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Workshop Instructors:

Morocco Morocco (Carolina Varga Dinicu) is considered the leading performer & authority in her field in the U.S., Canada and abroad, evidenced by frequent invitations to teach master seminars and perform in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Australia, Israel, Egypt, England, Morocco, Brazil and Italy. She was awarded two grants by the State Council on the Arts for her choreography in 1972 and 1981 - first in her field to be so honored and the only two-time recipient - 3 NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Community Service Grants, 3 Summer Program Grants, a Materials for the Arts Grant and an Arts Exposure Grant. She was one of the first inducted into the AAMED Mideastern Dance Hall of Fame as "World Class" for "International proliferation of her art, her myriad of talent and for her untiring pioneering in this, her chosen field of ethnic dance", was named 1997 Instructor of the Year by IAMED, was voted Best Dancer & Best Instructor + Casbah Dance Experience was named Best Troupe of the Year 2 years in a row by Mideastern Dancer magazine. Morocco was also voted Ethnic Dancer of the Year in '97, Instructor of the Year in '98 & given the Lifetime Achievement award in 2002 by Zaghareet Magazine. Morocco's research video series (#s1-6) was given the Giza Award in 2000, an interview with her, describing her philosphy & some of her life's experiences, was commissioned by the Dance Division of the Lincoln Center Library of the Performing Arts in NYC to be placed its Oral History Archives for future researchers & she was nominated for the Dance Heritage Coalition's list of "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures". In July, 1999, Morocco was invited to Cairo, Egypt to present her paper (as a keynote speaker) on "Dance as Community Identity in Selected Berber Nations of Morocco" & to give 2 dance workshops, one in Raks Sharki (Oriental Dance) & the other in Moroccan Guedra & Schikhatt, at the international conference of the UNESCO organization ICHPER-SD (International Council on Health, Physical Ed., Recreation - Sport & Dance). In May, 2001, she was also honored for her more than 41 years' work in this field at the 2nd International Conference on Mideastern Dance at Orange County Community College in California. She presented a paper ("Preserving Cultural Traditions: Difficulties Inherent in Adapting Guedra for Stage") at the International Federation of Theater Research's Congress, held at the University of Amsterdam (Holland) in July, 2002, lectured twice again in Cairo on apects of Oriental dance in 2000 & 2002, at Raqia Hassan's weeklong seminar & is now one of the regular teachers. Since 1964, Morocco has written regularly for several publications in her field and been reprinted in dance, medical and feminist publications in the U.S., Germany, Sweden, Finland and Norway. She continues her extensive performing career as a soloist and with her dance company, including Lincoln Center, the U.N. (General Assembly and Dag Hammerskjold Theater), Delacorte Dance Festival, Columbia University, Statue of Liberty, Cooper-Hewitt Museum, lecture/performances for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Asia Society and Museum of Natural History, in Moscow And Leningrad (USSR), on Broadway ("I Had A Ball"), her own TV Special: "Testspiele" (WDR#l/Koln, Germany), 1st Women's Festival of the Performing Arts, numerous U.S. TV shows and films, *4* 5-Lecture Series at the Museum of Natural History and innumerable clubs and ethnic/family celebrations. Director/researcher/choreographer of Morocco & the Casbah Dance Experience (Mideastern and North African dance & music in concert), her award-winning non-profit, tax-exempt dance company and school [501 c]3] IRS Tax Code), which had its debut at Lincoln Center in '78 and was the only dance company to be presented five times at Riverside Dance Festival, which also honored CASBAH by placing a tape of their '83 concert in its permanent archive (1 of 4 shown at their '85 fundraiser!). Morocco created the Casbah Dance Experience to show the varied, fascinating ethnic dance forms of the Mideast and North Africa to the general public and give "a bit of home" to North Africans and Mideasterners in the West. She's spent over 39 years trying to find, recover, preserve and present them before they disappear, due to modernization and/or fundamentalism. It's a valuable heritage that must be saved from extinction! Morocco led many highly successful dance/culture tours to Morocco, Egypt and Turkey, introducing Western performers, teachers and fans of these dances to the rich variety of music & dance indigenous to those areas. She's taught at SUNY-Purchase and Amas Repertory Theater and continues to teach at her own Academy of Mideastern Dance in NYC. · Ask Aunt Rocky - Friday 6:30pm · Raks al Assaya - Saturday 10:00am · Guedra - Saturday 1:30pm · Oriental Routine - Sunday 9:30am · Sulukele Karsilima - Sunday 1:30pm

Sahra Saeeda "This was grace and artistry and dignity, this was mystery and sensuality, the movements that have lasted through the ages and still mean something" - Los Angeles Reader, April 22, 1994 Sahra C Kent, "Sahra Saeeda," has performed and taught Egyptian style Orientale and Folkloric dance on five continents. Originally from the Los Angeles, California area, Sahra lived, danced, and researched in Egypt from 1989 to 1995. Since then she has been touring the world teaching and performing Egyptian Orientale and Fokloric dance: A Western bridge to an Eastern Art. The "Sahra Show" performed over 1600 shows in Cairo, Egypt alone. The ensemble included Sahra, Egyptian musicians, singers, folkloric dancers and authentic Saidi musicians and dancers. Sahra is currently director of Ya Amar! Middle Eastern Dance Company (California, USA) and a contributing choreographer to many European dance companies. She is also president of Layali Yasmine Productions , an independant recording and distribution label for Egyptian music, Middle Eastern dance performance and instructional videos. Ms. Kent has academic degrees in both Dance and Cultural Anthropology, and a MA in Dance Ethnology from UCLA. She regularly gives lecture/demonstrations on Egyptian dance, costumes, customs, ritual and folklore to doctorate-level symposiums, university ethnic dance festivals, museums, and dance ethnology forums. · Egyptian Oriental Technique - Saturday 1:30pm · Master Class - Saturday 4:30pm · Overview of Egyptian Folkloric Styles - Sunday 10:00am · Shimmies & Layering - Sunday 1:30pm

Frederique David · Urban Tribal Style - Saturday 1:30pm · Advance Your Technique with Frederique - Sunday 10:00am

Darshan · Drills for Fluidity & Unity - Friday 4:00pm · Yoga, Balance & Body Awareness - Saturday 10:00am · Urban & Ancient - Sunday 1:30pm

Zaina Hart · Competition Preparation - Friday 6:30pm · Hip Articulation & Locks - Saturday 10:00am

Princess Farhana · Extreme Taqsim - Friday 4:00pm · What to Know Before You Book That Gig - Saturday 4:30pm · Exciting Stage Makeup - Sunday 4:30pm

Heather Stants · Master Class - Favorite Floor Maneuvers - Sunday 4:30pm

Morwenna Assaf · Dabke - Friday 4:00pm

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