KC Raqs Presents NISAA

Full weekend registration (Friday with Rahil, Saturday and Sunday with Nisaa, Saturday Hafla Ticket): $175

Saturday and Sunday with Nisaa: $150

Saturday workshop: Before Badia: An Exploration of Belly Dance At the Turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries. This workshop is the full day on Saturday, five hours of combined lecture and dance. 9:30 - 3:30 with a break from 12:30 to 1:30 for lunch. $120, space is limited. What do we really know about the history of raqs sharqi, the Egyptian concert dance form popularly known as belly dance? In this workshop, Nisaa peels back the layers of myth and hearsay to reveal the actual historical development of early raqs sharqi. Since 2009, Nisaa has conducted in-depth examinations of primary source evidence, as well as on-site investigations in Cairo, in order to advance knowledge of raqs sharqi in its earliest days. This workshop presents the results of this work. Through a combination of lecture, discussion, film, and movement practice, Nisaa sheds light on how and why raqs sharqi emerged from the traditional dance styles of Egypt’s awalim and ghawazi. In Part One, Nisaa presents the social and historical background of the dance and provides an overview of its technique, aesthetic, costuming, and performance format from the 1890s through the 1920s. In Part Two, Nisaa guides participants through her reconstruction of the dance as it was performed in the entertainment halls of turn-of-the-century Egypt, based on comparison, contrast, and synthesis of the dance styles of the awalim and ghawazi in the present day and the professional dancers of the 1930s.

Sunday workshop: Aesthetic Essentials of Egyptian Belly Dance 10:30 -12:30, $50, space is limited Egyptian belly dance is more than just a collection of movements. The movements of the dance are embedded within an aesthetic framework that informs all aspects of the dance, from posture and alignment to the interplay between dancer and music. In this intensive workshop, join Nisaa for a deep dive into this less tangible, but no less important, side of Egyptian belly dance. Go beyond the basics of belly dance posture to explore aesthetic aspects of body carriage and movement in Egyptian belly dance, such as low center orientation and the balance between internal versus external focus, and how these aspects inform how the body inhabits and moves through space. Go beyond the mechanics of the movements to explore the aesthetic aspects of how movements are executed and embellished. Discover why layering is about more than just showy technique, and dispel the myth that belly dance is all about isolations. Lastly, go beyond your basic rhythm CD. Explore how Egyptian belly dance manifests the fundamental aesthetic features of the Arabic musical tradition: not just rhythms, but how melodies are structured, why improvisation matters, and much more.

Friday evening workshop with Rahil, Topic TBA; 6:30-8:30 PM, $30

Saturday evening informal hafla. 5-7 PM, $10 for spectators, free to performers. Performance spaces very limited, on a first-come, first-served basis to workshop participants only.