Raqs Nerd: musicality concepts for non-musicians 🎶

Every year, I get to meet hundreds of dance students, in my classes and workshops - and to guide dancers through not only the movements of Raqs Sharqi, but the vital relationship between dance and music

And one thing I find consistently, when I ask about it, is that only a small minority of dancers - at least here in the UK - have ever had the opportunity to take music lessons, or to learn to sing or play an instrument

Which is to say, very few of us in the dance world come into this knowing much about musical concepts, or musical terminology - either Arabic or Western. And a lot of dancers, I think, find musical language somewhat intimidating

So as a dance teacher, my challenge is always - how do I convey what I need to to teach musicality, without either teaching a whole music class, or leaving anybody behind?

I believe it is completely possible to appreciate, fully enjoy, and dance well to music without knowing a thing about musical theory, or ever formally studying music as a musician would. In the same way as it's possible for our audience members to fully enjoy our dance performances without being dancers themselves, or understanding exactly how we do what we do

But how?

The important point, for me as a teacher, is that the process of listening to and appreciating music is not the same as the process of playing it. And my job is to teach music appreciation, in a way that connects to the body, to movement, and to feeling.

And there are so many ways to do this that don't involve any specialist terminology, or any theory, or having ever taken a music lesson in our life, or anything other than the ability to hear, and to listen.

Some helpful things to listen for, from a dance point of view...

Patterns - music is made of patterns! From simple to complex, from tiny like polka dots or pinstripes to big and grand like a Persian carpet or a mamluk dome. What do you hear repeating over and over again? This could be anything from the beat of the music, to a repeating drum pattern, to a short melodic phrase that repeats, to a structure of repeating verses and choruses.

Our dances are also often structured using repeating patterns, so this is really useful to recognise and attune our minds and ears to.

Energy levels - not only whether the music feels calm and gentle or energetic and intense overall, but crucially, how it changes. Does the energy feel as if it's building up to a climax? Does it feel contained, like it's holding back? Like it's fading away or drawing inwards? Does it change suddenly, or gradually?

What we feel as energy is made up of a lot of different things from a musician's point of view, but the "big picture" drives the overall energy of our dance

Textures - do the sounds you're hearing sound rough or smooth? Continuous, or made of lots of little separate sounds? Rich and strong, or thin and fragile? Like water, or like air? Like velvet, or like silk? Like wood, or like metal? Flowing freely, or with a sense of friction?

And is there a lot going on at once, many intersecting layers of sound? Or just one or two distinct sounds, with a sense of space around them?

All of these can translate directly to textures of movement - to movement qualities, and layers

Melodic tension and release - follow the rise and fall of the melody, and notice - which musical notes are repeated a lot, or held for a long time - especially near the beginning? Which notes in the melody sound like "coming home" to a resting place when you get to them - like a place it would feel comfortable and satisfying to stop in?

And which notes carry feelings of tension, like they need to go somewhere else next - like if you stopped there, it would feel unfinished, like stopping a book mid-chapter?

Do some parts of the song feel like they contain more tension, or different types of tension - and other parts feel like a release, a resolution, a return home?

This can be more challenging to tune in to, but it is one of the keys to emotion held in the music. And these feelings of tension and release can translate into literal tension or resistance, and release or relaxation, in our dance movements too...

All of these have been on my mind a lot as I've been preparing and teaching my current "Egyptian Ashra Baladi" class series - but these concepts are all equally applicable across musical genres

And of course, these don't touch upon the cultural specifics of the music - which is a whole other huge topic. But they do give you a lot to work with, and a lot to explore...

Was anything here new for you - and did anything create a lightbulb moment? I'd love to know!

With Love,

PS - Want to get very nerdy about music, for free? Join me and Nisaa for an Instagram Live on Sunday 11th of October, at 5pm UK time / 11am US Central time. We'll be talking about music and musicality, working with traditional Egyptian musicians, and why concepts like Tarab and saltanah are important...

PPS - there are now just 3 in-person places remaining for the Raqs Roots Intensive: Ihsas 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​

PPPS - 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 🚫🤖

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