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Workshops with Amel Tafsout
August 23, 2013 @ 7:00 pm - August 25, 2013 @ 5:00 pm
Amel Tafsout Backstage at Third Coast Tribal. Photo by Latifa.
Friday, August 23, 7-9 PM Latifa’s home studio)
North African Maghreb Rhythm and Singing Workshop. Learn traditional Berber rhythms from an expert. You will learn to sing while you are playing. Amel will teach you the Arabic pronunciation before you learn a chorus of a song. This will be a low-key workshop held in Latifa’s home studio; space is limited. Bring a frame drum — a flat drum like a bendir, tar or tambourine. $40.
Saturday, August 24 (Creative Force Dance Center, 570 Ritchie Hwy Severna Park, MD 21146)
10 AM to 12 noon Berber Shimmies!
This Amazigh-Kabyle fertility dance comes from the northeastern Algerian mountains of the Djurdura in the Kabylie region and is performed with a shawl. The dance is both a public and personal expression, rich in symbolic dimensions that deal with subjects such as the fertility of Mother Earth, the rites of marriage and birth, and the communications between the earthly and the Divine. The Kabyle Berber dances are drawn from this rich colorful dance tradition that has been sustained by the unveiled, earthy, powerful and proud women of the Kabylia.
12-1 PM Lunch break. Many excellent restaurants nearby.
1-4 PM Song Immersion
Amel has selected a special song which we will explore in depth. We will learn the lyrics, cultural significance, and underlying rhythm so that all students will have a good understanding of the song before we dance to it. This intensive workshop will culminate in learning a dance to this song.
Saturday workshops $130
Sunday, August 25 (Latifa’s home studio)
11-4:30 Zar-Hadra Sufi Dance: Self-Healing through whirling and trance
Experience an ancient healing ceremony similar to those performed by women in Egypt, Sudan, Morocco & Algeria. We’ll start with a warm-up, breathing exercises, body work and sound healing. Amel will then introduce the whirling/spinning. After a short break, Amel will give some background to prepare students for the trance experience and create the safe atmosphere the students will need to help us to release. Students should bring a long shawl, a flower for the meditation, and some candies, chocolate or something sweet for us to share afterward. $130
Sufism “…is a method, a way, a discipline that teaches each person the science of exploring one’s own being, unearthing one’s hidden talent and potentials, and discovering the reality of being in this unbounded and infinite tapestry called existence.”
Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha, in Sufism and Faith
SPECIAL WEEKEND PACKAGES
The “I Love Amel” Package: All workshops, Friday, Saturday and Sunday:$270
The Habibi Package: Saturday and Sunday workshops $240
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