*Raqs al Assaya, the Egyptian women’s stick dance, is said to have developed as an imitation of tahtib, the men’s martial arts dance. Tahtib is a traditional style of stick fighting and dance from the Middle East.  Like other martial arts of the world which are tied cultural to dance and music traditions, such as Brazilian Capoiera and Indonesian Silat, Tahtib is a special art form in that it combines both real combat aspects, and aesthetic aspect, and the concept of The Game or Play.  There are five distinct areas of study in Tahtib, and a recognized expert in one may not necessarily know much about another.  The modern style of highly choreographed Tahtib dance seen in stage performances in the Middle East is far removed from the wild nature of play seen at festivals and other social gatherings, where real blows get mixed in with the game of fakes and counters.

1) It is practiced as a true martial art from horseback
2) It is practiced as a true martial art on foot
3) It is practiced as a combative dance between men
4) It is practiced as a solo, more social dance by men
5) It is mimicked in a flirty or cute version of the real movements by women

The regular stick, called Asa or Asaya, Shoum or Nabboot, used for Tahtib is about 4 feet long, but when playing from horseback the stick is closer to 12 feet long.  The importance of horses, and the realities of fighting from them, are mimicked in the dance.  The men charge one another, and then circle in a dynamic spiral, exchanging blows and trying to find the open line on which to attack while covering their own open lines, which is the same way they would fight from horseback.  One type of footwork used in dancing the Tahtib is even referred to as “Horse Stepping”.
Notation for Tahtib Music is very simple, and features the tahvol (bass drum) and oud (shrill pipe).  The tahvol is a double sided drum worn with a shoulder strap so it hags sideways in front of the drummer, and is played with two sticks.  The right hand uses a heavier stick with a hooked head to beat out the "dooms" which drive the heartbeat of the rhythm, while the left hand uses a light twig as a switch to produce rapid fire staccato "kahs".*
The female version has been developed with a flirtatious and generally less aggressive style, and the canes (assaya) are generally thinner, more lightweight and hooked at one end, and generally adapted for cabaret by embellishment with metallic coloured foil or sequins. The costume worn is usually folk style, a simple Beledi dress, though often Raqs al Assaya is performed as part of a cabaret set. Styles include balancing on head, hip or shoulder. It is often flailed in large figure 8 patterns across the body with such speed and violence that the displacement of air is loudly discernible.
Fifi Abdou works her cane this way, with breathtaking dexterity. The cabaret act often incorporates holding the cane between the dancer's and a participant's stomach, then moving around without dropping the cane! Egyptian dancer, Lucy, uses this gimmick in her show, using her stomach muscles to push the cane against her partner, often with bruising results. [I know this, because I was on the receiving end of her 'tahtib' a few years' ago in Cairo - Kharis]Click on the link below for more in depth information on tahtib.
* This text reproduced with kind permission of Pete Kautz 2001 -Alliancemartialarts.com