What is the first thing you notice about Arabic music? What makes your foot tap and your hips sway? What makes your pulse race just before you break out into an ecstatic shimmy? Why, it's the BEAT, of course!
And tell me, Habibi, what makes up that beat? Put simply, the beat is created by playing rhythms upon one or more percussion instruments. Those instruments are uniquely Arabic, including an assortment of hand-played drums known as tabla, varied versions of what the Western musician calls the tambourine, such as the rikk and the duff, and including the use of finger cymbals, known as zils in Turkey or sagat in Egypt. The percussionists themselves are talented characters who, either by formal university schooling or informal "on-the-job" experience, have mastered the numerous and complicated Arabic rhythms.
As a student of Middle Eastern dance, it is essential to understand the rhythms. That does not mean you need to master the rhythms the way a musician does. It does mean you need to: 1) HEAR the rhythm (because one cannot truly dance without moving to the beat); and 2) understand the feelings and appropriateness of movement to each rhythm. Assuming you would not be inclined to dance at all unless you already felt the beat, we will focus a little bit on understanding the "correct" feeling beneath some of the rhythms that are commonly used in belly dance music. The word "correct" here is used with the meaning "authentic" or as it would be performed in the Middle East.
As previously mentioned, there are many rhythms in Arabic music. Technically, there are approximately 75 recorded rhythms with innumerable variations.
For a classical belly dance routine, most dance music will open with a rhythm called malfuf. It is a short, quick rhythm, in which you would move lightly and smoothly about the stage. In the Middle East, the dancer usually enters with a veil, even if it is only used during the initial tour of the stage and then discarded.
From there, the dance music will change rhythms frequently, and it is very important that you, the dancer, hear and follow each rhythm change. Your hips and your feet must acknowledge the beat at all times.
You may dance to the beledi rhythm next. It is a lively beat known as the "dancers' rhythm". It definitely feels good and allows the audience to clap as you perform. Your movements here are easy and flowing, and it feels comfortable to do almost any step you know to this rhythm.
Other rhythms you will hear often are:
Masmudi: one of the hardest rhythms to dance to because it is dramatic and feels "uneven".
Saidi: an earthy, exciting rhythm to which you may dance with cymbals or a stick. Your movements should definitely reflect the "heaviness" of this folkloric beat, keeping your feet on the ground and using your plié a lot. Such things as dancing with the veil are inappropriate here.
Maksoum: a quick rhythm, much lighter than saidi or even beledi. Smooth, fine movements are suggested here.
Ayub: otherwise know as the zar, is specifically used in the dance of exorcism, in which evil spirits are removed from a woman. Typical zar dance movements include swinging the head and hair from side to side in a half-circle motion or all the way around in a full circle. When this rhythm is included in classical belly dance music, it is good to acknowledge the beat by swinging the head, but not as hard or as frantically as one would if they were actually performing a zar dance.
Saudi: not be confused with saidi, this rhythm is from the Gulf area and, like the ayub, the dancer should acknowledge the rhythm in her classical routine, but not dance it fully as one would when doing a complete Saudi dance. Your movements should be stylized to incorporate tossing the hair from one side of the face to the other and keep the upper body and head loose and softly swaying in a forward-and-back motion. Also, the feet are positioned with one foot in front of the other, the front foot being flat the back foot on the ball of the foot.
Chiftetelli: Most commonly used in belly dance music that has a Turkish, Greek or Armenian flavor, this is a wonderful rhythm for doing floorwork and dancing with a veil or a sword. It is unique and tends to be dramatic.
Of course, this is by far not a complete list of all the rhythms that you might dance to, and it is difficult to describe in writing exactly the type of movements required for each one. That's what a knowledgeable, experienced instructor is for! But perhaps this gives you some ideas and makes you aware that you should be conscious of the rhythms and the feelings you are emoting with your movements.
A separate, but related, issue is the use of finger cymbals. Cymbals are among the most ancient musical instruments on earth. They were used by various civilizations throughout the Mediterranean. Cymbals came from Western Asia to Greece and were considered to be of feminine character. From Greece, cymbals were imported into ancient Egypt. Learning to play finger cymbals will allow you to link to the music, and enhance both your timing and your precision of movement, making you a better dancer. Finger cymbals are decorative and range from small to very large. In choosing cymbals, you should look for tone quality, weight, design and price. A medium or light weight is preferred for beginners. You will find that learning to play the cymbals will be both challenging and enjoyable.
Arabic rhythm has gone on for centuries, and now you can continue its history! "And the beat goes on . . ."
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©1999 Jasmin Jahal