Muwashahat - Poetry as Music & Dance

​If you are drawn to belly dance for its flowing, poetic elegance more than for its rhythmic shaking of the hips, you will absolutely love muwashah dance!  
 
Muwashahat (also spelled muwashshahat) is the plural of muwashah (also spelled muwashshah), which is a genre of Arabic poetry in musical form that dates back to 10th century Moorish Spain (Al-Andalus)! Today, these traditions are still popular in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria and Lebanon. 
 
There is no reference for how people danced to this type of music back then, but in the 1970's the famous Egyptian choreographer Mahmoud Reda presented the muwashah as a dance spectacle on a stage for the first time in modern history. He invented this new genre of dance by imagining how the rhythmic patterns and lyrics in this type of music should be expressed, while adhering to Middle Eastern aesthetics and cultural norms. 

Watch this video of one of Reda's famous muwashah choreographies (performed by Nesma Al-Andalus Company in 2011) to get a sense for what this type of music and dance sounds and looks like:
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Mahmoud Reda has been one of the most influential figures in Middle Eastern dance, famous for his stage adaptations of various Arab folkloric and social dances. The dance steps, traditions and methodologies he created are still popular among belly dance performers, teachers and choreographers today! 

When you watch this video, do you notice similar steps and movements to those seen in belly dance? What are some elements and characteristics that are different, and unique to this dance? 

If you'd like to learn more about muwashah poetry, music and dance, be sure to check out the references below! 
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References:
Farida Fahmy - Muwashshahat Raqisah 
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Muwashshah
The Arab Muwashsha and Zajal Poetry and their Influence on European Music and Song