| Saaidi, The Country Style (Folkloric Dance ) This dance is an earthy, heavy, and highly exciting style, in which the dancer, male or female, uses a stick or a cane. It is from the farm areas, the country side, and when men perform this routine, it is done as to simulate a battle. It is a form of martial art. When the men dance, a big, large stick is used and it ends with a "mock fight". The Mizmar instrument is synonymous with saaidi style. It is a long, small, horn with an extremely high pitched sound. The attire is a long white, cotton robe or "Gala Baya". The women do this routine either in their oriental belly dance costume or they change into a dress, called a "Beledi Dress". This can range from a beautifully beaded gown with a long fringed belt and a head scarf to a cotton galabaya a robe like the men. Fifi Abdul wears only a robe with no belt. She is a very earthy, performer, who comes actually from the Saaid (farm). She was dancing in a play "Hazimni Ya", which means, the act of dancing around, playfully in a dress, and tying a hip scarf around the hips while in movement. Wow! That was a long sentence! The ladies dance with a cane, not a stick. They twirl the cane in one hand while dancing. It takes a highly skilled dancer to do this correctly. To capture the essence of a folk dance is imperative, not just go through the motions. |
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