Over the course of my 52+ year career, studies and research trips, I have striven to collect all music, steps and styles possible of each dance from many on-site viewings, questions and participation, etc. and to choose a variety of the most typical steps and figures, presenting them in choreography true to their origins, while, hopefully, pleasing to the eyes and ears of the theater public.
As a result, I created my school to teach them and my dance company, the Casbah Dance Experience, especially to show the varied, fascinating and exciting ethnic dance forms of the Near and Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean to the general public and give “a bit of home” to North Africans and Near and Middle Easterners in the West.
I’ve spent over 50 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!
To those ends, I hope to continue to perform, teach, research, write and lecture till 6 weeks after I’m dead…
Today, in these increasingly dangerous and stressful times, it is more important than ever that we show the positive aspects of these cultures, in order to create bonds of understanding between our peoples, via their dances, music, etc., which are expressions of love and the universal soul of us all. These aspects – in fact all Arts – are the very things that fanatics and terrorists would like to suppress and eliminate, along with the artists who create, produce and perform them.
We can not allow this to happen and must seek to preserve, honor and present these Arts as often and wherever possible.
Program Possibilities
It’s obvious to anyone who reads newspapers, watches TV or listens to the radio that the countries of the Near and Middle East and North Africa affect an ever-increasing portion of today’s world-shaping events, sometimes affecting our everyday lives.
It’s the part of the world where everything depicted in both Bibles took place, where 3 major religions had their origins, over which the Crusades were fought, for which two Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded and peace treaties signed, that gave us mathematics, algebra, geometry, the concepts of 0 & infinity and the pyramids and, if we are to believe Barry Fell’s book “America, B.C.” and Dr Ivan Van Sertima’s book “They Came Before Columbus”, that sent Egyptian, Phoenician, Libyan and Celtic-Iberian seamen and traders to North America as early as 900 B.C.!
The hold Middle Eastern mystique has on Americans is evidenced by many books movies, musicals, operettas, TV dramas, clothing styles about or inspired by the area. The popularity of the King Tut and Suleiman exhibits are just two recent examples.
Understanding other peoples and cultures leads to greater understanding of our own.
So Americans can understand some ideas and motivations from the Mideast and North Africa that have affected our music, dance and culture – especially with the increasing influences and inclusion of African, Mideastern and Mediterranean rhythms, instruments, melodies. etc in “World Music”, the popularity of which grows daily – I propose six excellent, entertaining basic formats and ways to introduce them to that culture, seemingly so different from ours, in dance concert format.
All programs have already been successfully presented, indoors and out, and are booked for future engagements. All consist of authentic dance and music from the Near/Middle East and North Africa. Costuming is colorful and authentic. The company is multi-racial/ethnic. Members live in all 5 boroughs.
Morocco & the Casbah Dance Experience was conceived, organized, funded and is directed and choreographed by Morocco (Carolina Varga Dinicu), leading performer, researcher, teacher and authority in this field for over 52 years. The Company is non-profit, tax-exempt: 501 (c)3.
- A full, inspiring 2 hour concert program of varied and beautiful ethnic dances with 4 live musicians (depending on your budget, location and facilities) & taped music from Egypt, Morocco, etc., narrated and explained. It is possible to have some songs by Morocco, as well as dances. 5-9 dancers and Morocco
- 2 hour concert program, to taped music, no live singing. 5-9 dancers and Morocco
- 1 hour concert program of a selected variety of the fascinating ethnic dances. 5-9 dancers & Morocco
- 45 min. – 1 1/2 hour concert program of selected, thrilling solos and an exciting duet, with or without detailed explanations & Question and Answer period by Morocco
- 1 – 1 1/2 hour concert program: same as above, but with 4 dancers: Morocco and selected soloists from the Casbah Dance Experience, allowing time for more costume changes and duets…
- 45 min. – 1 1/2 hour concert program, with fascinating solo Oriental and Cane dances by Morocco, including a short lecture on origins/history of Oriental dance, ending with Q & A period and/or mini-lesson.
All programs are geared to mixed audiences and can be presented indoors anytime, outdoors during daylight hours or at facilities with lighting.
Morocco & the Casbah Dance Experience, Inc. is a New York corporation
that is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
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