Banned
& Taboo: A Dialogue on Dance and the Middle East
Colloquium and demonstrations, Wed., Nov. 20, 2002. 8 pm
Levantine Cultural Center - 1-469 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, 1/2 block
west of Beverly Glen Blvd., between Century City and Westwood. Reservations:
323.650.7010, phone evening of event, 310.481.9966.
Moderated by Robyn Friend, With Barbara Racy, Shida Pegahi, Joelle Ferrando, Amar Gamal, Jillina, and Tamalyn Dallal, followed by dance demonstrations.
Moderated by Robyn Friend, With Barbara Racy, Shida Pegahi, Joelle Ferrando, Amar Gamal, Jillina, and Tamalyn Dallal, followed by dance demonstrations.
Dance
Panel Bios:
Shida Pegahi: A native
of Tehran who came to the United States in 1978, Shida Pegahi has for the
last 20 years been a highly sought-after professional dancer, dance instructor,
choreographer, and theatrical performer. She is the founder and artistic director
of Ney Nava Dance Theatre, founded in 1994 in order
to preserve Iran's endangered dance heritage (after the 1979 Islamic Revolution,
dance was banned) and recently launched the Pacific Arts Center. Studying at the
National Ballet Academy of Iran and at the School of Royal Ballet in England,
from the age of eight, Shida trained extensively in classical ballet, modern,
jazz, ethnic and a range of cultural and ethnic dance categories, including
African, Saudi Arabian, Eastern European and Central Asian (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan
and Armenia). Shida received her B.A. from Ohio University and for several
years she performed with the West Coast Dance Company, Westside Ballet Company,
Avaz International Dance Theatre, Sufi Dance Theatre, and Dance Electric.
She is also a stage actress and performance artist who has appeared at the
Japanese American National Museum, Beyond Baroque and other locations in Southern
California. As Ney Nava's director
and choreographer, Shida has created many memorable performances around the
country; in Southern California alone, her company has appeared at the Getty
Museum, UCLA, Wasdworth Theatre, Wilshire Ebell, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
and at the annual Mehregan (Persian Autumn) Festival. She is a member
of the board of directors of Levantine Cultural Center.
Barbara
Racy: Barbara Racy has an M.A. in Dance
Ethnology and Dance-Movement Therapy from UCLA, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
from the California Graduate Institute. She is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PSY18440), and
has a private psychotherapy practice in Brentwood, California. In addition to being a professional photographer
with numerous publications and videos to her credit, she has done research
in psychological anthropology and on dance of the Middle East, and has conducted
fieldwork in Egypt, Qatar, they United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Morocco, India,
Bali, Nepal, and East Africa in addition to studying dance in Egypt and Lebanon.
An accomplished Middle Eastern dancer, Dr Racy has performed in concerts
throughout the United States and abroad, including appearances at the Kennedy
Center in Washington, D.C., and the Music Center in L.A. She has been a member
of several Middle Eastern dance troupes in the U.S.
Tamalyn Dallal: Tamalyn Dallal has produced a multitude of concerts, dance tours, and festivals, starting in 1983 with the first tour of "Mosaic", a Middle Eastern Dance troupe to Bogota, Colombia. After touring much of Latin America as a solo dancer, and traveling to the Middle East to study how dance, music and culture merge, Ms. Dallal founded The Mid Eastern Dance Exchange in Miami Beach, Florida in 1990, through which she has produced numerous concerts and televison programs. Ms. Dallal has also written and published a book and two feature length screen plays. Ms. Dallal recently returned from a world tour, teaching and performing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hong Kong and Switzerland, as well as researching Rom culture and dance in Turkey (Summer 2003).
Amar
Gamal: Amar Gamal is a world champion bellydancer
of Cuban descent. She has taught and performed throughout the U.S. and abroad.
As a child she began her extensive bellydance training from Tamalyn Dallal
of Miami, FL. Her dance background includes ballet, jazz, modern, tap and
Afro-Cuban dance. Amar is co-founder of Bellyqueen a progressive bellydance
company based in NYC. Bellyqueen repertoire encompasses bellydance in its
traditional Raks Sharqi format, as well as Middle Eastern dances blended with
other global dance forms.
Jillina: Jillina is one of the most captivating and sought
after belly dance artists in world today, winning awards for her performances
and her dance videos. Her engaging stage presence, the authenticity of her
style, and her understanding of the culture has commanded great respect and
demand by the Arabic and Middle Eastern community. With the intention to raise the level
of awareness of Middle Eastern culture and dance, and to bring about a greater
appreciation of the beauty of this art form, Jillina founded the international
dance company Jillina & The Sahlala Dancers. All members are extensively trained in Ballet, Jazz, Modern,
Hip Hop, Ballroom, Folkloric and Oriental dance, as well as being accomplished
professionals in singing, acting and choreography. Their colorful Middle Eastern and world-fusion repertoire ranges
from Raks Sharki and Arabic folkloric numbers to Armenian, Persian, Indian,
Brazilian, Spanish, Greek and African. Jillina has toured Europe, Japan, Australia, and Brazil.
She keeps up with the latest in Middle Eastern dance and music by annual
trips to Egypt, to study with master teachers and choreographers.
This combined with her extensive background in Jazz, Ballet, and Hip-Hop,
have contributed to her powerful style and dynamic choreography.