painting by Saad El Girgawi

The term “Baladi” is an important word for every Egyptian whose life and traditions identify him or her with the soil of Egypt, the original country.”

 Suraya Hilal

Baladi and Sha’abi in Egyptian Dance and Music is mostly misunderstood from the Western perspective. Since Baladi is the ‘Heart as well as the Root’ of Middle Eastern Dance,  Danse Oriental, Raks Sharki, and what we call Belly Dance, to understand it becomes essential in order to truly appreciate and experience the movement and music of this beautiful art form.

If we take this dance and apply it to our own cultural perspective, we are applying a veneer of movement that can only portray an interpretation devoid of the ‘Origin and Feeling’ of the music. Certainly that is an option. Yet, we might consider how much richer and more joyful our dance experience might be if we understand the ‘Feel’  and Power of the ‘Baladi Personae’ expressed in the music and movement.

Suraya Hilal of the HilalArt Foundation in the UK, has written a very insightful paper on this subject, of which I am only introducing here. It is well worth reading ‘The Baladi Personae In Egyptian Dance and Music’    .

In her illuminating paper Surya Hilal brings to light the passionate cultural, socio-economic expression that Baladi and Sha’abi Music and Dance are…a tradition that was born of the soil of Egypt. 

“Awalad el Balad ( the children of the country)… The term describes the particular identity of the working class people, the people who have migrated from rural villages and farming communities and settled in the cities, creating their own kind of community. Awalad el Balad is also a term that refers to the “real Egyptian” , or ” Masri Asil”, as opposed to the Western occupiers and Westernized Egyptians, known as “Afrang”. This is an important distinction for Egyptians, who have been ruled by foreigners for long periods  of their history.”

The Baladi community of lower middle class origin, people of trade and craft, including the trade and craft of the artist, singer dancer, adhered to a strong code of ethics. The true Egyptian is ‘gada’a', for men and ‘gada’ah, for women…good, honorable, courageous and responsible…which includes the singers dancers and musicians that live by ‘the ethics of the Baladi tradition.’

 Baladi music and dancing were taking place for decades, even before the turn of the 20th Century, in the main Sha’abi  Quarter of Cairo, Mohammad Ali Street.

“In the city, the term Sha’abi’ is loosely used to mean ‘popular’, of the masses or populace. Baladi people, with their distinct and traditional-modern culture, have their origins in the ” Balad”, the village or countryside. They live in Sha’abi quarters such as Bulaq or Mohammad Ali Street.” Suraya Hilal further explains that  ” From this urban struggle of opposites emerges the essential expression of the Baladi character, in the music, the dance and the personae which were so well portrayed in the films of the 1940’s and 1950’s.Their yearning for truth and goodness and the simple life gives meaning to their struggles in the urban chaos. The depth of the soul and the bitter-sweet nature of life are reflected in the Baladi culture, especially in music and song.”

Here is Naima Akef in an old Egyptian film that depicts the Balady Personae…and the female singer singing “the ‘Mawaal’ the soulful improvisation of the voice… ”

 The distinction of the true Shaabi music and singers is that it is from the Upper Egypt (Sai’di) and Fallahi (farming community) musical traditions.

‘Early on in the 1960’s the famous Mohammad Taha was one of the first singers to bridge the gap between the Baladi and Sha’abi song and to urbanise and popularise his songs.” (S. Hilal)

I had the privilege to meet Mohammad Taha and watch him perform in San Diego in the 70’s! What an experience!

I found this clip from an old Egyptian film of Mohammad Taha singing  and Gawaher, a realitivly unknown Belly Dancer circa 1962.

In the 1970’s ” Ahmad ‘Adawia was the first Ibn el Balad (Son of the country) to become an Egyptian Pop Star. More importantly, he was also a true Baladi artist, well educated in the musical idiom of the Mohammad Ali Street tradition and the Baladi musical repertoire.” (S. Hilal)

Here is Ahmad ‘Adawia with Bint Al Balad ( daughter of the country) FiFi Abdou in an Egyptian film!

“Other singers who made their name in the city but remained within the Sha’abi musical structure and tradition without moving to the Baladi form was the famous Singer Metqal Qenawi Metqual, of the Musicians of The Nile…”

Here is a present day relative of Metqal Qenawi, Mahsoub, a musician in the Musicians of the Nile Band of Luxor, Egypt. He is not a ‘professional’ dancer rather he is an entertainer that plays several instruments, sings and also dances. This was filmed by Tarik Sultan, in July 2005 in Luxor as part of an interview he did with him! He is obviously dancing for and with foreign women!

So what is Baladi and Shaa’bi Really?

Although it has morphed and changed with modern times ‘the root’ remains in the hearts of the people…..The modern or Pop Culture Sha’abi reflects  the changing face of the urban musical landscape with the continued influence and absorption of Western forms…yet the ‘Heart’ still beats in Awaled el Balad and it finds it’s expression in Baladi and Sha’abi Music, Song and Dance!