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July 29, 2012
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TRIBAL ROOTS part 3- Amazigh, Amazons, La Kahina and Kabyle dance

     In the dark cold of Winter, sustained shimmies and reading have been keeping me warm, body and soul. I've been re-reading a classic book on the subject of women's dances from the Arab world, Serpent of the Nile by Wendy Bounaventura and rediscovering many jewels like the following quote-     "The dance is a showing rather than a showing off, a showing of the physical self in the best setting of all, an atmosphere of encouragement and appreciation. It is assumed that all of us, rather than the specially gifted few, are dancers; that everyone can do something, even if it's only two or three movements, and that there is no need for a girl to feel embarrassed or inferior if she is not as skilled as her friends".     Wendy Bounaventura is talking about how women grow up dancing together traditionally in the Arab world, much like how in many cultures everyone sings whether you are a 'singer' or not. Singing and dancing together are ways we can connect as a
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Celebrating Spring- Ederlezi, Hidirellez and the Feast Day of St. George

The arrival of Spring is widely celebrated and has ancient roots across the globe. Many ethnic and religious groups celebrate this event on May 6th in the Gregorian calendar, approximately 40 days after Spring equinox. Ederlezi is the 'Gypsy' or Roma name for the  Feast of Saint George , which is widely celebrated in the Balkans and beyond. It is called  Đurđevdan  in Serbian,  Gergyovden  in  Bulgarian  or  Jurjevo  in  Croatian .  A similar celebration called 'Hidirellez' is celebrated in Turkey and throughout the Turkic world.  Hıdırellez  is celebrated as the day on which Prophets Hızır and Ilyas  met on the earth.  Hızır and Ilyas , the names of the two prophets, fused together, forming the name of the festival, Hıdırellez. A Turkish friend of mine told me that in Turkey people hit themselves and/or each other with nettles on this day. I'll be sure to bring her some next year as I have an abundance of them! May 6th is also St. Georges Day an
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A Dance'full Summer on the Horizon

  Its a dance'full time of year with upcoming Summer events/dance performances and festivals on the horizon. At the Abbey Studio weekly classes are wrapping up and dancers are preparing for performances at the Abbey Stuido Hafla on Fri. June 16th. Also, my group Arcana Dea Dance and Farima's Simorgh Dance Collective are getting ready for upcoming performances at the following events. Arcana Dea Dance, Atmospher 2016 Friday, June 9th-Vancouver Island Herb Gathering, Royston B.C. Friday June 16th-Abbey Studio Hafla, Cumberland Fri. and Sat. June 23-Tree of Life Project, Denman Island Sat. June 24th- Vancouver Island Belly Dance Bazaar, Nanaimo Friday June 30th- Multicultural Festival, Simms Park, Courtenay Sat. July 1st- Canada Day Celebration, Courtenay Sat. July 22nd- Huma Wing of Light, sacred dance show featuring Farima Berenji and Simorgh Collective, at the United Church, Cumberland Sunday, August 20th, Atmosphere Gathering, Cumberland photos from past work
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