Modern and fun, there are several Middle Eastern popular artists putting out great danceable music. This is an upbeat part of a dancer’s set and a great time to get members of the audience up and dancing. I will often play finger cymbals during this portion of my set. It is also a good time to collect tips.

Al Jeel refers to the more modern polished sounding pop music style that came out of Egypt starting in the 80s with artists like Amr Diab. Al Jeel and a lot of Lebanese and Turkish pop music are appropriate for all kinds of audiences. Obviously if you are dancing for Arabs, you will want to choose Arabic artists and if for Turks, Turkish artists and so on. With American audiences you have a lot of flexibility.

Shaabi refers to a more gritty urban popular music coming out of Cairo. Shaabi music is fun but can sometimes be political and can contain sexual references and double entendres. It is considered low class music by some Arabs and isn’t appropriate for all audiences. However it is a huge hit with the right crowd. There is also shaabi music from Algeria and Morocco that is different from Egyptian shaabi and rai music comes from that same region. It can also be a hit with the right crowd, but like Egyptian shaabi you need to be careful what you dance to and you need to understand the song’s meaning. Knowing your audience is really helpful.

Obviously, it is important to get a translation of the lyrics so you know what you are dancing to, if you can get a native to explain the meaning to you that would be even better. There are a lot of places online these days with translations available.

You want to pick songs that are either recent hits or all around popular classics. There are Arabic pop compilations put out every year with the latest hits, like Sunshine Arabia, Now that’s Arabia. There are also some great techno or modern remixes of classic Oriental music out there. It is a good idea to get familiar with some of the top vocal artists in the pop world.

Shems’s Arabic Pop Music YouTube Playlist


Shems’s Egyptian Shaabi YouTube Playlist

Shems’s Turkish Pop Music YouTube Playlist