It has been a busy summer! In June, my husband and I celebrated out 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to southern Italy and then an Adriatic cruise with our family: 3 sons, 2 daughters-in-law, one fiancée, and 4 grandchildren. Then came August and September with a calendar full of my other passion, Arabic music and dance. First was the Arabic Music Retreat, followed by Oasis Dance Camp, Esmeralda Workshops, and next week… performing with The National Arabic Orchestra Takht at “GoLive! A weekend of Arabic Music and Dance in San Antonio! It will be a weekend filled with workshops and performances featuring so many wonderful musicians and dancers.
As I prepare for this incredible opportunity, it struck me what an amazing journey I have been blessed to experience. What started 48 years ago as a dance class for exercise at the YWCA has led to a chance to dance with the National Arab Orchestra on October 4, 2024.
From my first class to today, it has been the music that captivates me makes me want to dance. I have learned so much from the dance teachers, the musicians, and the travel experiences over these years. But it has been my fortune to study under Cassandra Shore who exposed me to such great musicians and dance teachers of the culture. As a member of her dance company, Jawaahir, our annual concert was to live music with master musicians including Georges Lammam. Through her I was introduced to Kay Campbell and given the opportunity to work a Simon Shaheen’s Annual Arabic Music Retreat. There I am a staff assistant who gets to attend music theory classes, take drum lessons, even play in a chamber group, and get to meet so many talented musicians – both master teachers and students! Which brings me to next week’s event: GoLive! and the photo below that triggered this trip down memory lane…
The year was 2006, I danced at the Arabic Music Retreat (AMR) After Party (photo by Nicole LeCorgne Photography). The musician in the background was a retreater that year and who is a very accomplished maestro now – Michael Ibrahim, the director of National Arab Orchestra (NAO). Every time I see a video of NAO, I see so many familiar faces from AMR. Michael is just one of the many musicians and singers that I have met as retreaters and watch grow into amazing artists of their own.
Here is Michael talking about NAO and his vision: https://youtu.be/q-cilsgqWqs and enjoy a few NAO concert videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@NationalArabOrchestra
If you saw the movie “American Hustle”, the Arabic version of “White Rabbit” was sung by another AMR retreater, Mayssa Karaa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azFM1gyDbpk She is currently associated with Berklee Abu Dhabi, a Berklee College of Music chapter in Dubai, and has recently released a new album. https://www.facebook.com/MayssaKaraa
There have been so many incredible experiences, but I will revisit them another time. Now, I had better get back to preparing and practicing…
BTW, if you aren't in San Antonio, the performances will be live streamed and you can get your tickets here: https://www.karavanstudio.com/golive-2024-schedule-program
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