Egyptian
Drum Solo
Choreography Video, Volume 1
Produced by Al Wahid Productions
Featuring: Jamilla Al Wahid and Reda
Darwish on drum
by Gennevie
Hebranson
When I first
viewed Jamilla's Egyptian Drum Solo Choreography Video, I was
expecting an instruction on how to design choreography for a
drum solo to fit my own musical choice. In fact, Jamilla's video
proved to be a breakdown of a routine she had previously choreographed,
set to a drum solo performed by San Francisco based Egyptian
drummer, Reda Darwish.
The video begins with Jamila performing her drum solo in an attractive
red costume. This specific routine is what she teaches the viewer
in the rest of the video. After the demonstration or performance,
she appears in basic black with a red hip scarf. Starting with
the first few moves, she takes approximately three to six movements
at a time and breaks them down to show each part in detail and
how to transition between moves. Then she performs that series
of movements, accompanied by the music played at full speed.
Each time she adds a set of new moves, she pauses and performs
the routine from the beginning, showing how all the moves flow
together. She continues by adding three to six moves until the
entire routine has been analyzed.
At first, Jamilla
proceeded very quickly, and I had to stop, pause and rewind in
order to keep up. However, as the routine progressed, and she
repeatedly began the routine from the "top", I began
to learn it. At the end of the analysis and dissection of the
movements, Jamilla performed the routine again in the red costume,
with the music at full speed.
I was
hoping for more information about designing a personal
choreography but the moves she taught were interesting,
and I found that I ended the tape with some inspiration
of how I might use independently the movements and combinations
shown in different combinations.
The last part
of the video shows Jamila performing a drum solo at the Rakkasah
West Fesitval 2001 accompanied by Reda Darwish. It is a different
routine than the one she teaches in the video, but the style
is very similar. It is a good performance, which demonstrates
the way in which many of the moves that were taught on the video
could be used.
If you are
looking for a video that will inspire you and show and how to
create your own choreography, there may be more appropriate choices
available, but If you are looking for a video that will teach
you a specific routine and give you practice learning a choreography,
Jamilla's "Egyptian Drum Solo Choreography, Volume One",
may be a perfect choice of video for you.
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