I wanted to compile this list in case anyone is having trouble finding
a translation to a song. It is extremely important to know the meaning
of a song you're dancing to; a song with political/religious undertones
can insult your audience. Also consider how awful it'd be to play a
song about heartbreak at a wedding! Here are some sites I've found
helpful; if I remember any more I'll add them:

http://www.shawshara.com/w..iki/Category:Songs

*this site is searchable by artist; just type their name in the search
box. Keep in mind that songs and artist names can be spelled
differently; Arabic is a completely different alphabet; words are
spelled phonetically and it's not an exact science.

http://www.arabicmusictran..slation.com/

*one of my favorites; this guy puts youtube videos with the songs so you can listen along. Also check out his other site http://egyptianarabiccours..e.blogspot.com/ for some Arabic lessons that use songs in the lesson plan.

http://orientaldancer.net/

*check out the "Arabic Song Lyrics" section as well as the message
board. If you're looking for a song translation but can't find it, the
ladies might be able to help you out.

http://shira.net/lyrics.ht..m

*Shira also has tons of great info about bellydance and the culture surrounding it.

http://www.youtube.com

*some youtubers translate songs. This is great because you get to see
the music video too. Usually they're subtitled, but sometimes they put
them into the info section. Type the artist or song you're interested
in, and the word "translation" and/or "English".

http://www.allthelyrics.co..m/forum/arabic-lyrics-tran..slation/

*there are very helpful people here, too, if you're looking for a
translation. You can search past messages, but you'll have to sign up
for an account. I'm not sure if this is an updated list, but it gives you an idea of all of the songs available: www.allthelyrics.com/forum/arabic-lyrics-translation/37340-look-here-before-posting-list-of-all-translated-arabic-songs.html

href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm5vZ29taS5jb20v" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.nogomi.com

*I just noticed today that they've been including English translations
in some songs. So you can download FREE pop songs and get the
translations to boot! win-win

*the forums on http://www.bhuz.com and http://www.orientaldancer.net are absolute treasure troves for information on everything (not just song translations). Oriental Dancer also has a separate section which archives various song translations, but if you can't find what you're looking for, post a message on the forum!

And if that all fails, google.com. Remember to use alternate spelling for the artist and song.

I keep my song translations on iTunes. If you right click on the song
and go to "get info" you'll get a window full of album information.
There's a tab for lyrics, just paste them in there. I modify the song
title to include the English translation (for example: "Nour El Ain
(Light of My Eye)"). It serves as a reminder that I have the
translation to that song. These lyrics can be accessed via iTunes as
well as on your iPod. So, if you're in class or on the go and want to
remember if a song is happy or sad...it's right there!

For more information, visit www.safiyahdances.com