How did you learn so much about Arabic music?

My expertise isn’t only in Arabic music; it is any good music, any music that can move me. I can dance the Arabic steps with any music that moves me. Why is that? The truth is I was born with it. I have that special ear for music, that special talent. When I am dancing with a band, for instance, [for] a 10 piece band I become the 11th band member. I am an instrument. My body does not ignore one instrument behind me. If the band is a 60 piece band my body has to follow all 60 instruments otherwise I don’t call it a dance.

What can a dancer do to help better understand the music?

When the American dancer dances with a CD or a tape she doesn’t make any mistakes because she knows the song; she choreographed it and knows when it begins and ends. When she dances with a live band to the same song that she knows from her CD, it will be different. It will have one beat more or one beat less. She has to be prepared for that.

The best way to be familiar with this kind of music? This is like a language, like talking. Somebody speaks English, somebody speaks Arabic? You are speaking the language of the music with your body. If you do not understand this “language”, how can your body speak it? I can’t speak Spanish, so how could I interpret for someone? An American doesn’t speak Arabic, so how can she interpret it? To avoid some of these mistakes, my advice is to listen to your own music, for your nationality: American, Spanish, or others, and have your body interpret your own music with movement. Make your body used to interpreting music, than it will get easier to do the same with other music.

What other advice would you give to help a dancer understand music in this wa, if someone wasn’t born with a feeling for music?

Listen to music, as many hours in the day as you can. Study each beat in your head. Study it. Then try to bang on the table with your fingers and see if your fingers can follow the music. If you can play that music in your hand, then it gets easier to follow the music with your body. Later you can play in your whole body, but start with your hand.

How do you choose music to dance to?

Any music that moves you, ask what the name is, so then you can request the song from the band. But don’t depend on them playing it exactly as you heard it. Don’t try to be choreographed. They will play it differently. Choreography limits the dancer. Don’t ever think you are going to choreograph anything to go with a live band; it doesn’t work.