BALADI (‘of the country’) is the warm rich heart of Raqs Sharqi. During the 19th and the first half of the 20th Century a new style of music evolved. Villagers and farmers, migrating to the large Egyptian conurbations in the hope of a better life, mixed with migrants from other parts of Egypt and abroad. Baladi grew out of this amalgam of musical and cultural influences and a longing for the villages they had left behind. Much like jazz and blues in the USA, Baladi was a chance for dancers and musicians to share, experiment and improvise. They could express the excitement of the city as well as nostalgia for their old way of life in the country.
Danced in the confines of urban homes and cafes, Baladi is a physically constrained form, and all the more intense for it. The music, sometimes filled with longing, sometimes light-hearted urges the dancer to give expression to her humanity. For this she must feel the music rather than ‘do’ the movements. The dancer in the joyous freedom of spontaneous improvisation finds an endless source of energy and creativity.
Shaabi – Traditional Rural Dance of Upper Egypt
