GLOSSARY FOR BELLY DANCE

This Bellydance Glossary accredited to Keti Sharif website www.ketisharif.com almeh - Egyptian colloquial term for a learned woman, principal dancer Andalusian - Spanish/Moorish inspired dance with sweeping movements, half moon poses and usually performed in pale coloured dress with long sleeves and turban. arghul - arabic twin reed pipe played as a flute Assyut - Egyptian town known for its famous silver embossed fabric Assyuti Aswan - southern Egypt, also known as Upper Egypt baladi - Egyptian term meaning 'native' or 'of the country'. Robust yet sensual earthy urban folkloric style, more refined than folk, but deep seated and earthier than classical dance. Usually performed in a kaftan or dress with a hip scarf and/or head scarf. Aissuit dress (black with silver embossing) is popular attire for baladi. Downward hip moves are prominent. bambi - Arabic for the colour pink, also refers to a style of coquettish baladi dance bazouki - Greek lute Bint al balad - Egyptian term meaning 'girl of the country' bourka - full face veil worn in the Middle east - made from either netting or opaque fabric call-and-response - a musical term for conversation between instruments cengi - Turkish term for gypsy chiftetelli - Greek and Turkish style of bellydancing. Sensual to fast rhythmic patterns known as chiftetelli usually performed in two piece costume. Focus on undulations and pelvic tilts upwards. dabke - Arabic men's or men and women's folkloric group dance performed with group linking arms and using heavy footwork in sync with each other. Tradition dress with pantaloons. Also performed in Syria and Jordan. danse du ventre - French term for bellydance daraba - Moroccan rhythm darbuka - Turkish or Arabic drum made from clay or metal darj - 6/8 Iranian dance rhythm djinn - Arabic name for spirits dof - Arabic tambourine minus the cymbals doholla - largest of the Egyptian tablas (drums) dom - the name given to the bass sound produced when striking the tabla (drum) dumbek - Turkish brass drum El Said - province also known as Upper Egypt Eskendereya - dance from the city of Alexandria in northern Egypt. Flirty Alexandrian dance with a milaya, or heavy veil, formerly used as a fashion accessory in the 40s. Dancer wears a bourka - netted face veil, and a frilly mid-knee length dress. Fayoum Oasis - province in north west Egypt fellaha - Egyptian farm girl derived from fellahin (Egyptian farmers) fellahi - Festive shimmy and fast-paced celebration dance of the farmers. Uses pots or doffs (tambourine) whilst dancing in village dress - sometimes floral print with head piece lined with pom-poms. figure-eights - bellydance move that traces a shape like a curvy number eight guedra - Earthy blessing ritual performed by Berber tribes, includes dancing on knees and flicking moves of hands and wrist. ghawazee - Gypsies, from the term 'invaders of the heart'. Also a vibrant gypsy dance with finger cymbals and focus on hip moves. A kaftan or shirt that is tight fitting on top, with wide skirts and pantaloons. hafla - Arabic term for party or celebration hagalla - Festive dance of the Western Desert, heavy black kaftans and woven face veils. Tribal and earthy with mostly hip moves. henna - decorative red, brown or black tattoo design lasting approximately three weeks, derived from the henna plant. Often used for weddings and Arabic celebrations karsilama - Turkish folkdance in a 9/8 rhythm with syncopated steps, done in a group. Folk style costume with pantaloons, and zills often played. kawala - Turkish reed flute, originally a shepherd's pastoral calling instrument also known as kavala in Arabic khaleegee - Dance from the Arabian Gulf performed in an ultra long gold-embroidered kaftan which is held in the hands whilst dancing. Includes refined, rhythmic footwork, hand gestures and hair flicking moves. khawals - gypsy men who would dress as and impersonate female dancers lakoum - term for the desert Turkish delight, also a bellydance move malemma - head village woman malfuf - fast Arabic rhythm for the dancer's entrance, often played as an intro for classical orchestral compositions especially created for Oriental dance maqsoum - sprightly Arabic drum rhythm, usually played in baladi music Mata Hari - infamous Dutch dancer and spy known for her exotic bellydance style costumes and dance mastika - Literally meaning 'drinking song' this is a rather parodied version of fast Turkish dance, with many pelvic tilts upward and hip lifts. maya - an outward figure of eight bellydance move that means 'water' in Arabic mazhar - large tambourine with cymbals mervlana - Turkish term for the whirling derwish also known as tanoura in Egypt milaya il'laff - a type of large veil used for an Egyptian dance from Alexandria mizmar - Arabic horn played at festivals nawari - Lebanese drum rhythm Netumun - tomb of Pharonic king of Thebes, famous for the excavated scene 'the Banquet' 1400 BC ney - reed flute Nubian - Sprightly folkdance from Nubia with African overtones, usually performed in a white cotton kaftan with colourful embroidery. oriental - term for the classical style of Arabic bellydance. Classical bellydance, usually in two piece costume with more armwork, ballet inspired turns and refined hip work. Dramatic and sensual, with many changing moods, often danced to orchestral pieces. orientalism - genre of art, poetry and imagery that was inspired by a somewhat fictitious romanticism of the exotic East; its dance, music and mysterious allure oud - Arabic lute, literally meaning 'flexible stick' Ouled Nail - dancers on the Algerian fringe who fascinated travelers in the 1900's. Earthy yet poised dance from the Ouled Nail tribeswomen. Highly decorated tribal costume with heavy skirts, layered, and coins. Persian motreb - Elegant Iranian dance with a hanky, dressed in kaftan with flowing sleeves. Refined footwork and concentrated hip moves. qanoon - Arabic zither made of walnut with 48 strings rababa - ancient Arabic string instrument made from a coconut shell, similar to a violin rababa - coconut shell instrument played similarly to a violin, but resting on the ground, and held vertically rakkass - Turkish term for dance. Flamboyant cabaret bellydance done in two piece costume with a lot of hip work, especially hip lifts and shimmies. rakkassa - Turkish term for dancer raqs sharqi - Arabic term meaning 'dance of the East' req - small tambourine with skin and cymbals rompi - Turkish style of Gypsy dance sometimes called rompi-rompi sagat - Arabic term for finder cymbals (zills in Turkish) Saiidi - traditionally a men's cane dance from El Saiid, Upper Egypt. Stealthy cane dance, where men in kaftans dance a sprightly martial arts like dance with heavy canes. Also known as Taktib. Baladi women dancers also dance saiidi with the cane. santoor - zither saz - Turkish lute sha'bia - modern style of Egyptian street dancing. Fun, modern form of urban 'street dance' or 'dance of the people', similar to baladi, but danced to more up-tempo music. shamadan - Dance with candelabra on head, classical movements usually performed in a dress. shikhat - Festive tribal women's dance with many moves mimicking birth ritual and was a former 'wedding night' dance. taqsim - improvised dance tabul - large double sided drum tak - the name given to the treble sound produced when striking the tabla (drum) takht - woodwind and strings ensemble taktib - the name of the stick and the men's cane dance of Upper Egypt tanoura - Egyptian whirling derwish taqsim - improvised dance to emotive melodies toura - extra large finger cymbals played in the orchestra tremolando - quivering note with a vibrating quality, especially hear with strings tribal - a style of dance with elements of Berber, Ouled Nail and Ghawazee dance movements and costume. Emphasis on the 'tribe' or connected group dancing Tuareg - a tribe of Moroccan Berbers also known as the 'blue people' because the indigo in their face veils and turbans would stain their skin wahda el'kebira - spacious rhythm literally meaning the 'large one' wahda wa noss - Arabic rhythm with two distinct parts meaning 'one and a half' used in Egyptian baladi dance zaafen - Yemeni group dance featured at weddings and celebrations. When performed by men, very sprightly steps in a group similar to dabke, but with athletic squats - like Cossac dance. Women perform a gentler version. zills - brass finger cymbals zaar - Egyptian trance dance and spiritual cleansing ritual that involves shaking the body and flicking the hair. Borkhul (incense) is sometimes brought out by the dancer in a brass holder, and the dance begins slowly, building up to a frenzied trance state, with hair flicking. zaffa - Arabic term for wedding, also, a characteristic rhythm for a wedding procession, usually with many drummers and mizmar players with a folkloric dance group in the centre of the festivities. zills - Turkish term for brass finger cymbals Go to Keti's wonderful site