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REPERTOIREPERFORMANCES, WORKSHOPS, RESIDENCIES & CLASSES For further program descriptions or to schedule a consultation and register for performances or programs, please contact Andriana at 832.287.7011. Raks Sharki or “dance of the East”: Also known as danse Orientale, is contemporary classical Middle Eastern dance performed in the style of Samia Gamal, Nagawa Fouad, Nadia Gamal, et al. This style encompasses movements from the dances of all regions of the Middle East and occasionally includes movements from the dance traditions of the cultures of the Near and Far East, Europe, South and North America. Live musical accompaniment is available by request. World fusion, Middle Eastern fusion, or single contemporary e.g. modern/pop Turkish, Egyptian, or Tunisian, dance programs are also available by request. Raks Sha’abi or “dance of the village”: Also known as beladi, is a traditional or folkloric style limited to a particular locale or people. Dances are occasion specific and thematically similar from culture to culture i.e. combat/martial arts, social i.e. theatrical/dramatic narrative entertainment, cerermonial i.e. for coming-of-age/initiations, courtships, weddings, religious occasions or rituals. Egyptian Saidi (raks assaya & Tahtib incl.) & Nawar dances (saga & raks assaya incl.), Turkish Roman, raks al-sayf, raks nasha’at or khaleegy, dances styled from North Africa: Tunisia, Algeria, & Morocco. Additional Workshops/Classes/Residencies:
Lecture/Demonstrations:
Lectures Only:
Ongoing Programs: 1999 Mysteries Behind the Veil a.k.a. Dances of the Middle East and Dance My Brothers, Dance My Sisters Young Audiences of Houston (YAH), Houston, TX. Performance program created specifically for YAH, the local chapter of the national non-profit arts-in-education organization, to be presented in Houston and Harris County public and private educational institutions. Program highlights dances from the four major geographic regions of the Middle East emphasizing the unity and diversity of Middle Eastern culture to ours here in America. This audience participatory program has been performed at numerous locations including ABC West, The Children's Museum of Houston, Texas Children's Hospital, Tomball College, The Ronald McDonald House, Bracewell, Flores, Hillendahl, Galena Park, Sterling, and Walter Libraries, and several public and private schools too numerous to list. 1999 Dances of the Middle East Young Audiences of Houston (YAH), Houston, TX. Performance program created specifically for YAH, the local chapter of the national non-profit arts-in-education organization, to be presented in Houston and Harris County public and private educational institutions. Based upon the Mysteries Behind the Veil performance program, this workshop presents an in-depth focus on experiencing the modern-day and/or ancient arts and cultures of the Middle East. Students have the opportunity to learn the traditional dances of people from this region and/or to create their own dance based on the traditional themes/movements seen in the program. Workshops are tailored to individual class interests and levels of experience. 1999 Mysteries of Egypt Young Audiences of Houston (YAH), Houston, TX. Performance program created specifically for YAH to be presented in Houston and Harris County public and private educational institutions. Through this interdisciplinary series of sessions, students get hands-on experience with the performing arts and culture of ancient Egypt. Thousands-of-years-old dances, music, stories, mythology, clothing, and body adornments, give students the opportunity to learn about famous Pharohs and their Queens, priests and rituals, scribes and writing, warriors and combat, entertainers and holidays, farmers and economy of ancient Egyptian society and its contributions to modern day American society. Specially re-created from ancient texts and academic research, this program is a rare opportunity to explore the dimensions of a civilization that has fascinated the world for centuries. 1999 Exploring the World through Dance a.k.a. Learning through Dance Performance program created specifically for YAH to be presented in Houston and Harris County public and private educational institutions. Utilizing dance and dance-related activities from many countries, this workshop/residency, provides students with an opportunity to discover a world of movement within their bodies, freeing their creativity and self-confidence while having fun. Students explore basic elements of dance including centering, weight shift, balance, alignment, gesture and expression, breath and relaxation while also learning to inter-relate with others in solo and group activities. Encouraging risk taking, decision making, discipline, self-expression, improvisational and choreographed activities raise self esteem and help students to integrate their lessons into real life situations. 2000 Nomadic Journey created for The Texas Institute for the Arts in Education, Houston, TX. Performance program highlighting dances of different nomadic cultures in the Middle East. Program has been performed at numerous Houston schools including Cauldwell, Lee, Rusk, Sanchez, and T.H. Rogers Elementary and at several core training sessions for teachers at Montgomery, Petersen, & other Houston elementary schools as well as for teachers at Dowling Middle School and Petersen Elementary School. 2001 Faces of Beauty: Sacred & Secular Dances of Women in the Middle East This audience participatory program has been performed at numerous locations including Rice University, the University of Texas Health Science Center, The University of Texas at Austin, and segents of the program have been presented at the annual “Caravan of the Beautiful” seminar series in Austin, TX. Arts-in-education program describing the daily life of women from various regions of the Middle East through their dances. Performance of interpretive and traditional Roma or “gypsy” dances of the Middle East and North Africa illustrating the development of women’s culture through dance. 2002 Dances of the Middle East and North Africa Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA), Touring Artist Program, Austin, TX. Flexible arts-in-education program about the various arts and cultures of the Middle East as expressed through dance. Mediated by TCA, a state-wide, nationally funded institution that provides quality and culturally diverse performing and visual artists to member educational institutions throughout the state of Texas. 2002 The Jewels of North Africa Houston, TX. Performance program created specifically for public and private educational institutions. This program presents an in-depth focus on the modern-day and/or ancient experience of life of the people of North Africa-specifically Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco & Egypt. Students have the opportunity to see the traditional sacred and secular dances of women from these regions and to participate by learning different components of the dances. Programs are tailored to individual class interests and levels of experience. Teacher Trainings: 1999 Dance and the Spoken Word Writers-in-the-Schools (WITS), Houston, TX. Provides instruction for writers and teachers in primary, secondary, and college level academic institutions, on the introduction of dance and dance related activities into the classroom 2001 World Arts and Cultures Focus: Egypt Middle Eastern Studies Department, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TEXAS. Workshop for educators on implementing dance, especially Egyptian dance, in a classroom for students in 6th - 12th grades. 2001 FOCUS: Texas Institute for the Arts in Education (TIAE) Teacher Training Houston, TX. Sponsored by TIAE for member teachers to CORE curriculum program. Provides teachers with instruction as to how to incorporate dance as an effective tool for teaching Texas state curriculum to students for greater educational purposes. 10 workshops per semester are given. Petersen and other HISD Elementary Schools included. Additional Children’s Residencies & Workshops:
For further program descriptions or to schedule a consultation and register for performances or programs, please contact Andriana at 832.287.7011 |