Batwanes Beek
(You're Always With Me)

This page contains a translation into English of the song lyrics for "Batwanes Beek". Also included is a transliteration into the Roman alphabet of the original Arabic lyrics. This song was first popularized by Warda El Gaza'iriya. Song lyrics are provided for educational purposes. If you like the song, please purchase either the album or a download from an authorized source. About Warda El Gaza'iriya Warda El Gaza'iriya was an Algerian singer who achieved fame in Egypt. Her name meant "Warda, the Algerian", but she was also often referred to as simply "Warda", which means "Rose". She was born in Paris to an Algerian father and a Lebanese mother, and began her music career there in the 1950's. Her father ran a cabaret named the TAM-TAM which featured prominent artists such as Farid al-Atrache. After the Algerian war of independence began in 1956, her family needed to leave Paris due to her father being caught aiding the rebellion. They moved to Lebanon, where Warda began singing in the nightclubs of Beirut. In 1959, Warda met the composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab, who began to train her in the classical style of singing. This led to an introduction to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who suggested she be cast in a pan-Arab opera. This opened more doors, and she moved to Egypt to pursue a career there in music and cinema. There she achieved great success, working with the great composers of her time. Her repertoire included 300 songs, and her records sold tens of millions of copies. Lyrics: Omar Batiesha Music: Salah El Sharnobi

Listen to MP3 Clips of this Song

Lyrics

Where to Get Recordings of this Song

	Listen to Clip	Artist: Warda CD Title: Batwanness Beek
		Artist: DJ Nader CD Title: Music for the Hips

About the Translator

This translation and transliteration of "Batwanes Beek" appear courtesy of Khedaoudj (Khedi). She teaches a choreography to this song in some of her workshops.

Khedi is originally from Algeria, and now lives in Austin, Texas. Although she never dances in public for cultural reasons, she does teach Oriental dance classes and workshops for belly dancers. Many thanks to Khedi for sharing this song!

Khedi (Khedaoudj), came to the United States in 1972 from Algeria to pursue a degree in education at the University of Texas at Austin. When she began to teach dance at the YWCA and the university, she became the first Middle Eastern dance teacher in Austin. She returned to Algeria after completing her studies. Later, she moved with her family to Saudi Arabia to work. While there, she was able to observe, first hand, the richness and the diversity of lifestyle and dance.

With degrees in Biology and Education, Khedi has taught children in primary and high school in several countries. She is multilingual and has traveled extensively in North Africa, the Middle East, Europe , Asia , and North and South America.

In 1986, the Megateli family moved to Washington, D.C. where Khedi taught school and did very little dance teaching until 1997 when she returned to Austin. Today, she has returned to teaching the dance that women dance for themselves and she added stage presence and charisma. She stresses technique, music interpretation and individual styling.

Khedi is best known for her stylized arm and hand movements and for the creativity and femininity she brings to the dance. As a class or workshop teacher she provides a lot of background information. Her style, both in performance and in teaching, is passionate and soulful. Her dancing will reach your soul and spirit and draw you back again and again to this rich source of information and inspiration.

Because she is a native of North Africa, Khedi is able to bring a perspective to her teaching and choreography that most teachers in other parts of the world don't have. She selects moves that coordinate with the lyrics, and teaches the meaning behind certain movements that have a particular cultural context. She is able to mix the richness of North African and Egyptian rhythms, coming up with unique ways of catching all the beats in drum solos.

A quote from Khedi: "When I dance I am really meditating rather then performing for an audience. I am completely absorbed by the music and the steps I choose to respond to the music".

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