Saidi dance is a folkloric dance from the Upper Egypt country called Said . The dance style includes a lot of energetic bouncy footwork and frequently incorporates a stick or cane and that's when we call it Raks Assaya or cane dance. The word Saidi could be spelled in many ways: Sa'idi, Saiidi, Sayyidi, and Saeedi. Raks Assaya is often written as Raks Al Assaya or Rakset Assaya. The word Raks simply means "dance" in Arabic and Assaya means "Canes".


This style is very bouncy, lively, energetic and playful. Saidi dance is usually performed by men and women. However, women's movements are much more settle than men's and incorporate more chest and hip movements. Men's on the other hand are much more athletic.


Saidi dance is a "Baladi dance" meaning a "country dance" done by mostly farmers in the countryside. The word Baladi (also spelled Beledi or Beledy) refers to anything country: Beledi food, Beledi people, Beledy values ... etc and usually means good, simple, traditional and old school. Beledi music is almost like "country music" in the US.

Saidi dance was originally a fun male battle with heavy sticks in sort of a martial art called Tahtib which has been considered in the country more like a sports competition.

Here is a video showing the Tahtib art as a competition:



Now here is the same art taken to a performance level by Tito from Egypt



Now here is a female take on of this art by Ansuya



and here is another beautiful performance of cane dance by Saida



Saidi dance is not always performed with a cane. The movements are Saidi movements though. Check out this performance by Zoheir Zaki







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