Farima Berenji returns to The Abbey Studio Cumberland March 14, 15 and 16th
Join us for a magical weekend of sacred and tradition dances from the Silk Road!
Friday March 14th, ‘Poetry In Motion’
An evening of Sacred and tradition dance performances by Farima Berenji and friends followed by a Sema Gathering. With Farima’s guidance we will learn personal and spiritual Sema (Sufi Whirling) as well as other turning practices, while listening to sacred poetry and music.
Feel free to bring a poem to share, snacks or drinks to share and percussion instruments.
Please wear white or light colored clothing and wear socks or soft soled shoes.
All welcome, sliding scale $10-$15 at the door
Doors open at 6:30, performances 7:30, Sema Gathering 8:30-10
*this is included if you are registered for the weekend intensive
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Saturday March 15th~ Persian Miniature Dance
Experience one of the world’s most enchanting dances. Persian Miniature Art dances are inspired by medieval Persian poetry and miniature artwork, combining the elements of sacred animals. Persian Miniature dance comes from an ancient culture of 5000 years and its movements often reflect the swirling of a birds, beautiful gesture and feelings, footwork patterns, and dazzling spins. We will focus on various expression and feelings used in Persian Classical dances and work on various motion and techniques. Samples of Persian Miniature art work will be shown in class for inspiration and re-creation of the art works into dance. Please feel free to bring an art work or a picture that inspires you.
10:30AM-12:30PM
1 hour potluck/lunch break
1:30PM-3:30PM followed by Q&A
Sunday March 16th~ Afghani Dance Workshop
Afghanistan is a multicultural land, which lies on the crossroads of major civilizations. Due to its borders with China, Pakistan, Iran and the Republics of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, the cultures of Afghanistan have many faceted influences. In this workshop we will sample various forms of Afghani dances, including party style dancing, Loghari (stop dance), Herati, and Attan- the national folk dance of Afghanistan, followed by a fun Choreography in the afternoon. The workshop will also include a short background history of culture, music, and costuming.
10:30AM-12:30PM
1 hour linch break/potluck
1:30-3:30PM followed by Q&A
Farima travels worldwide to perform and teach dance and wellness. Her love and passion for dance and history has led her on an extraordinary life-long journey throughout the world, from her home countries Iran and Azerbaijan to other neighboring Silk Road countries such as Armenia, Kurdistan, and Turkey. Her scholarly background includes in-depth studies of dance, music, poetry, art, history, as well as mythology, and the ancient and spiritual traditions of Iran and Central Asia. Farima is strongly connected to spirituality and healing and is under the guidance and teaching of Mevlana Order Sufi master and dervish Dr. Rahmi Oruç Güvenç of Turkey. She hopes to help and guide people to the historic beauty and richness of the Silk Road culture and to help people find their inner bliss through dance, music, and sacred healing.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to study with Farima and experience an intensive and magical weekend of dance at the Abbey Studio this March. Space for the Sat. and Sun. workshops is limited to max 16 participants, register early to reserve your space in the workshops. Early bird price for the full weekend intensive is $150 before March 1st or, $175 after.
*No pre registration needed for the Friday night event, all are welcome, pay at the door.
For more information and to register for the workshops call Cathy at (250) 218-0704
email cdstoyko@uniserve.com or register online with PayPal
For more info about Farima visit
The Abbey is located at the corner of 1st & Pentrith Ave. in Cumberland.