Sha`abi

Egyptian sha`abi music is modern popular urban music. Not quite the same as Western pop music - it tends to be enjoyed by a wide age range and although some of it is light and fluffy it can also be very political or sexual.

Real sha`abi dancing is quite raw - Lubna suggested picturing a slightly drunk cousin at a family wedding. Real sha`abi dancing is a street art.

However, it has become a fashion in Egypt for belly dancers to include a sha`abi item in their shows. In this case rather than sha`abi dancing it is belly dancing to sha`abi music. A belly dance/sha`abi fusion. The dance style becomes more beledi and often you dance to the lyrics.

Sha`abi Workshop

It is the belly dance/sha`abi fusion style that Kashmir will be teaching in the Body Festival in Christchurch. The first hour will introduce movements and short combinations. The second hour will string them together to the song "El Hantour".

This workshop does not require strong belly dance technique and should be accessible to anyone with an interest in dance. Basic moves such as hip drops and figure eights will be taught for people new to belly dance, but more experienced dancers can get a new flavour, different combinations and way of interpreting the song "El Hantour". (For those who attended Amera's workshop last year, this is not the same dance but rather is based on a choreography by Denise Enan.)

El Hantour is a horse drawn carriage that can be hired along the banks of the Nile. In the song, a young man tries to impress a young woman with his prowess with the reins. Denise's interpretation has two different flavours with a male sa`iidi character and an urbane female character.

CPIT map. Time: Sunday 27 Sep 1:30-3:30pm
Place: CPIT (Moorhouse Ave) E116, NASDA Studio 2
Cost: Gold coin

For any questions about the workshop, feel free to contact Kashmir.

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