Zay Al Hawa Live Band
Last month my long-time friend and fellow dancer Karen Barbee offered me the opportunity to dance with the Gafour brother band as part of a daytime rehearsal for her Project Band students.
I danced with this band for so many years here in Houston, first at al Boustan, then Ya Leil, then Layal and finally Byblos. Arabic nightclub after nightclub opened up with this incredible ensemble and I had the unique honor to dance with them at many of these venues. The last time I shared the stage with them was over six years ago. Then they stopped playing for the dancers at the club, and I stopped dancing at that club shortly thereafter (that midnight show was so much less appealing when done with recorded music instead of the band!)
So imagine my excitement when Karen gave me the chance to dance with them again! (And in the afternoon while the sun was still shining and I wasn’t falling asleep in my mint tea!)
I asked them to play a classic tune – Zay Al Hawa. It is one of my favorites. I can’t count the number of times I’ve danced this number with these musicians… but this time it felt so very different.
I would love to share the experience with you here.
A huge thank you to Karen Barbee for this amazing opportunity and to the Gafour brothers for making the music that inspires the dance.