On Tuesday, Nov. 28 Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre artists Zoe Rabinowitz and Mohammed Smahneh will lead a workshop on Dabke.
Dabke is a Levantine folkloric dance traditionally used in cultural moments of celebration and resistance. Yaa Samar! Dance theatre Dabke classes blend contemporary dance and theater with traditional Dabke tools (rhythm, footwork, unison movement etc.) to invite improvisation and play within the traditional form. Class starts with a warm-up and builds skills including technique, strength, stamina, rhythm and improvisation. Our goals as educators are to provide new tools for creative expression, validate individuals through empowered choice-making, honor diverse perspectives and abilities, and center the power of storytelling in pursuit of social justice. The practice of Dabke is inherently intertwined with social justice movements, and conversations around the use of dance and art in social justice movements will also be incorporated into the class time.
Registration in advance is required.
This class is open to all Williams students. The number of participants in the class is limited to 25. Admission is on a first come, first served basis. Request admission by completing this
form.
Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre (YSDT) is a non-profit based between Palestine and NYC. It delivers performance and education programs around the world to increase access to—and promote understanding through—the arts. Founded in New York City in 2005 by Palestinian-American Samar Haddad King, YSDT has a repertoire of 30+ original works, which have been performed in venues in NYC, regionally, and abroad, in 17 countries across four continents.
Co-sponsored by Arabic Studies; Center for Global Languages, Literatures & Cultures; Dance; Gaudino Creative Residencies; Global Studies; the Lecture Committee and Class of ‘46 Fund for World Brotherhood; Oakley Center; Psychology; W. Ford Schumann ‘50 Program in Democratic Studies; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Tuesday, November 28, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
