Teaching artist Karim Nagi explains the three central moves involved in the traditional South Egyptian Raqs al-Assaya, or “stick dance.”

Vocabulary You Will Learn:

• As-Sa’id—The South of Egypt.
• Sa’idi—A 4/4 rhythm very common in South Egyptian music.
• Dum—The low, bass sound in Sa’idi rhythm.
• Tak—The sharp, high sound in Sa’idi rhythm.
• Assaya—A stick commonly used in Egyptian dancing.
• Raqs al-Assaya—Translated as “stick dance,” Raqs al-Assaya is a South Egyptian dance traditionally performed at weddings, birthday parties, and special events.
• Galabaya—A wide-sleeved, long, loose-fitting shirt commonly worn by men and women in Egypt.

Materials You Will Need:

• A stick about 3 to 4 feet long, such as a broom handle or wrapping paper tube

How to Perform a Sa’idi Stick Dance

1. First, stand with one arm stretched out, holding the stick in one hand with one end touching the ground.
2. Next, begin shrugging your shoulders to the sa’idi rhythm. This is an 8-count rhythm in 4/4 time. 
3. Now replace the numbers you are counting with the dum (low-pitched sound) and tak (high-pitched sound) in the following order:
   1. Dum
   2. Tak
   3. —
   4. Dum
   5. Dum
   6. —
   7. Tak
   8. —
4. Create a beat to go with the sa’idi rhythm by hitting your stick on the ground on each dum sound (numbers 1, 4, and 5 in the count.) This will help you to learn the rhythm. You can also check out this video to learn the rhythm.
5. Now you’re ready to begin learning the three components of the dance!
   1. For the first move, hold the stick out in front of you with both hands, perpendicular to your body. Your right hand should be holding the right end of the stick and your left hand should be holding the left end, angled toward your left armpit. 
   2. Then, begin rotating or “rowing” the stick by alternating which end of the stick is in front. When the left hand is holding the end of the stick away from the body, the right hand should be holding the other end near the right armpit. When the right hand is away from the body, the left hand should be near the left armpit.
   3. When the right hand goes forward, the right foot should also step forward. When the right hand goes back, the right foot should step back while the left foot lifts up slightly with the heel still on the ground.
   4. The right foot and right hand should be coming forward on number 1 in the 8 count, and going back on number 5.

6. Now you’re ready to learn the second movement of the dance.
   1. Using only your right hand, grip the right end of the stick and hold the stick above your head with your arm straight and elbow locked. The stick should be parallel to the ground.
   2. Step your right foot forward and back to the same rhythm that you did in the first part of the dance, while holding the stick overhead. 
7. Finally, you’re ready to learn the third movement of the dance!
   1. Hold the stick overhead with both hands, one hand on each end of the stick. The stick should still be parallel to the ground.
   2. Move your arms to the right, then left, then right again, while holding the stick. When you are moving your arms to the right, your left elbow should be bent, and when you are moving them to the left, your right elbow should be bent. This move takes place on 1 and 4 in the 8 count. When you are done with this movement, pause.
   3. Move your arms left, then right, then left again, and pause. This move takes place on 5 and 8 in the 8 count.
   4. On the final movement of your arms and stick in each step, lift the opposite foot. For example, when you move the stick left, right, left, lift your right foot on the final left motion. When you move the stick right, left, right, lift your left foot on the final right motion. When the foot is raised, the knee should be bent while you kick towards the opposite foot. The left foot should be lifted on number 4 and the right foot on number 8 in the 8 count.
8. Now you are ready to put all the steps of the dance together! If you don’t have a recording of the Sa’idi rhythm to play while you dance, you can create the rhythm with your voice like Karim does in the video.

In this video, Karim teaches how you can use a stick found in your own home to perform the three central parts of the Sa’idi stick dance, following the 8-count Sa’idi rhythm. If you want to go even further, think about these questions: 

• What objects do you have in your home that you can use as a stick for the Sa’idi stick dance? You may want to try a few different objects of different length and weight. How do they change the way it feels to perform the dance?
• At the beginning of the video, Karim shows us how to use the stick to create a beat that helps us get the Sa’idi rhythm “in our bodies.” How does getting the rhythm in your body help you to learn the different parts of the dance? Do you think the dance would be more difficult if we didn’t go through this process first?
• Karim talks about how the Sa’idi stick dance is commonly performed at events like weddings and birthday parties. Can you think of a comparable dance in American culture, or any other culture you are familiar with, that is typically performed by groups at important celebrations?
• Using the Sa’idi stick, can you choreograph your own fourth part of the dance, using the 8-count Sa’idi rhythm? How can you use the moves that you have learned already to inform and create your own movement?

Accessibility

Don’t forget that you can turn on “Closed Captioning” to view the YouTube video with English captions.

More about the Teaching Artist

Karim Nagi (he/him) is a native Egyptian immigrant to the USA specializing in traditional Arab music and dance. He studied with primary sources for decades, and has become an established teaching artist and culture bearer. His Arabiqa program has visited more than 400 schools across the country. Karim’s goal is to share the beauty of Arab culture, dispel stereotypes, and create interpersonal harmony among people of different cultures. For more information, visit: https://www.karimnagi.com.

Kennedy Center Education provides resources and experiences that inspire, excite, and empower students and young artists, plus the tools and connections to help educators incorporate the arts into classrooms and learning spaces of all types.

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Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Genesis Inspiration Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;

Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..

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