Lamma Bada Yatathanna - 2nd Place in Essence Rising

2nd Place Winner for the Essence Rising Competition in the Essence of Bellydance 11 Festival
Performed on September 22, 2023
Judges: Luna, Khadijah, Kapua
Song: Lamma Bada Yatathanna
Artist: Ghada Shbeir
Choreography: Filis
BACKGROUND
This is my first time performing a solo on stage, and my first time dancing to this style. I did a lot of research while creating this choreography, not just on the complicated lyrics which are hard to translate, but also the costuming, and on the dance style itself. The song was cut at 3 minutes due to the time limit of the competition.
POETRY
The lyrics from this song are said to be from 10th Century poetry, also called "muwashah" originating from Al-Andalous (Islamic Spain) possibly written by Lisan ad-Din Ibn al-Khatio. It is difficult to translate the lyrics, but I tried to interpret the words as best I could, offering my own take on the meaning such as on the word "Aman" as both a struggle, and an inspiration.
DANCE STYLE
This style of dance is called Muwashahat, and it is not a folkloric dance, nor is it inspired by any place, culture, people, or indigenous folk dance. It is an invented style by The Reda Troupe.
MUSIC & RHYTHM
The music and rhythm are not from Al-Andalous, but possibly come from the Ottoman Empire time which my country Albania was a part of for 500 years. The rhythm for this song is called Sama'i Thaqil, and it is a 10/8 rhythm, which means there are 10 beats per measure and those beats are made up of 1/8 notes. Beats 1,4,6,7,8 are emphasized by either a Dum (D) or Tek (T). You could also split and count the rhythm as 3,2,3,2.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
D T DDT
Note, not all muwashahat songs have 10/8 rhythms. There are many types of rhythms in muwashahat songs! Visit this site to learn more: www.maqamworld...
COSTUME
For costuming, I referenced Farida Fahmy's costume designs, and the costume I liked most aligned perfectly with a costume a teacher of mine (Jen T. from Sahara Dance ‪@rkbrookmire‬) used in her performance group years ago. I asked my friends who were in that group if I can borrow one of their costumes. To the costume, I added a simplistic dangling head chain to mimic the costume belt, and earrings with patterns resembling Islamic styles to highlight the poetry's origin.
INSPIRATION
This song moves my soul, and I wanted to share that feeling with others. I was first inspired by my Sahara Dance teacher ‪@jenniferdances4821‬ (Jen T.) who introduced my class to this style last semester in our advanced technique class, and who continues to inspire me. I also want to thank ‪@NesmaDance‬ (Nesma) for offering a wonderful online recorded lesson on this style in her ‪@nesmaacademy-qn2dt‬, Farida Fahmy, and the entire Reda Troupe for creating the costuming and the Muwashahat dance style itself, ‪@ketisharif‬ (Keti Sharif) for exposing me to a version of this song and rhythm in her Reda Drills workshop in New York City this past July, Faten from Al-Massraweya, ‪@GhadaShbeir‬ for the lovely music. I would like to offer a special thank you to the exceptional judges who offered me their valuable professional feedback, and who believed in me: ‪@LunaPoumian‬ Luna Poumian, ‪@kapuakid‬ Kapua and Khadijah. Most importantly, I would like to thank Ryan, Kelly, Maria, Illa, and of course all of the staff, organizers, dancers, and beautiful audience at the Essence of Bellydance Festival for all their support and love.