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Who We Are
Jawaahir is the only professional Middle Eastern dance company in the
Midwest. Since its founding in 1989 by Artistic Director Cassandra Shore,
Jawaahir has grown to 17 members and has performed throughout the Midwest
(including Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Michigan)
as well as in California. The Company has established a seasonal concert
series at The Southern Theater in Minneapolis, presented 110 formal concerts
and 240 community concerts, including free performances at area schools,
retirement homes, city parks, and cultural festivals. Jawaahir has hosted
83 guest artists, including distinguished dancers, choreographers, composers,
and musicians from the Middle East, and has collaborated and/or performed
with 26 regional performing arts groups.
The Cassandra School, the teaching arm of Jawaahir, offers year-round
classes in Middle Eastern dance for levels ranging from beginning to professional.
These classes (18 per week) incorporate all relevant aspects of the dance,
music, and culture. The regular classes serve the seven-county metro area
and are sought by students from across the United States who have relocated
expressly to study with Cassandra and the school. In response to student
demand, Jawaahir opened a St. Paul branch of the Cassandra School in 1998.
Jawaahir Dance Company is involved in a myriad of activities:
- Concerts of dance and music
- Dance classes from beginning to professional
levels
- Workshops and master classes with distinguished
guest artists
- Lecture-demonstrations in schools, community
centers, and other settings
- Free public performances
- Collaborations with other artistic and cultural
groups
- Leasing rehearsal and theater space to metro-area
artists
- Newsletter for Friends of Jawaahir
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The Company is the primary tenant and has been responsible for managing
our building, located at 1940 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis, since 1998.
We sublet studio, theater, and office space to a variety of artists on
both long- and short-term bases.
Studio Rental Info
Dancer Bios
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Cassandra Shore (Cassandra)
began performing Middle Eastern dance in 1975, and her intensity,
musicality and technique quickly set her apart from the average
performer. She has made over a dozen research trips to the
Middle East, exploring virtually all North African countries
as well as Turkey and Greece in her search for cultural understanding,
authentic techniques, and inspiration. In addition, she has
studied with the finest teachers and choreographers of Middle
Eastern dance, including Mahmoud Reda, director of the Reda
Group, Cairo, Egypt, and former Under Secretary of culture;
Mohammed Khalil, director of the National Folklore Group of
Egypt; Vivian Hamamjian, former member of the Caracalla Ballet,
Beirut; Raqia Hassan, choreographer to Egypt's top dance stars
and former member of the Reda Group; Ibrahim Farrah, director
of the Near Eastern Ensemble, NYC, the first professional
US performing company in Middle Eastern dance.
In 1978, Cassandra opened The Cassandra School, which now
offers over 15 classes weekly in Minneapolis and St. Paul,
from beginning to professional levels, in technique, choreography,
performance skills, dance conditioning, and Arabic language
and culture studies. She formed Jawaahir Dance Company in
1989 as a vehicle for her unique choreographic vision. Since
then, Jawaahir has been recognized for its groundbreaking
repertory of traditional, modern, and fusion works of Middle
Eastern and contemporary dance.
Today, Cassandra is known as a master teacher, star performer,
and creative artist in the field of Middle Eastern dance.
Her work has been rewarded with grants, commissions, and awards.
She offers workshops, concerts, and master classes worldwide,
teaching and performing regularly in locations such as Finland,
Great Britain, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, and throughout
the United States and Canada.
More About Cassandra
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Peg Deppe (Leyla al-Qamar) first danced with Jawaahir
from 1996-2000, then left the company to obtain a MS in textile
history (with a focus on Medieval Egyptian embroidery). She is currently
pursuing a PhD in dress ethnography at the University of Minnesota.
A student of Cassandra's since 1988 and finding her passion for
dance rejuvenated in Morocco, she returned to Jawaahir in 2007. |
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Eileen Goren (Risha) began her modern dance education
at an early age, studying with former members of the Martha Graham
Company and at the Graham School for over 10 years. She also has
many years of training in ballet, jazz, tap, international folk
dance, ballroom, and Savoy-style Lindy Hop. She discovered Middle
Eastern dance in 1987, and joined Jawaahir at its inception in 1989.
She has continued her study with Cassandra as well as with internationally
recognized teachers. Eileen is a member of the Board of Jawaahir. |
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Shari Jeziorski has explored various dance
forms since childhood. She became a Jawaahir apprentice in 2005
and teaches at the Cassandra School. Shari has a BA in Education
and is currently working towards her masters degree in Traditional
Chinese Medicine. |
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Sarah Jones-Larson (Toha) performed internationally
as a child with Philadelphia's Ballet Des Jeunes and New York's
Ecos De Espana. Locally, she performed with Zorongo Flamenco and
Theatre de la Jeune Lune before joining Jawaahir in 1994. A student
of Arabic and a voice-over artist, Sarah made her Arabic singing
debut with the Georges Lammam Orchestra in Cassandra's solo show
“Orientalia.” In May, 2007, Sarah returned to Jawaahir
after a year in Philadelphia hosting a radio program on WJJZ (under
the name, Salina Jones.) In Philadelphia, she danced with Habiba’s
ensemble. |
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Theresa Kane began studying Middle Eastern dance
in 1998 after attending a performance of "Shoma" and being
struck by the beauty of the movements. She performs regularly as
a soloist, teaches, and continues to study extensively with Cassandra
as well as dance instructors from around the world. She joined Jawaahir
in 2004. |
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Kathy McCurdy (Naima) studied ballet, jazz, tap,
and modern before discovering Middle Eastern dance. She studied
with Tara Auringer in Madison, WI and Dahlena in Chicago, IL before
moving to Minneapolis to study with Cassandra. She is a founding
member of Jawaahir, teaches at The Cassandra School, and is the
general manager of Jawaahir. |
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Tina Nagy began studying Middle Eastern dance
in 1995 and joined Jawaahir in 2000. Since then, she has also become
a student of aerial/circus arts and looks for creative ways to integrate
her passion for both. She performs regularly in the metro area. |
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Jenny Piper (Jemorah) began her dance career in
ballet, contemporary, and pointe at the age of seven. During these
years she learned from Frank Bourman, Loyce Houlton, Lise Houlton,
Marcia Chapman, and Bonnie Mathis, and performed in Loyce Houlton’s
Nutcracker Fantasy. She has studied Middle Eastern dance with teachers
including Margo Abdo O’Dell and Cassandra Shore since 1995,
becoming a member of Jawaahir in 2000. She now performs locally,
tours with Jawaahir, and teaches at The Cassandra School in St.
Paul. |
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Helen Voelker (Elena) has been a member of Jawaahir
since 1990. She has performed with the Nancy Hauser Dance Company
and the Continental Dance Theatre. Helen is a medical researcher
at the University of Minnesota.
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Tamara Borchardt (Samira) studied gymnastics as
a child and performed regularly in musical theater productions throughout
high school. While working as a street character at the Minnesota
Renaissance Festival in 1993, a friend suggested she take belly
dance lessons. She enjoys teaching dance to newcomers, singing,
and commuting by bicycle year-round. Tamara became a Jawaahir apprentice
in 2004. |
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Tatyana Butkova started studying Middle Eastern Dance
with Tina Shokri while visiting her home city of Minsk, Belarus
in 2002. In 2004 she started classes at The Cassandra School and
fell in love with spectacular performances by Jawaahir Dance Company.
Tatyana performs at the Guild of Oriental Dance Festivals, Pratt
Haflas, and the Renaissance Festival. |
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Nadilia Gomez started dance classes at the age of six.
She has taken ballet, modern, folkloric, and Latin dance classes,
as well as theater classes, from several instructors from around
the world. She took her first Middle Eastern dance class in 2004
and became a Jawaahir apprentice in 2006. |
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Renee Szudy began studying under Cassandra in 1996 and
became an apprentice with Jawaahir in 2006. She was drawn
to Middle Eastern dance after attending the UN Fourth World Conference
on Women (Beijing, 1995) where she saw Arabic women perform
social dances. She liked how they took their scarves off
their heads and wrapped them around their hips in order to accent
their movements; she was particularly inspired by their shimmies.
Renee has a 12-year background in gymnastics.
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Heidi Waldron (Zahirah) began dancing with Nadia
Sahar in Milwaukee, WI in 1995. Relocating to Minneapolis in 1998,
she continued her studies at The Cassandra School and, in 2004,
became a Jawaahir apprentice. Heidi currently performs at several
Twin Cities restaurants and is an active member of the Guild of
Oriental Dance. Her performance highlights include Milwaukee’s
Symphony Ball and annual Arabian Fest. |
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Rebecca Wandrei started taking dance classes
when she was eleven years old and has studied ballet, tap, jazz,
modern, ballroom, and Latin styles of dance. In 2002, she began
studying Middle Eastern dance at the Cassandra School, and became
an apprentice with Jawaahir in 2006. Rebecca is also a teacher-naturalist
at a nature-based
preschool. |
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Jenna Washnieski began studying Middle Eastern
dance in 2003 at The Cassandra School. She never passes an opportunity
to learn new types of dance and has dabbled in jazz, hip-hop
and salsa. In addition to being an apprentice with Jawaahir, Jenna
currently dances and plays trumpet with Le Cirque Rouge Cabaret. |
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Former
Group Members and Apprentices* |
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| Jawaahir Dance Company appreciates the
contributions made by our former members and apprentices:
Patricia Auch, Monique Benson, Peg Blader, Melinda Bobo, Christine
Cameron, Aileen Erler*, Nancy Fetzek, Anna Galperin*, Jeffrey Gegner,
Jocelyn Gorham, Habib*, Dorothy Hagar, Sarah Khan, Catherine Liska,
Ann-Marie Loushine-Thomsen, October Midnight*, Kristin Orlowski*,
Lilah Perry*, Esther Ouray, Carmine Profant*, Kristina Rolin*, Laura
Samperi*, Chris Schneider, Heidi Todd, Coral Watanabe, Mary West.
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| Kay Campbell, Salah Abdel Fattah,
Eileen Goren, Donna Hanbery, Melanie Meyer, Sami Rasouli, Eileen
O'Shaughnessy, Heidi Heffelfinger Todd |
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