3 Steps to Improve your Musicality

3 steps to improve your musicality authentic egyptian dance bellydance bellydancing egyptian music musicality

Why should you even care?

Why is Musicality such a big deal?

Aren´t dancers supposed to be moving instead of listening?

If I earned a dollar each time I heard one of those questions, I´d be a millionaire.

And it pains me to notice how ignorant most of us are of the true magic of Egyptian Dance.

Yes, Egyptian Dance is movement but it cannot be resumed to it. Egyptian Dance is not a sport, not a gymnastic discipline, not an army drill, not a mechanical set of movements.

Movement is important but the dance starts elsewhere.

Movement is the answer to a question - the question is delivered by the music. If you´re not a trained listener, someone who can connect to the music and receive it, truly, you won´t be able to move efficiently. How can I answer if I´m not paying attention to the question?!

As I wrote in my first published book "The Secrets of Egypt - Dance, Life & Beyond", there are 3 Gates to Egyptian Dance and the first is the Ears.

Yep. That´s where your dance starts; where the question is launched; where your journey takes off.

In this Blog Post, I´m sharing 3 Steps to Improve your Musicality. Practical, simple, and super efficient.

Ready for them?

Step #1

Sit down with a good cup of whatever you like to drink and listen.

Grab a notebook and a pen. Close your eyes and open your ears. Listen. Just listen. Listen, again. And again. Take notes. Write down how that music makes you feel, the structure(s) you identify in it, the style, the details, the parts of the music that move you in particular, the parts of the music where you foresee difficulties.

When I was performing, daily, in Egypt, I rehearsed with my orchestra, day in and day out.

Instead of dancing during those rehearsals, as every dancer I know does, I sat down with my notebook and pen, I´d listen and take notes. After having listened to the song a few times, I´d deliver my notes to the musicians - what to improve, what to change, what to add, what to eliminate - followed by a couple more listening sessions where I´d just feel the music, notice its skeleton, and visualize within what I could do with it.

From that point, I´d jump into the stage and nail it.

I´m not saying that moving isn´t important. It is. And I was moving all the time - I taught with Mahmoud Reda, I performed every night (an average of 4 shows per day; even more in the Summer), I taught private classes, and I prepared for my shows at my home studio. Yet, there was a huge part of my dance life that was composed of PURE LISTENING, pure attention to the music.

Try it. Instead of jumping directly into movement, take time to listen and study the music from within.

Step #2

Get into the habit of Choreographing your own dance pieces.

I know choreography isn´t everybody´s cup of tea. I also know that most dancers believe "choreography is only for professional dancers" or "I don´t have it in me".

Listen up (pun intended):

Choreographing is not only for professionals and you do have it in you. I´m not saying everybody will be a genius choreographer - what I´m saying is EVERYBODY CAN CHOREOGRAPH FOR SELF-DEVELOPMENT.

Even if your choreographies aren´t that great (who can tell?)

Even if you struggle with choreographing (who doesn´t?)

Even if you´ll never share your choreographies, publicly (you don´t have to)

The truth is choreographing your own dance pieces is a great exercise, one that´ll improve your dance technique, creativity, self-expression and musicality.

When you choreograph, you´re forced to break the music down into phrases and smaller units; you have to notice the beginning and the end of units, the details, the nuances, the pauses, the transitions, the contrasts. In other words, you have to upgrade your listening and interpretation abilities.

I have four words for you: choreograph your own pieces

Here are a few videos on Choreography you´ll like to watch:

HOW TO CHOREOGRAPH EGYPTIAN DANCE

CHOREOGRAPHY PEARLS BY MAHMOUD REDA

JOANA SAAHIRAH OF CAIRO CHOREOGRAPHY FILMED AND EDITED BY MAHMOUD REDA

Step #3

Befriend the Music

Move towards it before you move, while you move, and after you´ve wrapped a dance session.

In your head, the music must be your best friend, your safety net, and the thing you´ll return to again and again in search for guidance.

Pause more. Move slower. Take a few seconds to listen before you start to move and don´t be afraid of stop and reconnect with the music while you´re dancing.

Remember you´re never alone: the music is with you. It´s your best friend. So, start to see it and treat it as such.

Want to develop your Musicality even further?

If so, join our upcoming Course "Musicality for Oriental Dancers" created and delivered by Joana Saahirah and our guest teacher, Mr. George Sawa.

3 Steps to Improve your Musicality

Click HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS COURSE

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