Z's Birthday Bash
March 13-14-15, 2009
Ballam Dance Center
1245 Heights Blvd.
Houston, Texas
March 13-14-15, 2009
Ballam Dance Center
1245 Heights Blvd.
Houston, Texas
14 hours of Workshops and a Huge Show Featuring Karim Nagi (MA & Egypt), Bella NaTana (TX), L'Imprevue (TX). If you have not yet studied with this incredible instructors, you definitely need to be there!
There is something for everyone with both music and dance classes. Special package pricing available before February 15th. Please check the Urban Gypsy website for more details - Urban Gypsy Tribal Belly Dance
Registration is LIVE NOW through EventBrite: Z's 2nd Annual Birthday Bash Workshops, Show - Eventbrite
Friday, March 13
6:30p-8:30p: Zills with Karim Nagi
Saturday, March 14
10:00a-12:30p: Gypsy Fun with Bella Na Tana
10:30a-12:30p: Doumbek with Karim Nagi
1:30p-4:00p: Getting Low with Bella Na Tana
1:30-3:30: Riqq with Karim Nagi
8:00p: Evening Show Featuring Workshop Participants and Instructors
Sunday, March 15
10:00a-12:00p: Dance Like You Mean It with L'imprevu
1:00a-4:00p: Arabic Folk Dance Intensive with Karim Nagi
KARIM NAGI
SAGAT ("ZILL" finger cymbals): Students will learn the Arabic rhythms by name and how to play them while dancing! Dancers will learn to use the cymbals to communicate rhythms to a band and accent solo dancing and body movements. He will also teach dance combinations, solo patterns, train the dancer in musicality, and teach when-and-when-not to play within an Arabic song.
RIQQ (ARAB TAMBOURINE): The "Riqq" tambourine is the lead percussion instrument in the Arabic orchestra and classical ensemble. Students will learn technique, stamina, rhythmic repertoire and various ethnic styles.
ARABIC TABLA: This course focuses on the Arabic Tabla (aka Doumbek, Darabuka). Students will learn technique, rhythmic vocabulary and the essential stylistic approach to Arabic rhythm. This course creates a strong foundation for later advanced drum performance. This course is designed for people with rudimentary knowledge of music, percussion or Middle Eastern drumming.
ARAB FOLK DANCE INTENSIVE: This class is an intensive introduction to the traditional group dances from the Arab world. These dances are primarily unisex, and emphasize synchronicity and group cohesion. This workshop includes Dabka Line Dance, Basic Tahteeb/Assaya Cane Dance, and the group-healing ritual motions found in Zikr and Zar practices. These are the dances done by "The People" in social, celebratory, and spiritual group settings. They can be taught to dancers at any level, as both a cultural and artistic experience.
KARIM NAGI is a native Egyptian who specializes in traditional Arabic music. He uses his traditional foundation to re-imagine the culture, discovering progressive deliveries and new concepts. Karim was a faculty member of the New England Conservatory of Music for 5 years. Karim leads the SHARQ Arabic Music Ensemble performing the classical Arabic instrumental and vocal repertoire. Karim developed and currently performs Turbo Tabla : a music and dance show that combines traditional Arabic and Turkish music with modern Electronica and Techno. Karim dances and teaches Dabka (Arabic Line Dance), leads the Zaitoun Dabka Troupe, and is the director of the Arab Dance Seminar, a traveling weekend of workshops for professional training in pan-Arab dance. His first teachers were Nabil Ata and Midhat al-Rashidi (Midhat had performed extensively with Abdel Halim Hafez and Firqat al-Massaya.) Karim later studied with Simon Shaheen at the Arabic Music Retreat and learned advanced Riqq from Michel Baqlouq (Fairuz ensemble.) Karim returned to Cairo to study Arabic Music in Cairo with Dr. Alfred Gamil (Cairo Conservatory of Music) and Mohammed Al-Araby (percussionist for Umm Koulthoum and The National Orchestra of Egypt.)
BELLA NA TANA
GYPSY FUN: Learn a 2008 BellaNaTana choreography and have some fun adding a little flair to it!
GETTING LOW: This class is all about the floor work. How to get to the floor and what to do when you get there. We will also teach you some conditioning to keep you body “floor work ready”. You will need to bring a yoga mat, knee pads and footies if you have them. If you would like a pair of footies, please contact Katy at bellavara@gmail.com.
Katy has been bellydancing since 1999. About two years later, she was asked to become a principle dancer in what was then Texas' first and only ATS troupe, The Desert Dancers. Brandi's dance background started early with ballet, tap, jazz and more. She began belly dancing in 1999 and joined Devdasi in 2003. Over the last year with Bella Natana, Katy and Brandi have really started to push each other in their dancing and she can’t wait to see where it will go from here! Bella is the Italian word for Beautiful and NaTana means dancing in Sanskrit. In keeping with the idea of a fusion troupe, we wanted a fusion name as well.
L'IMPREVU
DANCE LIKE YOU MEAN IT: What moves you the most when you watch your favorite dancer perform? How is it that every time he or she takes the stage you feel you've been invited on the dancer's personal journey? The best dancers emote, communicate, and become instruments of the music. Obsidia and Nari invite you to discover the difference between dancing and performing. Learn how to create and manipulate combinations rich in layers and contrasts to develop dancer expression. We will drill solid technique in layered moves and combinations and the energy and intent behind movement as we work towards the expansion of dance musicality and audience communication. Upbeat, high energy music will be used as well as slower, darker pieces. A solid foundation in bellydance is recommended, but all levels are welcome. Please bring a bottled water, a note pad, and a yoga mat to the workshop.
L’imprevu is the unexpected in bellydance. Lusciously innovative, gorgeously creative, and wickedly entertaining, L’imprevu presents distinctly theatrical bellydance vignettes unlike any other Texas bellydance troupe. Drawing from numerous influences to create a unique and authentic voice in bellydance, L’imprevu infuses beauty and mirth into every performance. We draw from our personal inspirations and combine them with our shared passions to bring forth unforgettable performances.