Middle Eastern Dance aka Orientale Danse, aka, Raks Sharki, aka Belly Dance is so much better when done to live music. It’s much easier to learn the movements and how to use them effectively, if you really understand the rhythms and the music. This class is all about focusing on the various rhythms used in the dance. How to feel them. How to breathe with them. How to bend with them. How to play them on a doumbek, frame drum, riq, finger cymbals, clapping, stomping, anything that will get them beat into your being. We’re going to start there, with the basic open rhythms, and progress to fills and accents and more. Most importantly, we will learn to listen to each other as well as ourselves.
It’s perfectly fine if you don’t play an instrument. Clapping and stepping will get you started. If you have a goblet drum, frame drum, tambourine, finger cymbals, please bring them. If you have extra to share, please bring them. If you borrow someone’s things, be respectful. If you play a melodic instrument, violin, guitar, flute, clarinet, etc and you would like to expand into playing with different rhythms, please join us. We can lead you in the direction of the finer points of maqamat, if you want a rabbit hole to dive into, and we can also work to find out what happens when we create together.
There will be opportunity to dance as well. Think of it as somewhere between a class and a hafla. We’ll start with class and end with dance party. Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday.