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THE GUEDRA - By Karol Harding,

The Guedra is the Tuareg Blessing dance. In Arabic the Guedra is also the name of the cooking pot (or cauldron) which these nomads carry with them. This pot was covered with an animal skin to make a drum. The Guedra rhythm according to Morocco is: duh DAH m duh DAH/ dun DAH m duh DAH. She compares this to the Flamenco Bulerias rhythm, which is the same basic beat. It is not traditionally played on a dombeck and there are no sharp "tek" sounds used.

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A Review of Music and Rhythm - By Roxann (Ann Sabin)

This paper is organized into two sections. The first section is a very basic introduction to music and notation, and has a general application. The second section applies the first section's vocabulary and knowledge to middle eastern rhythms heard in belly dancing music.

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THE ZAR REVISITED - By Karol Harding,

Despite the fact that the Zar, which is the trance ceremony of North Africa and the middle east is technically prohibited by Islam, it continues to be an essential part of these cultures. Since I've been fortunate to find some new information on the Zar, I wanted to take another look at this phenomenon.

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A Statistical Profile of Artists in Canada

Based on the 2001 Census This study provides an in-depth examination of artists in Canada, based largely on the 2001 census. Nine arts occupations are profiled, including: actors; artisans and craftspersons; conductors, composers and arrangers; dancers; musicians and singers; other performers; painters, sculptors and other visual artists; producers, directors, choreographers, and related occupations; and writers.

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The Origins of Oriental Dance - By Karol Harding,

The dance which Americans know as "belly dance" has gone by many names. The French who found the dance named it "dance du ventre", or dance of the stomach. It is known in Greece as the cifte telli (also the name of a Turkish rhythm), in Turkey as rakkase and in Egypt as Raks Sharki. Middle Easterners also call it "danse orientale" to distinguish it from the "balady", or country, dance. It developed through the influence of many different areas and continues its long process of development today. After its appearance at the Chicago Exposition at the turn of the century, Americans discovered it, and the French name, danse du ventre, was translated into the "belly dance".

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