Belly Dance Fantasy
Veena & Neena
CD Review
Recomended
Track List
1. Al Heyla; 2:47
2. Al Arasiy ya; 1:13
3. Tahtihou Dajha; 1:55
4. Limouni Allimouni; 1:14
5. Awazil Tabou Ziloop; 1:41
6. Ya Hasan Ya Khooli Gineah; 2:56
7. Tabla Plus; 2:04
8. Desert Sunrise; 4:50
9. Eshtaktillak; 5:08
10. Oud Intro; 0:55
11. Fog Wl Nakehel; 1:12
12. Al Bulbul Nakha; 1:59
13. Mariam Mariamti; 1:23
14. Sultan Yegah Longa; 3:55
15. Bedouins Passion; 2:13
16. Raksa Halabi; 4:20
17. Gondol; 1:50
18. Zeina; 4:33
19. Saidi Mizmar Dance; 5:10
20. Zay Al Asal; 3:17
21. Badawiyyas Teasing; 6:31

This is a fun cd with a lot of classic Middle Eastern music. Familiar melodies wind through the tracks. The arrangements are not too complex, yet still rich and full and very well played with a nice, finished sound. All tracks, except the last one, are short enough for a beginner, and the shorter tracks easily combine for longer dances. The back of the cd package provides a brief one line description of some songs, and groups others together into a Fantasy Belly Dance Routine and a Casbah Routine.
The individual songs in the routines are on separate tracks, but they blend together smoothly with little or no pause between them. In fact, when played individually, these particular tracks begin and end a bit abruptly, but still work fine as singles.
Tracks 1 – 5 comprise the Fantasy Belly Dance Routine, a typical 5 part routine. Songs 6 – 9 are individual tracks, but could make a nice routine if 7 & 8 were switched. Ya Hasan Ya Khooli Gineah is labeled Egyptian Accordion Beledi and features a very recognizable melody (Winds of Spring, I think). Tabla Plus is called Dynamic Drum Solo and it is! Lively, sharp and crisp, yet clear and clean enough for an intermediate dancer. At just over 2 minutes, it’s short enough to leave the audience wanting more without exhausting a non-professional dancer. The flute on Desert Sunrise, called Mystical Snake Music, is soft and haunting. Eshtaktillak is called Medium Tempo workout, featuring more traditional melodies and a clear steady beat.
Tracks 10 – 13 comprise the Casbah Routine. They are followed by Sultan Yegah Longa (Anatolian Veil Dance Slow to Fast), Bedouins Passion (Egyptian Drum), Raksa Halabi (Sword Dance from Aleppo), Gondol (Pharaonic Entrance Music), Zeina (identified here as an Egyptian Candelabra Dance), Saidi Mizmar Dance (Cane Dance from Upper Egypt), Zay Al Asal (Upbeat Egyptian) and Badawiyyas Teasing, called a Drum Solo with Belly Dance Music, but with a slow entrance and long musical segments, it actually makes a fantastic short routine song.
You might like this cd if you
• Like classic Middle Eastern music
• Want music that is both easy to listen to and easy to dance to
• Are looking for shorter songs
• Are looking for music suitable for beginners
You probably don’t want this cd if you
• Are looking for techno or pop or industrial
• Are looking for “rough” or “edgy” music
• Are looking for modern music, or music from outside the Middle East