Rhythm · 2/4

Malfuf

Also known as: Malfouf, Laff

dum tak rest

Origin

Egypt / Levant; widely used throughout Arabic music

Where you hear it

A fast, rolling rhythm often heard at the beginning or end of an oriental routine. Excellent for travelling steps, entrances, exits, veil entrances and fast transitions. Its accent structure has a characteristic 3+3+2 feeling.

Dance

Styles danced to it

Egypt

Drum Solo

The percussive finale of a routine: dancer and tabla player in open conversation, accents made visible.

Egypt

Raqs Sharqi

The classic Egyptian stage form — 'dance of the East'. Born in Cairo's early-20th-century music halls and refined by Golden Era cinema, it blends baladi roots with orchestral music and theatrical staging.

Also used in

Classical Egyptian
Lebanese Oriental
Modern Oriental