Cast a wide net: don’t limit your musical explorations
Shadia
Towards the end of last year, my friend Karen and I were talking about what kinds of workshops I might do at her studio in San Antonio. It was a given for me that it should be a workshop that tied together music and culture and over the course of many conversations and a few schedule changes, it was settled. I titled the series “How to Fall in Love With Your Music” (you can read the description here) and for the purposes of this workshop I chose the song Eta’wedt Aleik from the early 70’s, originally sung by Shadia.
I’ve been asked by several dance friends why I chose this song, since it’s older, it’s not in rotation at all among dancers, and in fact I don’t think that there is a “dance version” out there (i.e. re-arranged with the drums punched up, maybe a little faster, and probably drastically shortened to fit the current time limits for most workshop or festival shows- you all know what I’m talking about), and, therefore not “practical” or useful. That’s a fair question, and I appreciate that the question gave me occasion to really think about my reason for doing that so that I could give a good answer.
As I explained to them, that’s not what this workshop series is about. It’s not so important what the particular song is- the song is, in my mind, just a model for exploration, to use when talking about listening to music and connecting to it. The idea for me was to give dancers the tools to be able to go deep with any song they want to and start their own explorations- not to teach them how to dance to this song.
Another reason that I was not so concerned about the practical applications of this song for dancers is that I think it is really important for all of us who dance to Arabic music to start listening outside of the music that has been specifically recorded, arranged, and in some cases composed for dancers- even if what we might discover outside that relatively narrow slice of Arabic music is not music we might ever perform to.
(My favorite of all of the videos I found. I love watching her facial expressions. Note that the entire first section is repeated. If anyone knows who the amazing bouzouq player is, let me know).
“Dance music” as we know it is typically either an instrumental opening number composed for dancers, or a re-arrangement of Egyptian or Lebanese standards or pop songs in a way that is usually faster, shorter, and heavier on the tabla. There is nothing wrong with this category of music, but it is a pale shadow of the depth, variety, and richness of what is out there in terms of actual songs, and the highly attenuated dance versions of the great compositions for Om Kalthoum, Abdel Halim, and other singers give just a hint of the emotional and sonic beauty of the original songs.
To use a very overused image, the music dancers commonly use is only the tip of the iceberg- a very, very big iceberg. There are so many ways to go with explorations- we could explore across geography and start getting into music from Arab countries other than Egypt or the Levant, we could start exploring temporally and go back to the 20’s, we could pick a genre and go deep with that, or even focus on a single singer or composer. I have used all those approaches at various times, not by setting out to do so, but by following my curiosity where it led me, and discovered so many treasures.
Any listening and exploration we do can only help us when we are getting ready to start working on a piece of music or a song. So why limit ourselves to something that is “useful” as a dancer? There is so much beauty that might be missed that way.
Another reason I chose a song that might be “obscure” to American dancers is that when I was talking the workshop structure and content over with Karen in the early stages, one definitive thing she wanted was that I choose a piece that there is no way her dancers would have heard before, and that the music have some interesting changes in it. She wanted to create a “level playing field” by using something that was brand new to everyone. Three options immediately came to my mind, and Etawedt Aleik was the one we settled on. For those of you who are wondering, as I would be, what the other two were- they were the Abdel Halim Hafez song Habibati men Takoun, and El ‘Areeb Minnak Ba’eed, originally sung by Nagat El Saghira. All three of these songs are roughly from the same era (early 70’s-ish), and all three had captivated me and stayed with me from the time I first became acquainted with them years ago.
Finally, I believe that any song can serve as a point of departure for learning more about the musical culture that the song springs from- another thing that I encourage dancers to explore. The purpose of talking about the song’s creators (composer, lyricist, singer), the lyrics, and the context that this song was created within during the first workshop was not that the participants should memorize that information but rather to illustrate that these songs are so much more than just the background for our dancing, and that there is always more to explore. And a lot of times (usually, really) some interesting bit of cultural context will reveal itself when researching into a song.
In fact, this song was no exception. While looking more deeply into it, I found a story in El Dostour newspaper (linked here if you want to read it in Arabic) that told the full story of the song’s creation.
Egypt is a country that loves its soccer, and Nady Al Ahly (established in 1907) is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Cairo with a soccer team. In 1967, following the 6-day Arab-Israeli war or “al naksa” as it is called in Arabic (meaning “the setback”), Egypt and the entire region were demoralized by the outcomes- the decimation of 90 percent of the Egypt air force, as well as those of Jordan, Syria and Iraq, in a surprise air attack by Israel. This was followed by a ground attack that led to the seizure of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights by Israel in the ground offensive that followed (this is a very brief sentence about a very complex situation and there is not room to even touch on its lingering aftereffects in the region).
After the 1967 war, there were no local soccer games or tournaments for a period of six years. In 1973, when Nady Al Ahly was set to finally reopen, the board of directors wanted to open the first sporting season since 1966 with a concert inside the club for members that would also be broadcast on radio and television. They sought out beloved actress and singer Shadia for this honor, and she of course accepted.
She decided to create a new song for the occasion and requested composer Khaled El Amir (who also composed Waheshtini, among many other songs). In their first meeting in her apartment in Giza, she asked him to think of a phrase that could guide them in creating the new song, and he suggested “etawedt aleik”- meaning “I’ve gotten used to you” – and they discussed the meanings of that phrase. They then contacted the lyricist Abdel Wahab Mohamed who arrived within the hour and was given all the details and information about the piece, with a time limit of three days to write the lyrics.
He was back in two days with the finished lyrics, which were passed on to Khaled, who stayed home for two days working until he was ready to deliver Shadia the final melody on cassette. The next day, the leader of her musical ensemble, Abdel Azim Halim, the leader of her musical group, came to write out the piece and finalize the arrangements. Within ten days everything was ready. The concert had already sold out within two days, and the new song was kept as a surprise for the audience. It was recorded in the studio and recorded live with the audience that was there for its debut.
What a story that is- one that provides a political and historical context for how this song came to be. Shadia had sung some beloved nationalist songs, so maybe she was a natural choice for such an important and meaningful occasion, the opening of a beloved club and the return of sporting activities in Egypt, after the dark time that followed the war. Who knows if parts of the story are apocryphal- at the end of the El Dostour article the book Hikayat War’a Al Aghany Zaman Al Fann Al Gameel (The Stories Behind the Songs of the Golden Age of Art) by Mostafa El Dhamr is credited as the source of this story.
Although dancers in the US don’t know this song, when I was putting together a playlist of different versions for the workshop participants (if you want to check that out the link is here), I found many, many different live versions, so the song is still performed sometimes in the Arab region although I have never heard it played by musicians in the US.
The bottom line is, I believe you should cast a wide net when you are doing your explorations into Arabic music. Listen broadly, even if you typically use a “dance piece” to perform to, because no time spent listening is ever wasted. Play around with things in your rehearsal or your improvisation practice that you might never perform to- it can open up new movement possibilities and creativity that can be transferred to anything you are working on for performance.
I’ll close here with the translation I did for the first workshop, since this is all about that particular song. I don’t consider this the “final” version, I feel like I can still improve it. My final reviewer was Yasser who also clarified some idioms for me.
Etawedt Aleik - “I’ve become used to you” – 1972
Original singer: Shadia Composer: Khaled El Amir Lyrics: Abdel Wahab Mohamed
I.
Etawedt aleik ya Habibi- etawedt aleik
I’ve gotten used to you (your presence near and around me)
اتعودت عليك يا حبيبي اتعودت عليك
Ba’eit melk eideik ya Habibi, ba’eit mel eideik
I belong to you (lit. “I’ve become your possesson”)
وبقيت ملك ايديك يا حبيبي وبقيت ملك ايديك
X 2
Etawedt el hanan, wa shouri bil aman x 4
I’m used to the tenderness, and my feeling of safety/security (around you)
اتعودت الحنان وشعوري بالامان
Zai el tir, ma ta’awed ashou, etawedt aleik
Like a bird is accustomed to its nest, I’ve become used to you
زي الطير ما تعود عشه .. اتعودت عليك
Wa ba’eit melk eideik ya habibi, ba’eit melk eideik (in one repeat she says “ya hayati”- my life)
I belong to you (lit. “I’ve become your possession”)
وبقيت ملك ايديك يا حبيبي وبقيت ملك ايديك
X 2
Zai el tir, ma ta’awed ashou x 4
Like a bird is accustomed to its nest
زي الطير ما تعود عشه
Ana etawedt aleik
I’ve become used to you
انا اتعودت عليك
II.
Inta ma kuntish be nisbali, hob el ghaly
To me, you weren’t just my precious love
انت ما كنتش بالنسبه لي حبي الغالي
Da inta hayati, wa rabe3a omri, wa kull amali
You are my life, and the spring of my life, and all my hopes
دا انت حياتي .. وربع عمري .. وكل آمالي
X 2
Wa inta samaya illy betahmini
And you are the sky that protects me
وانت سمايا اللي بتحميني
Wa inta el nil illy beyerwini
And you are the Nile that waters me (like plants) “quenches me”
وانت النيل اللي بيرويني
X 2
Inta el nesma illy betaheeni x 2
And you are the breeze that revives me “bring me back to life”
وانت النسمه اللي بتحييني
Wa ana minnak- minnak wa aleek
“lit. I am from you and for you” I am part of you/I am yours
وانا منك .. منك واليك
Zai el tir, ma ta’awed ashou x 4
Like a bird is accustomed to its nest
زي الطير ما تعود عشه زي الطير ما تعود عشه
Ana etawedt aleik
I’ve become used to you
انا اتعودت عليك
III.
Ah ya mounaya wa kul ragaya min dunyaya
Oh my wish, and all my hopes I’ve asked for in my life
آه يا منايا .. وكل رجايا .. من دنيايا
Inta lewahdak bein el alem andi kefaya, andi kefaya
Out of all the world “universe” you alone are more than enough for me
انت لوحدك بين العالم عندي كفايه
X 2
Alem tani bashoufou bi ‘urbak
When I’m near you, I see another universe
عالم تاني بشوفه بقربك
Dunya gedida batulha behobbak
Because of your love, I reach a whole new world
دنيا جديده باطولها بحبك
X 2
Hobb elnass balimsou min ‘albak
I feel the “love of people” through your heart - “I love people because of your kind heart”
حب الناس بلمسه من قلبك
Wa la’eh, la’eh, gowwa eineik
And I find the love inside your eyes
والاقيه .. الاقيه جوه عنيك
Zai eltir, ma ta’awed ashou x 4
Like a bird is accustomed to its nest
زي الطير ما تعود عشه زي الطير ما تعود عشه
Ana etawedt aleik
I’ve become used to you
انا اتعودت عليك