Raqs Nerd: learning what you "don't need to know"

Back when I was at school, there were few things more infuriating than asking what you thought was an interesting question in class, out of genuine curiosity... and the teacher answering "oh don't worry about that, you don't need to know that for the exam"

It drove me up the wall because of the inbuilt assumption that actual learning and understanding didn't matter, that genuine interest in (let alone love for) the subject matter was irrelevant, and that the only thing that mattered was getting good marks - that knowledge was nothing but a means to a mundane end.

And this is absolute anathema to nerds everywhere - we know deep in our souls that to love something is to seek knowledge and understanding, for its own sake

It drives me just as mad when the same thing happens in the world of dance - when dancers show heartfelt interest in a topic that's a little off the beaten track, and are brushed off with:

"Oh no, that's too complicated, you don't need to know, don't waste your time"

This is maddening because, who said we ever thought that we, the nerds, NEEDED to know? We WANT to know! We want to know because we love the art and culture, and we express our love and devotion through learning

There are so many things about dance, music, and culture that I've found deeply meaningful and important to learn about, that I absolutely didn't need to learn about just to be a "better" dancer.

Those things were important for other reasons. They may never visibly change how my actual dancing looks - but that doesn't matter to me, even slightly. This learning may never help anybody to get more dance gigs or win competitions, but that doesn't matter. That was never the point!

For example, I've heard it said recently, and quite forcefully, that bellydancers shouldn't bother trying to learn Arabic. Apparently, it is just too difficult, and we'll never fully understand the classical poetry of song lyrics, so why bother wasting our time?

Well, I've spent two years studying Egyptian Arabic now, and it's honestly one of the best things I've ever done.

I don't think it has changed my dancing one bit, and it isn't going to make me suddenly look super impressive on festival stages or whatever. BUT, it has transformed my ability to relate to people, and to the culture - to talk to Egyptian artists in their own language instead of forcing them to use mine, to watch Egyptian TV and films, and to get a much more real and human view of the arts I practice and teach...

I've also heard it said in the past that there's no point studying maqam, the modal system that underlies Arabic melodies, because you don't need to know about that, to be a good dancer.

Now, this one's a little complicated, because you do need to respond to every layer of the music, and be sensitive to melodic shifts, to dance well - but also, if you have no plans to become a musician, then it's possible to get a very long way through musical immersion and active, intentional listening - and this is what most great dancers have actually done, whether deliberately or not.

But being the nerd that I am, I have studied in more depth too over the years (including taking oud lessons and Arabic singing lessons), and continue to study when I have the time... And it has always been incredibly worthwhile. It has given me a much greater appreciation of the skill and artistry of the musicians I listen to and those I work with, and how they do what they do - and made it easier to communicate with them in an informed way, too.

And it's just really satisfying to listen to a fantastic piece of music and go "oh! I think I see what he did there!" when it gets to one of the most intense moments, as well as instinctively feeling it.

Has that made me a visibly "better" dancer though? I've no idea, to be honest. But that was never the point, for me. Did I need to do it? No, but I wanted to. And I enjoyed it. And I think it matters.

And finally, we come to the esoteric stuff (or, the more esoteric stuff)?

I'm hosting a lecture this November on the topic of "Tarab and Saltanah in Egyptian music and dance" with Nisaa and Reda Henkesh...

And, in the time since we started promoting this event, I've come across some claims online that talking about Saltanah - the specific ecstatic state of consciousness experienced by performers - as well as Tarab is just "overcomplicating things"; that dancers don't need to know about it and should just forget about it. That it's not significant, since it's not a term in mainstream use, beyond the community of traditional musicians...

And once again, I ask - but what if we WANT to know? What if it's important to us - even if it's not on the syllabus and we don't need to learn about it for some imaginary future exam...

In fact, I am tremendously excited for this particular lecture - probably more so than any other class that I've ever hosted.

Because I really want to know about this actually - more than I've had the chance to learn so far (e.g. from books such as this one, a must-read IMO). I really want to hear, directly in his own words, how a traditional musician like Reda Henkesh experiences the process of creating music, and how he and his traditional musician colleagues from Mohammed Ali Street understand, talk about, and feel about what they do, and how they create the incredible art that they do.

Again, not because I think I "need" to know this to dance well.

Because this matters to me. Because the music matters to me, and the musicians as human beings and fellow creative artists matter to me, and I want to understand their art and their creative process from their own perspective just because I do.

Even if it changes nothing about what I do on stage in a typical bellydance performance.

Even if it's "pointless" in terms of having a lot of obvious practical applications.

Even if this traditional way of making music is gradually fading away in today's world.

So as I have done all my life, I will be ignoring entirely the question of what I "need to know" when I want to know something... And continuing to learn, and seek understanding, not as a means to an end, but as an act of love and as an expression of being alive and human.

And, I hope that you too will join me in cheerfully ignoring anybody who ever tells you that interest, curiosity, and desire to understand, are pointless or worthless or not worth pursuing - or that anything is "too complicated" or "too difficult" if it really matters to you.

And, if you are interested in joining that lecture... check out the Raqs Roots Intensive online lecture package!

With Love,

PS - there are now just 4 in-person places remaining for the Raqs Roots Intensive: Ishas el-Musiqa with Nisaa and Reda Henkesh! A unique chance to learn about music and musicality for Egyptian dance from the perspective of traditional Egyptian performers - and to explore the full depth of cultural nuance around this glorious art - find the full event information here​

PPS - 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 100% generative AI free zone 🚫🤖