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Indian Dance Seminar

Mid-Eastern Dance Society of Kentuckiana presents:

HABIBA

International teacher and performer of
Ghawazi (Egyptian Gypsy) & Andalusian Dance
IAMED Ethnic dancer of the Year 2001
Saturday Nov 10th & Sunday Nov 11th 2007

Join us on SATURDAY for a day of real tribal belly dance, Egyptian style! Habiba will demonstrate the hypnotic, joyful dance style of Egypt´s ´Invaders of the Heart´, the Ghawazi. The Ghawazi carried on the gypsy tradition of entertaining for hundreds of years, and, until the last of the famous practitioners retired, they were hired for all feasts and weddings in Lower Egypt. The dance form is relatively simple and repetitive, relying on interesting formations of two to five dancers and on the charm of each individual dancer. The Ghawazi are famous for their side-to-side shimmy movement, which is performed with effortless grace and power and which is layered into most of their signature combinations.

The five-hour workshop will teach fifteen steps ( horse stomps, shimmies, figure 8s, circles, travelling steps and hops), history and costumes, one group choreography, and one choreography that can be done solo or with a group. Bring your zills and Habiba will demonstrate how the ghawazi play them while dancing.

The workshop will be followed by an evening CONCERT with Habiba as the featured performer. Habiba will be joined by local and regional dancers and troupes in a 2-hour concert of the good, the great & the best!

Then join us again on SUNDAY for a 2.5 hour workshop on Andalucian dance, originally performed in the noble houses of medieval Andalusian Spain and throughout the Arab world. The dance emphasizes the elegant arm and hand movements of the court dancer and is performed with a graceful, floating elegance with just a hint of what would become flamenco hundreds of years later. This workshop will include technique, movements for the typical rhythms encountered in Andalusian music, a short choreography, history, costumes, and how to incorporate Andalusian dance into your belly dance routine.

 

Saturday events will be held at the Riverbend Winery, 120 S. Tenth St (between Main & Market) in Louisville KY. Vending by Cat's Paw Dance Belts.
  • Saturday workshop: Doors open at 9 am for shopping. Workshop 10 am - 4 pm, with lunch at 12 pm.
  • Saturday Night Concert: Doors open at 7 pm. Concert 8 pm - 10 pm. Cash bar.
Sunday event will be held at Ruric-Amari's dance studio on Lexington Road inside Distillery Commons. This studio is about 4 miles away from the Winery with easy access from all interstates.
  • Sunday workshop: Doors open at 9 AM for coffee & tea, Workshop 10 - 12:30 PM.

For a printable registration form which INCLUDES LUNCH CHOICES, click [ HERE ].

For directions to Riverbend Winery, click [ HERE ].

For directions to Samovar Dance Studio, click [ HERE ].

For overview of directions to both, click [ HERE ].

For a link to Google map pointing to Riverbend Winery, click [ HERE ].

A list of Louisville hotels is maintained by Hotel Guides. Some dancers use PriceLine.com to find good deals on expensive downtown hotels.
Hotels close to the airport and right in downtown Louisville will be the most expensive. Others a mile or two from downtown (NE Louisville and New Albany, IN) with easy access via the various interstates that converge on downtown (I-65, I-64, I-71) can be cheaper but suitable if all you want is a place to sleep and a cup of coffee in the AM.
Workshop attendees have in the past used the Ramada Inn on Zorn Ave in NE Louisville and the The Holiday Inn Express across the river in New Albany Indiana. Both of these are about 5 miles (and 7 minutes) from the Riverbend Winery location with easy access from via the three interstates that converge in downtown Louisville (AKA Spaghetti Junction). MEDSOK is not recommending these hotels - we are simply stating what others have used in the past.
Another alternative for the RV owners among you is the Louisville Metro KOA which is located in Clarksville IN, ten minutes from downtown Louisville and with easy access from I-65. You don't have to be a KOA member to use it and they are open year-round.
These are the rules.
  • You are expected to take the SATURDAY workshop if you want to dance in the Concert. This helps keep us in the black.
    Members with schedule conflicts, please contact Maura Enright (502 749-0038).
  • No flash cameras or obtrusive picture taking at concert. No videotaping without permission of performers.
  • Our event photographer will provide pictures at VERY reasonable cost, so all performers will have a chance for pix!
  • NO REFUNDS unless event(s) are canceled.
  • Workshop details, directions, and registration forms at www.MEDSOK.org.
  • Make checks payable to MEDSOK and mail to: Maura Enright PO Box 6516 Louisville KY 40206
  • Concert tickets are free for performers, $5 for MEDSOK members, and $10 for all others, even if bought by a MEDSOK member.
  • LUNCH is free IF Maura Enright has your registration and lunch order in hand by Monday Nov 5.