Saidi dance is a folkloric dance from Upper Egypt (rural area in Southern Egypt, the region is called the Sa'id or Said). The dance style includes a lot of energetic bouncy footwork and frequently incorporates a stick or cane (Assaya). This style is danced by both men and women.

Women typically dance with a lighter, less athletic version of the bouncy footwork used by the men. Women also mix in more hipwork, shoulder shimmies and other Baladi style movements than the men use.

Pronounced Sah-EE-dee. Alternate spellings include Sa'idi, Saiidi, Sayyidi, and Saeedi. Raks Assaya is often written as Raks Al Assaya or Rakset Assaya. (Raks = Dance)

Here are some words that are used to describe the Saidi dance style, comparative to other bellydance styles. Watch for these qualities in the video clips that follow:

• Bouncy
• Proud
• Lively
• Energetic
• Playful
• Sassy

Other notes about Saidi

Related folk dances

Saidi is a Baladi style dance. See the Baladi article on this site for details.

Typical Movement Vocabulary

• Arms: Soft and informal. Generally holding positions rather than moving or flowing, often in a simple 'soft W' position. If an Assaya is used, it can be a light stick or a hooked cane. The assaya is twirled in the hand and used to frame and accent the movements of the body. Hands are open and feminine and arms are long.
• Upper body: Big upward ribcage pops (a la Fifi Abdo), shoulder and ribcage shimmies and shoulder accents, similar to baladi.
• Pelvis/hips: Hip drops, pelvic undulations, circles, big sideways accents with weight shifts, loose soft shimmies and pelvic locks, big hip circles
• Footwork: Lots of hops and stops, taken from the men's dance style.
• Abdomen: Locks, pops and twisting/undulating movements that also involve the pelvis or ribcage. Less abdominal movement than in other styles of bellydance (the costume would mostly hide them)

Music

• Folkloric Saidi is recognizable by its heavy Saidi beat (Dun tek Dun Dun Tek) and typical instrumentation. The Mizmar is the most readily identifiable instrument in folkloric Saidi. The Mizmar is a reed instrument that resembles an oboe in appearance but sounds, to many Americans at least, like a whiny, reedy variation on a bagpipe. You'll often find Saidi music with the word Mizmar (mezmar) or the word Assaya in the title. Typically the song will open with a mizmar taksim (rhythmless instrumental solo that explores the musical range of the piece) and then the rhythm will come in strong and earthy and heavy. Sometimes you might hear rebab instead of mizmar.
• Pop songs using the Saidi rhythm are EXTREMELY common. It's not necessary to dance Saidi style or do Raks Assaya to pop pieces just because the rhythm is present. Depending on the spirit/feeling and instrumentation of the piece (presence of folkloric instruments like Mizmar or Rebab, for instance) it's certainly permissible.

Costuming

Traditionally, Saidi is performed in a galabeya, a simple long dress-like garment with full sleeves that Saidi men wear. A woman will usually wear a fitted version in a stretch fabric and tie something around her hips or wear a fringed belt to show her hipwork. There are modern stage renditions of the galabeya that range from very simple to elaborate, well-covered to figure-skimming and sexy. Sometimes the design exposes a matching bra, while keeping the belly covered. If you're looking for costumes for Saidi, search for 'beledi dress,' 'baladi dress,' 'dance galabeya' or even 'saidi dress.' The dress that is specifically for Saidi often has a special motif that resembles a dowry necklace on the front. See the clips below for examples of all sorts of costuming.

A head scarf or wrap is optional. The hair isn't necessarily hidden if a wrap or scarf is worn, it's just an accessory.

Saidi is nearly always performed with the belly covered (though the dress may be a sheer fabric, such as assuit). It's considered acceptable to perform Saidi (or Raks El Assaya) in a bedlah (2-piece costume) if it's part of a longer set.

Roots of Saidi and Raks Assaya

Saidi men battle with heavy sticks in a martial art called Tahtib. Tahtib is a competition, like wrestling or fencing. Points are awarded for skill and for successfully getting past your opponent's defensive moves. Here's a wonderful video showing an actual Tahtib competition, though it doesn't start until about 1:15.

Tito Seif is the top male bellydancer in Egypt and does a magnificent stick dance using traditional and innovative movements and multiple sticks. His dance showcases his energy, strength, and absolute control over his weapons/props.

Want to see more male Assaya dancing? Here is Karim Nagi's take on dancing with the stick. Karim is a world-famous percussionist, and his Raks Assaya interacts playfully with the rhythms.

Women's version of Raks Assaya

Professional female dancers on stage perform Raks Assaya with a light stick or a cane, which they twirl or use to frame their movements rather than mimicking battle. This is not a dance that women do in the Said, it's a women's version of the men's dance, especially for stage.

Here's professional bellydancer Fifi Abdo, known for her beledi styling and quite the Assaya handler as well. Her costume is loose, like the men's Galabeya, but feminized. Notice the lively, sassy spirit of the dance.

And Mona El Said, the luscious Princess of Egyptian Dance, in a fitted baladi dress with a fringed hip belt. As her name implies, Mona is Saidi. Here's her Raks Assaya. You can see how she combines the hopping footwork of the men's Saidi with shimmies and hipwork from Baladi dance. Like Fifi, Mona is lively and sassy through most of the dance, but she gets increasingly sultry - doing less and less with the music -- around the 2:30 mark until she slooowly removes her headpiece around the 3:45 mark and then busts loose with some lively Saidi moves again. Pure Mona magic.

Here's an example of men and women dancing together. I *think* this is the Mahmoud Reda Egyptian folkloric troupe, featuring Farida Fahmy as a soloist. Note that the women are doing Saidi style dance but not using Assaya. Reda has stated in interviews that his female dancers never used a cane because he had male dancers to do Assaya, and it is traditional for men but not women.

And a very modern take by current star Randa Kamal, infusing the style with her characteristic power and athleticism. Assaya/Saidi section of the clip begins about 1:50.

Saidi dance without the Assaya

The lovely Soheir Zaki, Sweetheart of Egyptian dance, in a very traditional costume, performing Saidi style but without assaya:

Here's a Mahmoud Reda saidi piece.Reda's rendition of folkloric dances always has a touch of ballroom influence, and it can be seen here in the arms and higher center of gravity.

Modern renditions of Saidi and Raks Assaya

Orit dancing to music with a strong Saidi beat but more modern mixed instrumentation and costuming:

And Randa Kamal again, in a very modern take on Saidi costuming (pants!). She ditches the cane early in her routine but continues to mix in Saidi steps, especially during the instrumental parts of the song where the Saidi flavor is strong..

Not all cane dancing is Saidi.

Fred Astaire aside, even bellydancers sometimes dance with canes when they're not performing Saidi dances.

Egyptian-style dancers occasionally do 'baladi cane,' dancing to baladi music with a cane. The legendary Najwa Fouad can often be seen doing baladi cane pieces.

Here's a link to another example of a Najwa Fouad baladi cane piece, with singer Fatme Serhan.

Lebanese-style dancers perform with canes as well, but not using Saidi music, steps or costuming. Their canes are often smaller and lighter than the ones used by Egyptian dancers. Sometimes they use a Debke rhythm and steps with their canework. Here's Rindala of Lebanon:

And last but never least, here the lovely Soraia Zaied (or Soraya Zayed) of Cairo. Soraia is Brazillian but lives and works in Cairo and is an Egyptian-style dancer. Here she's performing in a non-Saidi style to a popular debke song, "Ya Ein Moulayatein."

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