Yes, Habibi, there really is a lot of "B.S." in the world of Belly Dance - that is to say, "B" as in Baladi and "S" as in Saidi! (Hey! What did you think I meant?!)
I'll bet when you first started taking belly dance classes, you could not begin to imagine the depths of the art form. There is so much to learn and explore! It can feel overwhelming. After a while, you start to recognize some words that get repeated often. Well, baladi and saidi are two of the most common terms you will come across.
Within oriental dance, there is the arena of folkloric dance, traditional dances stemming from the folklore of the Middle East. Earthy and fun, folkloric dances offer a vast assortment of dance movements, costuming and props. Dances are performed in the Baladi and Saidi styles fall in this category.
Baladi literally means "of the country". So, Egyptian Baladi means dance from the country of Egypt. If you study and perform Egyptian style oriental dance, then technically, you can be called a Baladi dancer. Also, there is a traditional rhythm known as baladi. It is in four counts (or 4/4), and it is a variation of the maksoum rhythm (another story, another time!). Dancers gave the baladi rhythm its name because they connect a distinct country or folk style of movement to this beat. Baladi is performed as a lively, happy dance, on its own or as a part of a long routine. The dancer is very interactive with the audience. At the very least, she claps her hands to get the audience to clap along.
While baladi generally means of the entire country, Saidi specifically refers to the area called El Saaid in Upper Egypt (southern Egypt). The people of Upper Egypt are called Saidi. There is also a rhythm known as saidi. Like baladi, it is in four counts ( or 4/4). Actually, there is a subtle difference between the baladi and saidi rhythms. A "dum" and a "tek" are reversed. For those of you who play the tabla, the baladi rhythm basically is: Dum Dum -Tek Dum Tek, while the saidi rhythm is: Dum Tek - Dum Dum Tek
Saidi is more earthy than baladi. Often, music is the saidi style uses traditional instruments, like the rabab (the grandfather of the violin) and especially the mizmar (a wind instrument that sounds something like a bagpipe). One of the most common dances performed to saidi music is the stick dance, danced by men or women.
Costuming for Baladi and Saidi are dresses, rather than the two-piece cabaret outfit. Usually a scarf or belt is worn over the hips, and the head is covered by a scarf. Coin jewelry is most common in folkloric dance.
A Baladi dress comes in many styles and shapes. Everything from form-fitting to very loose around the torso, sleeveless to wrist-length, flowing sleeves. It is actually a wonderful first costume for a new dancer, because the outfit can be assembled at a very affordable price.
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©1998 Jasmin Jahal