Since its founding, Jawaahir Dance Company has been dedicated to presenting Middle Eastern dance as a living art form, to bringing the rich folkloric heritage of the Middle East to the theater stage, and to providing education about the dance in its authentic form for dance students and the general public. The Company has presented educational programs in Middle Eastern dance and music for over twelve years. Jawaahir Dance Company offers a variety of options and can tailor programs to meet your community's needs and budget. For example:

• Programs can be presented in theatrical venues or in more informal settings such as school gymnasiums and community centers.
• Programs can run from 15 minutes to an hour and a half.
• Programs can be a combination of workshops, residencies, or evening-length performances.
• Programs can teach basic dance and rhythm patterns, or delves into the culture, history, and geography of the Middle East.
• Programs will introduce Middle Eastern music and instruments.
• Fees are negotiable.

Jawaahir is currently rostered with two Twin Cities presenters, Young Audiences of Minnesota www.yamn.org and COMPAS (Community Programs in the Arts) www.compas.org to present cultural programs to educational institutions throughout Minnesota.

Dance Workshops and Residences

Jawaahir offers a variety of workshop options and can tailor workshops to meet your school or community's needs and budget. For example:

• Workshops can be tailored for dancers and non-dancers alike.
• Jawaahir can present a day-long introductory workshop on Middle Eastern dance, or a week-long residency focusing in-depth on dance technique and its cultural context.
• Workshops focus on one country or region of the Middle East, or we can present a variety of regional styles.
• Workshops can be combined with an evening-length performance or lecture-demonstration.

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Adult Lectures / Demonstrations

In lecture-demonstrations, dances are introduced and their costumes, movements, and music are demonstrated. This format is ideal for school and community groups.

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Student Lectures / Demonstrations

Middle Eastern dance is a celebration of life! Jawaahir will take students on a magic carpet ride into the unique cultures of the Middle East. Students will hear traditional rhythms, see distinctive folk costumes, and experience the expressive dance traditions of Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, the Saudi Gulf, and North Africa. Through movement, music, language, art, and cultural activities, students will experience the rich heritage of Arabic music and dance, helping dispel media stereotypes.

YA (Young Audiences of Minnesota) www.yamn.org.
COMPAS (Community Programs in the Arts)

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Sample Educational Performance

Playful, dramatic, and always joyous, Jawaahir's members perform a diverse repertoire of folkloric dances that will expand your perceptions of Middle Eastern dance. You'll hear the traditional rhythms, see the distinctive costumes, and expressive dance traditions of Egypt, Tunisia, and the Saudi Gulf. The Company introduces each dance with relevant movement, musical, and cultural information. Often audience members are encouraged to participate by clapping to the music and learning simple movements. This creates an exceptional experience for both the audience and the performers!

Below is a sample educational performance used in schools and communities.

		INTRODUCTION
		Audience Participation
		Clapping to drum, zills, & riq Zagaree
		TUNISIAN WOMEN'S DANCE (Tunisia)
		Vigorous horizontal hip movements characterize this dance which is always seen at parties and weddings. In the southern islands of Djerba and Kerkennah it is often performed with a clay water pot balanced on the dancer's head.
		Audience Participation
		Demonstrate wraping of melia
		RAKS EL ASSAYA (Egypt)
		The only remaining traditional dance, Woman's Dance with a Cane, is a mimic of the Tahtib (stick) Dance, a combat dance performed by men. The cane dance is used in villages as a form of flirtation.
		Audience Participation
		Boys' cane dance
		SHAMMADAN (Egypt)
		In Egypt, the dancer is an integral part of the wedding celebration, which take place at night. The dancer and young girls carrying tall candles lead the procession of the bride and groom (called the zeffa) to the wedding party. At the turn of the century, one dancer, Shafia al Coptia, set herself apart from other dancers for hire by balancing a lantern on her head. Not to be out done, Nesla al Adel balanced a candelabra and a new tradition was started - the Shammadan.
		GHAWAZEE (Egypt)
		Ghawazee, or invaders of the heart, are the gypsy dancers ? some families trace their roots to the Romany gypsies. Rapid hip vibrations and the playing of sagat (brass finger cymbals) characterize the dance.
		Audience Participation
		Dance movement - shoulder isolations
		KHALIJIYYA (Gulf Region: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates)
		This dance is traditionally performed at women's gatherings. An integral part of the dance is the colorful and beautifully embroidered thobe nashal (big dress).
		Audience Participation
		Girls' Khalijiyya with thobes
		Closing

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For more information go to Theatrical Performance Packages

To book Jawaahir Dance Company in your community, please contact:

Cassandra Shore, Artistic Director
Jawaahir Dance Company
1940 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
phone: 612-872-6050 / Fax: 612-872-2104
e-mail: cassandr@jawaahir.org
web: www.jawaahir.org