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The Big 5: Beladi Progression
This post is part of my series on “The Big 5”. Those are the genres that an educated audience would recognize, and expect certain dance stylizations.
(i.e., the genres for which just listening to the music isn’t enough.)
To read more about this idea, or to find links to the other articles in the series, check out the first article in the series, The Big 5.
Beladi Progression
(aka Beladi drum solo, beladi tasqim, or just “the beladi”.)
What it is:
An Egyptian musical genre/song structure.
Beledi progressions follow a very specific sequence: they begin with a taqsim, then a drummer joins in for a series of accents and call & response, then they proceed into faster, escalating rhythmic sections. They often transition into a drum solo from there.
There are typically about 7 distinct sections, but shorter songs may not include them all.
(The structure is so distinctive that when I was a baby dancer, I thought they were all renditions of the same song!)
The corresponding social dance style is a solo dance, with variations for men and women. It is often fancified for the stage, and is a typical part of a full-length Egyptian routine.
Relevant styles:
This is a must for Egyptian style.
It’s not a necessity for Vintage Orientale (aka AmCab), but it’s a fun addition to your repertoire. (And it would be a nice way to reference Egyptian style in your show.)
I’ve never heard of a Turkish dancer doing one, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. (If you have footage, let me know!)
Aesthetics:
The music is structured to crate escalating energy levels. So the dancer generally begins with soft, introspective dancing during the taqsim, and gradually builds up to a high-energy crescendo.
As a social/folk dance, it calls more for a more grounded look. Earthy and gooey movements are common; sweeping balletic movements are not.
I like to think of the Beladi progression as a duet between the main instrument and drummer. A big part of what makes the Beledi so interesting to me is the dancer’s choices about whether to respond to the instrument, the drum, or both.
Resources:
1) Ranya Renee’s 2-DVD set* is outstanding. She breaks down the musical structure in detail (with help from Egyptian musicians), includes both stylistic guidance and improvisation drills, and demonstrates the differences between the men’s and women’s styles.
2) Shems also has a very helpful article at:
http://www.shemsdance.com/technique-musicality-homework/focus-area-baladi-taksim/
3) To see some video clips, scroll down to the “Beladi Progression” heading at:
http://www.bellydancestuff.com/styles-baladi.html
Songs to know:
Beladi progressions are usually improvised, so there aren’t set “songs” per se. (Although they may include snippets of other songs, such as Ya Hasan Ya Khouli* or Aminti Billah*.)
You can find a few of my favorites on Dancing with Genies*, Hymn to Hathor*, and Wash Ya Wash Vol. 1.
Tips:
The term “baladi” has a lot of meanings. It translates as “country” or “village”, and can mean anything from “the people” to “down-home”, or even “hick”.
In the dance world, it can refer to a rhythm (it’s the colloquial name for masmoudi saghir), to a dance style (“beladi style”) or to the beladi progression (the musical genre and accompanying dance).
In this article, I’m only talking about the latter.
Check out the next article in the series: Khaleegy
Your Turn
Are you a fan of beladi progressions?
What are your favorite recordings?
Do you know of any other resources for learning about beladi progressions?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
* Note: links marked with a * are Amazon affiliate links, meaning that I will get a small commission (typically a few cents) if you make a purchase through them.
If you’d prefer that I not get that commission, just search Amazon directly for the title you’re looking for. That’s 100% okay by me.
The fabulous photo on this page is by Lina Jang, and features NYC dancer Tanna Valentine. It’s used under a Creative Commons license.
(And actually, I’m cheating: the photo shows Tanna with a cane, as for Saidi. I just cropped it out. 🙂 )