Popular Dance and Music in Modern Egypt

by Sherifa Zuhur

Overview

This book is an exploration into the history, aesthetics, social reality, regulation, and transformation of dance and dance music in Egypt. It covers Oriental dance, known as belly dance or danse du ventre, regional or group-specific dances and rituals, sha'bi (lower-class urban music and dance style), mulid (drawing on Sufi tradition and saints' day festivals) and mahraganat (youth-created, primarily electronic music with lively rhythms and biting lyrics). The chapters discuss genres and sub-genres and their evolution, the demeanor of dancers, trends old and new, and social and political criticism that use the imagery of dance or a dancer. Also considered are the globalization of Egyptian dance, the replication or fantasies of raqs sharqi outside of Egypt, as well as the dance as a hobby, competitive dance form, and focus of international dance festivals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476643113
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	12/22/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	284
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sherifa Zuhur is a research scholar, performer, author and contributing editor of 18 previous books. She held academic appointments at MIT, University of California, Berkeley, the American University in Cairo, and the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College. She lives in Berkeley, California.
Sherifa Zuhur is a research scholar, performer, author and contributing editor of 18 previous books. She held academic appointments at MIT, University of California, Berkeley, the American University in Cairo, and the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College. She lives in Berkeley, California.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction and Notes on Music and Transliteration
One. The ‘Awalim’s Path to the Sala
Two. From the Sala to the Silver Screen and Beyond
Three. Ya Dall‘a, Ya Dall‘a: Demeanor and Flirtation
Four. Mulid: Reinvigorating Spiritual and Popular Legitimacy in Egyptian Music and Dance
Five. From Sha‘bi Music and Culture to Mahragan Dance Music
Six. Al-Raqs al-Sha‘bi wa al-Musiqa Sha‘biyya: Egypt’s Regional Particularist Dances and Music in Transition
Seven. Bad, Bad Baladi: Sama ­al-Masry and Dance as Sarcasm
Eight. Globalization of Egyptian Dance
Glossary
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Closes a multitude of holes in our understanding, eliminates the need to rely on colonialist wish-story...important, well-written chronicle”—Carolina Varga Dinicu a.k.a. “MOROCCO,” dancer/choreographer

From the Publisher