Search - The Henkish family :: Dancing with Genies

Great music and fabulous liner notes!

S. Sied | Pacific NW, USA | 11/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD contains great dance music! There is a variety of music including drum solos, finales, saidi, taqsims etc. As described, the cd contains two complete routines, but the individual songs can be easily used for shorter performances. The songs are range in length from :44 to 7:40. The style of music is primarily traditional sounding instruments as opposed to a highly synth. sound.





The music is worth a listen, but the 33 page liner notes really seal the deal! The notes contain short articles about Oriental Dance routines in the Egyptian, Turkish, Lebanese and American styles. It also contains information on the history of Raqs Sharqi aka "belly dance". Best of all it includes translations for the songs included on the CD so the dancer can know what the song is about! The short article on diagrams of the core muscles that a dancer uses provide good background information for belly dancers of all styles."

Divinely Inspired CD

Bonita Oteri | Springfield, VA USA | 10/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
This CD is a fabulous collection of Egyptian show pieces ranging in genre from introduction, saidi, beledi, drum solos etc, - all available for teachers, performers or students to tailor lessons or professional shows. It would also serve as an excellent introduction to egyptian belly dance music.



In addition to the beauty and quality of the music, the linear foot notes are well worth the price of the entire CD. These are a valuable resource for teachers, students, performs or belly dance afficionados seeking further background on the dance. The notes are brought up to date with the most current information as of printing on current belly dance styles in America. Most of these academic notes are usually dry and outdated- these are a fresh new approach that carefully include history, but add tidbits from the current dance scene in Cairo and the world dance scene- as well as a lovely writing style that lifts the reader up from the dry "just the facts" approach. Included are amusing 19th century accounts of dancers by tourists and even a great section on body muscle use background by Samira.



The breakdown of styles and comparison of Elizabeth Artemis Mourat (Turkish) and Yasmin (Egyptian) are very helpful as well.



I highly recommend this CD as a great resource for teachers and students.

"