An Introduction to Tarab This last weekend Najia (of Media, PA) and I dedicated a 20 hour workshop intensive to “Finding Tarab in Post-Modern Orientale Dance.”¹ We first had to introduce the concept of Tarab and try to relate it to our own sensory experience. Since Tarab is an event experience that is culturally specific […]
What is the Sa’idi “Tahtib” Part II – Video Examples To continue our Sa’idi Tahtib subject, this week we have two fun videos! An Informal Game of Tahtib The first video shows the “play” aspect that the tahtib can employ. This was not a formal tournament nor was it an event that normally includes the tahtib contest. […]
Tahtib is a martial arts fight popular in the Sa’idi region for well over 3300 years. This article explores the definition of Tahtib and where it is usually found.
A description of the Nubian Sabou’a and Blessing of the River ritual done when a woman leaves her confinement after the birth of her baby.
I first became aware of the “Blessing of the River” ritual a couple years ago while we were visiting the Nubian House in Luxor. I always ask Mr. Gamal Latif to explain the stories in the rugs to us, and every year we would see this carpet and listen to this baby ritual. So far […]
Part II – What If We Viewed Egyptian Folklore As A Puzzle? Last week we introduced the concept of looking at each region of Egypt from six perspectives; six tables, each with a jigsaw puzzle of information pieces. Click here to read Part I. The first three “tables” all had the dancers and their audience […]
What If We Viewed Egyptian Folklore As A Puzzle? When I first started Belly Dancing I was also an Anthropology major, so of course I was very interested in finding the cultural roots of this wonderful dance. I was able to find a video rental store run by an Egyptian and he had videos of […]
