Sausan System Method
&
Anthropological Approach

The Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance (SAED) is a stand-alone, all-encompassing, one-of-a-kind  Egyptian belly dance academy, that also includes a performance venue; namely, the highly acclaimed San Francisco, California-based Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, offering weekly pre-recorded as well as live Middle Eastern music, and Egyptian dine-in evenings for its customers, dance students, and graduates.  Unique and separate from all other belly dance schools in its methods, technique, musical interpretation, and movement vocabulary, SAED is distinctive to its teachings and provides proven authentic dance movement combined with respective original dance vocabulary for specific movements while using the Egyptian Dance Code® (EDC®).   

The EDC® consists of two specific and opposing physical elements contained in the dance beats as illustrated in the first graphic on this page.  Born from and attributable to the Egyptian language, according to the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, and fundamental to Egyptian-style belly dance or “Raqs Sharqi,” the EDC® is the underlying core torso rhythm to all Egyptian dance movements as well as the basis with which all dance movements originate and are performed.

Additional to these elements, Egyptian dance movement consists of two visible components -- a kind of binary system; namely, the AGITATION or shimmy, and the OSCILLATION or undulation.  All dance movements are made up of one or combinations of more than one of these two components; such as figure eights, body waves, shoulder rolls, hip circles, and shimmies; all while performed within the EDC®.   While this dance is suited for performance in small areas, extensive traveling to take advantage of a large space, although not necessary, is attainable; and specific travel steps are provided for this.  At length, the study of the Basic System (second graphic) and the Adjective Movements (third graphic), combined with the knowing of the music, the dancer will achieve the dance to her/his fullest capacity and will give it its visible authenticity and unique persona, special and specific to the dancer.

We, at SAED, do not use ballet dance terms or ballet dance positions.  Why?  It is antithetical to the movements of the Middle East.  Ballet dance, initially and mainly performed by men, was invented in the 15th Century in Italy and was made popular in the European French courts by the Sun King, King Louis the IX of France.  Belly dance, or “Raqs Sharqi,” has survived for hundreds if not thousands of years, originating in the streets and villages of the Middle East as a cultural celebratory form of expression and performed mainly by women.  It was later sought after, and, some would say exploited, by the British and its Victorian cultural attitudes as its