Raqs Nerd: feeling of the music - a dance nerd's dream event!

This week is a special edition of Raqs Nerd, in honour of registrations opening this week for the Raqs Roots Intensive 2026: Ihsas el-Musiqa, with Nisaa and Reda Henkesh, on the 20th-22nd of November in Manchester UK - an event which I have put my heart and soul into for the last few years, and have been known to unironically describe as "my baby"...

Our theme for this year, "Ihsas el-Musiqa / احساس الموسيقى", literally translates as "feeling of the music"

And it is a subject that has come up again and again and again in our discussions and Q&A sessions at the previous two events I've hosted with Nisaa and Reda. No matter the topic of the class. Whether we've been talking about the dances of the ghawazi and awalim, or sha'abi music, or even finger cymbal technique: whenever we got down to questions of what was important - for a dancer, for a musician, for a certain dance or style - we ended up back at Ihsas - feeling.

As we've explored a wide range of topics around the history and cultural heritage of traditional arts in Egypt at past events, feeling has been the uniting thread behind all of it - the ethos that is clear whenever Reda Henkesh has spoken about his values and perspective on his art, and which comes through in all of Nisaa's interviews with traditional dancers.

So this year, it felt like an almost-inevitable choice, that we would finally address this elephant in the room properly, as it deserved.

When I discussed topics for 2026 with our teachers, it was as if we'd all separately settled on the same idea. The workshop timetable almost wrote itself! We all felt that it was time for music, and feeling, to take centre stage - and time to fully explore the deep current of cultural meaning which flows beneath all of the traditional dance and music we love.

So we have put together a programme that I personally am incredibly excited about - as a music lover, it is an absolute dream come true, and I think for a lot of you reading this, it will be too (if you enjoy my writing about music!).

We are starting the weekend this year with an evening of live Egyptian music for all of our attendees - not a show, nor a performance opportunity, but a relaxed party - because the aim is to literally immerse dancers in the music. To fully experience it, without any pressure to perform, and to let go and be moved by it - with good vibes, and good company. How often, as dancers, do we actually get to do that?

And then on Saturday morning, we'll be gettin in deep - from the experience itself, to understanding its significance...

Our first lecture of the weekend is on Tarab and Saltanah, the transcendent states of feeling associated with music and performance in Arab culture. And we will be getting a true inside perspective on concepts that are rarely discussed in the bellydance scene - often treated as little more than marketing buzzwords, or else brushed off as unimportant - and yet, lie at the heart of the music and dance we love.

With that vital groundwork laid, we will spend the rest of the day in the dance studio, where phenomenal Egyptian musicians ElGamal ElKordy (accordion) and Emile Bassili (violin) will join us as Nisaa and Reda lead sessions on improvisation and emotion, in both taqasim and a gorgeous classical song...

Then on Saturday evening, we'll head to the theatre for "One Night in Old Cairo" - a gala show with a difference, where performers take the stage to improvise with our six-piece traditional orchestra, featuring musicians who are all incredible artists in their own right. The atmosphere at these shows is truly something special, and I feel that each dancer really gives their best and shines as an artist with the band behind them.

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Following the show, our Sunday programme takes us into the realm of rhythm - getting into the history and development of drum solos in Egypt, the fine subtleties of Egyptian rhythm, and the interplay between dancer and drummer... And with Reda being one of the world's most experienced and accomplished tabla players, I have no doubt we'll all be coming away with pages and pages of notes and a whole lot of 🤯moments!

Taken as a whole, we will be exploring every layer of Egyptian dance music in tremendous depth - rhythm, melody, feeling; interaction and expression; history and tradition. And as an avowed nerd and lifelong music obsessive, I fully expect to come out of this myself having learned a huge amount, that I never would have heard anywhere else - whilst also having embodied experiences of dance that will bring inspiration for months or years to come.

Putting this event together, and bringing all of our teachers and musicians together in Manchester, has been a true labor of love for me. Because it really matters to me. It matters that we keep this cultural knowledge alive within our dance communitites, that we maintain our relationship with the incredible music that shaped this dance, and that we honour and appreciate the traditional artists behind it.

I know that it matters to you, my fellow nerdy dancers, too. And I would be delighted if you were able to join us (whether in person here in Manchester, or on Zoom for our online lecture package) ❤️

Find all the event details, including timetable and travel info, here:

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With Love,

PS - every part of this newsletter is written by me, a flesh and blood human being, using my own thoughts, feelings, opinions, and writing style - now and always. This is a generative AI free zone 🚫🤖

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