Desna - bellydance artist
Photo of a Turkish kanun - Ozan Yarman

A Turkish kanun. Photographer: Ozan Yarman.

More resources:

Students: Students' FAQs - lost of information about classes, what to wear, etc

Articles: Articles that I have written either for students or for other publications

Links: Links to other websites that can give great in-depth information about bellydance

Music for bellydance

Below is a list of music that I use in classes, or recommend to students, plus an idea of where you can buy it. Many of the recommendations are compilations - mainly because I feel that listening to a wide variety of music is important.

IMPORTANT:  If you are planning to perform bellydance to Middle Eastern music, please make sure you understand the lyrics to the songs - some of them may be inappropriate for various venues, occasions or audiences. There are various websites where you can find translations of the lyrics to Arabic and Turkish songs, which are listed below.

Title / Artist Comments / description Where you can get it
Beginner's Guide to Arabia / Various Artists 3 CD set including tracks by classic and popular singers from the Arabic-speaking world. Widely available from high street and online music stores
The Rough Guide to Bellydance / Various Artists Variety of tracks specifically written for bellydance Widely available from high street and online music stores
The Rough Guide to Bellydance Café / Various Artists A collection of classic bellydance tracks from Greek, Turkish and Arabic artists Widely available from high street and online music stores
Saher el Accordeon / Hassan Abou El Seoud Egyptian bellydance music from a master accordionist Most easily available online. Try Aladdin's Cave or Trehantiri Music.
Belly Dance Music of Mohamed Abdel Wahab / Mohamed Abdel Wahab Short pieces of music by the classic Egyptian composer - many have become bellydance 'standards' - these are the original recordings Most easily available online. Try Maqam.
The Dancing Drum / Issam Houshan This one is all percussion! Three tabla solos in increasing levels of difficulty, as well as basic Arabic drum rhythms Most easily available online. Try Aladdin's Cave.
Bellydance Superstars / Various Artists A collection with a good mixture of classic and pop bellydance tracks Most easily available online. Try Aladdin's Cave.
Arabesque and Arabesque Zoudge Too / Various Artists Two compliations produced by Momo that have a really wide variety of modern Arabic and North African music Widely available from high street and online music stores.
Gypsy Fire / Richard Hagopian & Omar Faruk Tekbilek Mostly Turkish tracks from the Romany tradition Most easily available online. Try Aladdin's Cave.

Song Translation websites: