Raq-On Dance 2017 Belly Dance and Folkloric Retreat with International Dancers Leila Farid, Tamalyn Dallal, and Sahra Saeeda

August 4th – 6th

Sponsored by Amity Alize of Raq-On Dance in Fairlee, VT

Registration Information

For information regarding the registration process please visit one of the following

Information about Raq-On’s Folkloric Retreat

18 workshops & presentations to choose from, Friday Night Dance Party, Saturday Night Performance, shopping, and more! Activities for the whole family, so bring the kids!

Workshops taught by Sahra:

Nubian Dance Technique

Sahra has been going to Nubia yearly for nearly 20 years and studying the dance of the diverse populations that we know as Nubians. In this workshop she will teach the fundamental Nubian movements as well as steps for the stage and weddings. Students will need to bring a head veil long enough to reach the tips of the fingers when draped over the head and a neck scarf (not a hip wrap)

Ghawazee Technique

The Ghawazee dancers are some of the indigenous Egyptian professional dancers of Egypt. These traditional entertainers are becoming harder and harder to find as time passes. Sahra will teach you the movement and positioning of two of the different Ghawazee groups that are found in Egypt: the Banat Mazin of Luxor and the Sumbati Ghawazee of the Nile Delta.  For the last 15 years, Sahra has been taking lessons with Khayriyya Mazin, bringing you the dance straight from it’s source.  There will be a Banat Mazin vintage-style costume available for viewing, so you can see how the movements would be affected by the costuming.  If you have a Ghawazee costume please bring it – Sahra would love to take a group photo and show it to Khayriyya when she returns to Egypt in June!   Sagat (finger cymbals), are optional but recommended.

Modern Egyptian

In the Modern Egyptian Era often the stages would be large and dancers could fill them with new traveling steps, exciting audiences and extending the character you wish to convey.  As well as the shared Modern Egyptian style, the different dance stars each had their own signature traveling steps, of which we will learn many, increasing your vocabulary of movement.  Fun, informational, energetic!

Saidi Dance

The Sa’id is the largest inhabited region in Egypt, extending along the banks of the Nile from south of Cairo to the Nubian region. Usually we represent  Sa’idi dance by the “Assaya” or stick dance, but there are many dances in the region that do not use the assaya. This class we will focus on the technique, combinations, and steps for the Folkloric Stage & for Sa’idi moments in your Oriental “mergence” without our canes or assaya.

How to Do Dance Research

Focus, focus, focus. It can be confusing to figure out where to start when conducting your own research, especially when you’re pursuing a subject that doesn’t have a lot of written information. As dancers in this field we often have to get creative to find good sources about our dance, as the general public doesn’t often delve deep into many folkloric & historical sources around our dance. In this lecture Sahra will break down the best places to start your research, how to collect information while doing field research, and how you can contribute to our body of knowledge!

Golden Era

The “Golden Age” Classic Black and White Cinema Era was a special fusion of Egyptian star dancers with an international aesthetic of “glamour” all reinforced by the promise of plenty of work and fame in a Hollywood Film Industry centered in Cairo.  Refined movement, layered on the soft strength Egyptian dance, highlighted the charismatic stars of the time!

Bring high-heeled dance shoes if you have them, just to try out some of the movement. Bring high-heels even if they are not dance shoes, but you will have to try out the movement in the next room.  This is only a few minutes of class, but crucial to your understanding of the genre.