As described in the book Serpent of the Nile, by Wendy Buonaventura, "Arabic dance is shaped by its accompanying music. This music is never simply background, it is composed around the dance. Musicians follow a dancer, giving her the particular rhythms and moods she requires. Meanwhile, it is her task to express the emotions called for by the music and, during improvisations around a solo instrument, to bring out the instruments essential quality."