BOOKING INFO: Hire Professional Entertainers

CLASSES: Belly Dance for Women!

WORKSHOPS: Middle Eastern Music and Dance

Favorite Links!
Yosifah Rose Productions

Middle Eastern-themed
Family Entertainment

Email Yosifah

Yosifah's Home Page
 El Morocco Dancer's Nights in Pleasant Hill, CA
are the FIRST SUNDAY of every month,
with LIVE MUSIC by Al 'Azifoon!

Classical Arabic Music Ensemble: Al'Azifoon
Return to Yosifah's Home Page

Yosifah Rose’s Suggestions for Belly Dance Music for Aspiring Dancers!

Note: This list is meant to be a beginning point for my students and for others interested in finding good quality belly dancing music for practice and for performance. These are some links, artists, and titles to start with, but remember that this list is NOT extensive or comprehensive. It is an introduction! Best wishes to you always in your musical explorations and dance related endeavors! For more ideas, visit Najia’s List of Recommended CDs:

 http://www.gildedserpent.com/articles26/najiasListRecommendedCDs04.htm

You can buy belly dancing music in the Middle Eastern section at Tower Records and at Rasputin Records. When you visit your local record store, look for titles that state Classical Egyptian Dance, Dance Oriental, Raks Sharki (also spelled Raqs Sharqi), or Belly Dance.

You can also find lots of belly dancing music at belly dancing festivals, such as Rakkasah West or Desert Dance Festival:

http://www.rakkasah.com

http://www.desertdance.com

There are lots of on-line vendors, such as:

http://www.amazon.com

http://www.artemisimports.com/

http://www.artemisimports.com/audio.htm

http://bellydanceshoppe.com

http://www.dahlal.com

http://www.hollywoodmusiccenter.com

http://www.maqam.com/

http://www.rashid.com/


Visit my Links Page for a more extensive listing of on-line vendors!

For beginning dancers and dancers looking for modern upbeat Arabic pop music to practice their shimmies with or to workout with, compilations of Arabic Pop are great. Current favorites in my Goddess Workout classes are NOW: That's What I call Arabia distributed by http://www.emimusicarabia.com and The Orient Beats Back Nights: Remixes by Said Mrad (available through Hollywood Music Center/PEKO Records International). Arabic Groove by Putumayo is also good and is readily available at most major music stores.

POPULAR ARTISTS

Different styles of belly dancing call for different musical selections. Please note that I have not separated these artists by style or genre, but that it is important for a dancer to educate herself about the different styles of belly dance and become aware of what kind of music is appropriate to each style.

Classical-style Egyptian Raqs Sharqi should be danced to classics. The most commonly known and popular among American dancers are Aziza, Zeina, Tamerhenna, Alf Leyla Wa Leyla, Leilet Hob, etc.

Classical Egyptian Raqs Sharqi requires music with very full orchestration and the music has many subtle and intricate rhythm and melodic changes. The music on the Jalilah Raks series, as well as some music by Hossam Ramsy, Dr. Samy Nossair Orchestra, and Dr. Samy Farag are excellent for Raqs Sharqi.

Modern Egyptian Style Cabaret dancers also incorporate songs such as Taht El Shibbak.

In general, Lebanese belly dance music, such as the music by Setrak Sarkissian is much more upbeat, faster, and has less subtle flourishes than Egyptian music.

American Belly Dancers often mix different genres of music into their performances. Their music can be an intriguing (and occasionally confusing) mixture of cultures and genres. An American Cabaret Belly Dancer might have an Arabic Pop song by Hakim or Amir Diab follow a Turkish Chiftitelli Taqseem, which is then followed by a Bollywood Pop song.

American Tribal style dancers often dance to hypnotic modern compositions by diverse artists such as Solace, Omar Faruk, and Sirocco, etc.

If you aren’t sure about the different styles of belly dancing, read Shira’s article "Styles of Belly Dancing in the United States" at http://www.shira.net

These artists are usually excellent choices. It is nice to have variety in your practice music and remember that good music will inspire you to keep practicing!

Alabina (flamenco/arabic fusion). Their greatest hits album Alabina is favored by dancers that lean toward gypsy/flamenco fusion.

Setrak Sarkissian, famous Lebanese drummer and band leader (Lebanese Cabaret)

Omar Faruk Telekbec (His luscious Turkish gems are wonderfully employed by American Belly Dancers and fusion enthusiasts.)

Reda Darwish (A wonderful Egyptian percussionist now living in San Francisco! Visit him at his store Multiculti on Valencia at 16th in the Mission District! His CDs all have fabulous drum solos!)

Hakim (Arabic Pop)

Hossam Ramzy (Raqs Sharki, fusion, drum solos, you name it!!!)

John Bilezikjian (Turkish, Armenian, and Arabic music -- good for American Style Cabaret)

Tarkan (Turkish Pop music, not Arabic)

Solace (American tribal-style belly dance music)

Adam Basma Arabic Dance Ensemble (folkloric and Lebanese Cabaret, some Egyptian Cabaret too)

The Joy of Belly Dancing by George Abdo (American Style Cabaret)

Strictly Belly Dancing by Eddie The Sheik Kochak (American Style Cabaret)

Belly Dancing for Fortune and Fame featuring the Mogodor Band with Spiro Cardamis (American Style Cabaret)

Jalilah Raks (all of her CDs are great! Egyptian Raks Sharki and Lebanese Cabaret)

CLASSIC Egyptian Artists for Raqs Sharqi

Look for instrumental versions of songs by these classic artists:

Mohamed Abdel Wahab, the legendary Egyptian composer who first began incorporating western instruments into his pieces in the mid-1950's.

Abdel Halim Hafiz, the legendary Egyptian singer.

Farid El Atrash, renowned oud player and composer. Also a famous movie star in the A Golden Era of Egyptian musicals who often co-starred with Samia Gamal and Tahia Carioca.

Om Kalsoum, the GRAND DIVA of Egypt. She is often called The Voice of Egypt



Last updated 10/17/05

Yosifah Rose, Copyright 2004-2005. All rights reserved.
This page was intended to printed by students of belly dance for their personal use only.
Please link to this page rather than copy the information to your website.