selected titles can offer insightful musical discoveries. You can buy Arabic Dance CDs through online vendors. Google shopping, Amazon, eBay, Middle Eastern stores, and costume vendors are some good places to check. Music can also be found through watching clips of dancers on YouTube. The musical composer and song name are often noted underneath the video, in the comments, or in the video’s title. If not, try asking the person who uploaded the video directly. Shazam and Sound Hound are incredible smart phone apps that can identify a song upon it being played. 4. Public library Your public library is a great local resource that is often overlooked. Ask the librarian for help finding Arabic or world music recordings. Some libraries even have instructional dance DVDs that you can check out. 5. Experience A huge portion of my musical collection has come from my experiences in the Arabic Dance community. Dance Festivals feature music vendors and offer a networking hub where you can pick the fellow dancer’s brain on what she performs to. Middle Eastern music concerts offer the opportunity to meet musicians or buy their CDs. Music and dance camps, intensives, and workshops not only sell music, but also educate students about the roots, compositions, and lyrics of Middle Eastern sounds. Middle Eastern markets also sell music. If they don’t, you can usually find someone there who will help direct you. Movies featuring Arab world themes have rich soundtracks and list songs within their credits. Last, but not least, your best option is to take that summer vacation you’ve been dreaming of and head to Cairo or Lebanon. Why not? ☺ Happy searching ladies! May your musical quest be filled with many victory dances. Ziva Emtiyaz |
AuthorZiva Emtiyaz is an award winning International Dance Artist excited to share her knowledge and life experiences about the big world of dance! Archives
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