Belly dancing is a fascination for Westerners, who see graceful women dancing in a snake-like and erotically wave-like dance. Belly dancing originated from ritual and fertility dances, and has become more popular all around the world. This release by
Emad Sayyah offers music lovers his own modern versions of belly dancing music, mixing traditional instruments such as the darbouka, rik, kanoun, nay, and santoor with saxophone, oboe, clarinet, accordion, keyboards, and violin. All the pieces and songs are his compositions, giving this enchanting type of music a more modern sound -- perhaps a bit too Western for some tastes. Yet, this music is worth the detour.