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Home >> Current Studentsr >> Intermediate and Advanced Level Dances
Intermediate and Advanced level Classes
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Descriptions of the Choreographies taught in the intermediate and advanced level Classes
Schadia teaches many different styles, including
Note: All pictures were taken from live performances showing Schadia and her dancers from her
two troupes, Nazeem Allayl and Nazeem Alsabah,
and are copy right protected (c) by Liegle, 2004.
The text descriptions
were written by Schadia - if you want to use them, please contact for permission.
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Saleema in Ya Albi
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INTERMEDIATE LEVEL CHOREOGRAPHY CLASS
This class is designed for intermediate level students who have taken at least 5 beginners level courses.
The pace is faster, and you will learn longer and more challenging choreographies in these classes.
This class is for the more serious students, and are expected to practice extensively at home.
ADVANCED LEVEL CHOREOGRAPHY CLASS:
This class is designed for advanced level students and is open by invitation only.
This class is for troupe members and Schadia's advanced students. Complex group and individual
choreographies are covered. We also create and stage our own dances here. This class is ongoing
(i.e. not a 6 week course) and less structured than the beginner/intermediate levels, i.e.
if we don't like a particular move, we change it on the fly. Students here are highly motivated
and involved in the studio.
Turkish Style
The Turkish cabaret style is Schadia & Nazeem Allayl's favorite form of belly dance,
because they gives the dancers so much creative freedom. It is very high energy,
full of large movements and at the same time sexy and smoldering.
Unlike the Egyptian cabaret style of dancing, Turkish cabaret still has very,
very strong attachments to its gypsy roots. The Turkish gypsy style is earthy and powerful,
giving the feeling both in attitude and movements that women are strong, full of power and pride.
The modern Turkish cabaret style is very flamboyant and larger than life, not only in dance style,
but in costuming too.
Hüp
"Hüp" is a very popular song by the Turkish heartthrob Tarkan. He sings to the woman he loves
--- pledging his love to her and appreciating her love for him.
He says that he wants her to breath him in, so that they can become one.
The style of the dance is playful & sexy.
Choreographed by Schadia
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Ay!
"Ay!" is also a song about love, but in this song Tarkan talks of being totally in love with a woman,
who didn't seem to know he exists. He writes her name in the sky with thousands of stars. She laughs
and doesn't pay attention. He pierces the mountains, conquered the deserts and the seas, but still she
didn't notice him. Ah, isn't that always the way with women!
Choreographed by Saleema and Schadia
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Karasin Duenyam
The song Karasin Duenyam means "Let My World Go Dark". Karasin Duenyam is quite a contra point to Ay.
It is also about a scorned love, but here, it is a woman in love with a man, who has left her.
The dance shows us a woman who is eaten up by her one sided love, with nowhere to turn to but a dance of misery.
Choreographed by Schadia
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Nar ChiChegi
Nar ChiChe-gi means pomegranate blossom in Turkish. The music is an old folk song from
the Balkans and the dance is inspired by the graceful yet expressive folk style belly dancing
of the Balkan Turks.
Choreographed by Aya
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Haberi Olsun
Haberi Olsun is Nazeem Allayl's newest Karsilama choreography. It is a high energy skirt dance
modeled loosely after the Turkish romani (a.k.a. gypsies). The dance has a style that Schadia calls "gypsy nouveau."
Choreographed by Schadia, Aya & Saleema
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Egyptian Beledi styles
Since Egyptians dancers first brought belly dancing to America at the Chicago World's Fari in 1893 , the Egyptian style of belly dancing has remained the most popular and widely danced style of belly dance in America.
There are many different styles of Egyptian dance. Perhaps one of the most popular styles comes from the Ghawazee of Upper Egypt. The Ghawazee are gypsies and have always made their living playing music and dancing. The Ghawazee style of dancing is characterized by large, earthy, grounded and energetic movements.
Beledi dances often use similar moves to that of the Ghawazee. In Arabic, the word "Beledi" means "Dance of the country," hence 'Egyptian Beledi' would be the dance of the country of Egypt.
Schadia & her Dancers do not perform straight & strictly traditional folk dance, but a style called "Urban Beledi," which has glitzier costumes & mixes cabaret & folk styles.
Although the Egyptian Cabaret dancing has developed far beyond its roots, you can still see the influences of the Ghawazee & Beledi styles, as well as the influences of western dances, such as ballet. Modern Egyptian cabaret dancing is very controlled, elegant, and refined. It is done usually in a rather small space & does not include a lot of traveling or turns. Muscular control is emphasized and movements are small and internalized.
Egyptian Raks Al Assaya
Raks Al Assaya is pronounced "rocks all uh SI yuh", with the "SI" syllable rhyming with "pie".
This is the Arabic term for the cane dance. This dance originated in southern Egypt, in the region known as
the Said (Sigh eed) or Upper Egypt. Traditionally, in the Said, men carried long sticks with them, which they used
as weapons. Eventually they developed a dance in which they feigned fighting with these sticks.
Women then began dancing with canes as a way of playfully imitating this men's dance, and eventually raks al
assaya developed into a distinct women's dance. Cane dance movements therefore originate from an exhibition of skill
and prowess and accent the dancers' movements.
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Bedauia
Bedauia is a Ghawazee dance choreographed by Jasemin Jahal. The Ghawazee have their origin in Upper Egypt.
The Ghawazee were always in high demand for their skills at dancing and music-making.
The Ghawazee are, in some ways, a living expression of the dancer's dream -- to live amongst the shifting sands,
and to dance every night away...for exotic costumes and rich foods, and for music that never, ever ends...
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Egyptian-Spanish Fusion
The Egyptian-Spanish fusion genre is very popular, and it has also sprung an Egyptian-Spanish style of Belly Dance.
Spain, you ask? What does that have to do with belly dancing? Well, if you remember back to your
college history classes, you'll remember that both Spain and Portugal were occupied by the
Moores from 711 until almost 1500. The Moores spread their culture and their knowledge through
Spain and Portugal but they did so in a benevolent way. They allowed the peoples under their rule
to retain their culture as well. It is from this time in history that we still see Middle Eastern influences
on dances like Flamenco & also the Spanish influences on the dances of the Middle East.
Nour el Ain
Habibi Ya Nour El Ain, which translates to "My Darling, You Are The Glow In My Eyes",
was a huge hit in 1996 by Amr Diab, not only in the Arabic world, but world wide, since
its style has a strong Spanish-Andalusian touch.
This dance was originally choreographed by Nourhan
Ole'
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Ya Albi
This dance has a fusion of
many stylings including Egyptian-Spanish fusion and Turkish.
The idea behind the song was a love between two cultures separated by thousands of miles.
Written by Hakim (Egyptian), Antonio Hernandez (Mexican), and Olgui Cherino (Cuban-American),
the song shows Hakim in a vulnerable position asking his love, Olga, to come back to him.
Olga responds saying, 'I love you too, but you have to come and get me.' Kemo raps on the track,
making comments as he watches the love affair from the sidelines.
Admirer with Style
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Efred
Efred was originally choreographed by Schadia's best friend Bahijah. The choreography
is in the Egyptian Cabaret style, with an undertone of American Fantasy. The feel is much like the
song itself, sweet & lovely with a bit of sass. The song Efred,
which means "Just Suppose" in Arabic, is sung by Hakim, another of Egypt's hottest stars.
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Tabla Solos
Tabla or Drum Solos are an important part of any dancer's repertoire. During solo performances with a band, a dancer will improvise moves to the beats of the drummer. It is an amazing thing to see & gives you insight into the important relationship between the dancer and her drummer.
When a live drummer is not available and/or for staged and group performances, recorded drum music is used & the dancers perform choreographed drum solo pieces. These dances are really fun to watch. They show the stamina of the dancers and their ability to live & breath the beats of the drums.
Jillina Drum
This drum solo was originally choreographed by Jillina, but not much of the original choreography remains. Schadia & Saleema changed the majority of the dance to reflect their feelings, style and energy. It is definitely now firmly a Nazeem Allayl dance!
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Margo Drum
This dance was choreographed by Margo Abu Odell as the sister drum solo for Irkosily. It has some of the same moves & goes beautifully with Irkosily. The choreography of this drum solo is really wonderful & it can stand on its own or go with almost any Egyptian or American Fantasy style dance. We love it!
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SuSu Drum
Our newest & most exciting drum solo is SuSu. It is 4 ½ minutes of pure adrenolin. The drum solo was choreographed by Schadia & Saleema & incorporates Turkish gypsy moves, a sassy attitude, & lots of skirt swishing!
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