Gala Performance
Saturday April 24, 2010
We are so thrilled to present such an amazing and ecclectic line up of featured Gala Performers at the third International Bellydance Conference of Canada! The Gala Performance will be held at the prestigious Ryerson Theatre in downtown Toronto. We can't wait to see you there!
Get your tickets now at T.O. TIX!
Welcoming your IBCC 2010 Featured Gala Performers:
Khairiyya Mazin
Egypt
Khairiyya Yusuf Mazin is the youngest of the famous Banat Mazin, one of the last exponents of Ghawazi dance, which is perhaps the primary origin of Egyptian "belly dance." She is the sole remaining practitioner of the authentic dances of the Nawari Ghawazi of Upper Egypt. When Khairiyya Mazin retires, one of the most distinctive traditions of Ghawazi dance may come to an end. The Ghawazi are the famed female dancers described so often in Western travelers' accounts since the 18th century, and probably the major wellspring of Egyptian danse orientale.
Sema Yildiz
Turkey
A dancer and performer since childhood, Sema Yildiz has travelled extensively as a much sought after instructor and has appeared in many films, TV and daily newspaper series, including such countries as Syria, Iran, Holland, Germany, Italy and Austria. With her 40 years of experience, Sema has mentored many of the well-known Turkish artists we know today such as Didem and Asena.
Jillina
California, U.S.A.
A master dancer, instructor and choreographer, Jillina has devoted her life to dance. In 1999 she started Jillina’s Sahlala Dancers and in 2003 joined the Bellydance Superstars where she served as the artistic director and main choreographer until 2009. Jillina continues to serve as one of their principle choreographers. In the spring of 2009 Jilllina started Bellydance Evolution. In the summer of 2009, Jillina was the first American artist to be featured in the prestigious Ahlan Wa Sahlan closing Gala, in Egypt.
Hadia
Canada
Hadia has lived and performed throughout the Middle East, studying and working with many of the great masters of oriental dance and folklore. Her ingenious teaching skills draw upon her multi-faceted 37-year career as an artist of Middle Eastern, Flamenco, Jazz, African/Afro-Brazilian, Polynesian and Salsa, as well as her 15 years as a registered practitioner and instructor of massage/manual therapy. Hadia’s understanding and mastery of the very soul of Raks Sharqi has earned her an international reputation as an exquisite performer.
Amel Tafsout
Algeria/UK.U.S.A.
Amel Tafsout is among the most charismatic and acclaimed professional world performers and master dance instructors of North African traditional and contemporary Maghreb Dance of our time. She has mesmerized audiences around the world with the earthy fluidity of her dance and her expressive and stunning stage presence.
Sera Solstice
New York, U.S.A.
Sera Solstice is a performer/choreographer/ instructor/artist/shaman/warrior/pioneer of Bellydance and Founder and Director of Solstice Studio in Times Square, New York City. Sera is director and choreographer of the dance troupe Solstice, Creatrix of "East Coast Tribal" (a Tribal Fusion DVD produced by World Dance New York), and director of East Coast Tribal in NYC. Sera's Choreography has been described as "complex, content-rich, sublime, technically superb, physically demanding, at the forefront of evolution of Bellydance as an art form."
Delilah
Washington, U.S.A.
Delilah is one of the pioneers in the contemporary movement of belly dance in America. Deeply inspired by sturdy roots in ethnic music and dance in the 70’s, she won contests/awards and became known for her almost supernatural dramatic style. Her company, Visionary Dance Productions, has produced a leading instructional video series; Delilah’s Belly Dance Workshops. This series fueled the hearts, bodies and imaginations of women all over the globe. Delilah is a visionary dedicated to this art.
Yasmina Ramzy
Ontario, Canada
After beginning her dance career in 1981, Yasmina Ramzy spent many years performing throughout the Middle East for royalty and heads of state. Yasmina founded the critically acclaimed Arabesque Dance Company & Orchestra, Arabesque Academy and the International Bellydance Conference of Canada. She received her key training from leading masters in Egypt and Syria including Aida Nour and Mohammed Khalil of the National Folklore Troupe of Egypt. Her unique and highly creative choreographies have been commissioned internationally by universities, museums, ballet companies, figure skating teams and many Middle East dance companies including the internationally renowned Bellydance Superstars. She has been awarded numerous grants for her choreographies by all levels of arts councils.
Yasmina is invited to teach and perform regularly in over 60 cities on five continents. She has produced 8 instructional DVDs, 7 performance DVDs and 6 CDs that sell worldwide. The “Ask Yasmina” column which is published in the world’s largest Bellydance magazine is translated into several languages. Yasmina is well known for elevating the status of Middle Eastern dance as high art and conveying its relationship with Arab music and culture. She is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists and has served on the Board of Directors for Dance Ontario since 1996.
Arabesque Dance Company & Orchestra
Ontario, Canada
Arabesque Dance Company & Orchestra is Canada's leading Middle Eastern dance and music ensemble and unique in the world. The company consists of 17 male and female dance artists trained in 14 different styles of Middle Eastern dance led by Yasmina Ramzy and 9 acoustic musicians led by Bassam Bishara and Suleiman Warwar.
The company tours internationally and has staged 6 major full-scale productions featuring both traditional and ground breaking choreographies and musical compositions. It performs in such theatres as the Hummingbird Centre for the Arts, Premiere Dance Theatre and Madison Square Gardens. Arabesque has performed alongside such artists as Alabina, National Ballet of Canada, Bijan Mortazavi, Amr Diab, The Rolling Stones, Rageb Alema and Ben Harper to name a few. Having received numerous awards for artistic excellence, the innovative choreographies and rich acoustic music has the ability to move an audience to tears or on their feet dancing with joy. The company has garnered rave reviews for its high standard of art in all mainstream media. Sold out audiences are always enriched when making the emotional connection with the timeless and profound Arabic art which is Arabesque Dance Company & Orchestra.
Ranya Renee & Company
New York, U.S.A.
Ranya Renee, one of New York City's leading Egyptian-style dancers, has been active in Middle Eastern dance and music since 1990. A protégée of NYC's Yousry Sharif, Ranya also trains with Egyptian masters Mahmoud Reda, Aida Nour, Raqia Hassan, Mona el Said, and others. Ranya holds a degree from Yale University in theater and linguistics, and speaks seven languages, including Arabic. Ranya produces live music and dance events in New York, conducts research in the Middle East, and travels widely to teach and perform. Ranya’s instructional DVDs Bellydance Egyptian Style: The Baladi and Modern Oriental have earned rave reviews from dancers worldwide.
The Ranya Renee Dance Company will perform one of Mahmoud Reda's original choreographies!
* Many thanks to Latifa of Maryland for costuming assistance!
Ranya thanks dancers Sultana, Panayiota Bakis, Nubia, Tawanna Faison, and Sabbi Lall for their dedication and talent.
Habeeba Hobeika Egyptian Folklore Dance Company
Ontario, Canada
The Habeeba Hobeika Egyptian Folklore Dance Company (founded in 1990) provides colourful and lively entertainment for all occations. Our spectacular shows take you on a journey to the mysterious ancient Egyptian temples, to the modern streets of Cairo, from the grandeur of the royal palaces to exotic Nile villages.
Egyptian born Habeeba Hobeika is the Choreographer and Artistic Director of the Habeeba Hobeika Egyptian Dance Ensemble, and Director of Habeeba's Dance Studio.
An accomplished soloist herself, Habeeba is a much celebrated Egyptian dancer and choreographer throughout North America and the Middle East. Born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, Habeeba Hobeika spent much of her childhood traveling throughout Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.
Her experiences have given her a lifelong appreciation of Middle Eastern culture and dance, and have instilled in her a deep pride in her heritage. It has led to a desire to perfect the art of Raks Sharki (belly dancing) and Egyptian Folklore dance and bring it to the stage for the world to appreciate.
Performance Description: Luxor
A humble reproduction of the folk Luxor Dance taken from Mr. Reda’s video during a performance of the Reda Troupe at the Balloon Theater in Cairo, - The song is one of the most famous pieces of music used by the Reda Troupe. It was originally choreographed by Mr. Reda as a ride through the main street of Luxor in horse-drawn carriages for the movie “Love at the Temple of Karnak".
Mr. Reda’s troupe male and female dancers enjoy the performance, there is no cane/stick demonstration in this dance but rather intricate Reda’s steps taking place in their dance.
Zikrayat
New York, U.S.A.
Zikrayat is an Arab music and dance ensemble dedicated to presenting together the classical music and the dance traditions of Egypt, Lebanon, and the greater Arab World, in vibrant stage productions evoking the theatrical atmosphere and dramatic depth of classic Egyptian musical cinema. Alternating vocal and instrumental numbers with solo and group dance numbers, Zikrayat’s mission is to highlight the diversity of Arab culture for mainstream Western audiences in an authentic, yet entertaining contemporary representation.
Inspired by the “golden age” of Egyptian musical cinema (the 1940’s-60’s), a period during which most of the major figures in music and dance in the Arab world worked in film, Zikrayat (meaning “memories” in Arabic) researches films from this period, searching for forgotten gems not performed since this era. Zikrayat’s repertory also includes traditional and standard numbers, as well as original compositions in the style of this period, classical as well as folkloric music.
Led by Arab violinist, composer, and teacher Sami Abu Shumays and Egyptian-style dancer Robin “Dameshe” Shumays, Zikrayat also features vocalist Salah Rajab and a talented lineup of performers of diverse backgrounds brought together by their devotion to these rich art forms.