Have you always wanted to be part of a dance family of warm hearted, hard working, dedicated learners sharing their love of Arabic dance, music, and culture? Now is your chance! We are holding auditions for both our Los Angeles and Seattle chapters~ SUNDAY, January 5th. ALL genders, ages, bodies, and backgrounds welcome! Apply TODAY and if you have any questions, please email us at qabilafoundation@gmail.com
This past month was a whirlwind of dancing from our annual production, “Bayt-Home”, to the SeaTac Pop Up Treasures, to debuting new work at “Awe & Wonder” exploring what is means to Look, Feel, and Be human in response to AI technology development. Huge thank you to everyone that attended a performance or multiple. Your support means the world!
The Qabila Project proudly presents~
“BAYT~HOME”
Saturday, November 9th, 2024 Los Angeles
Saturday, November 16th, 2024 Seattle
Exploring concepts of home and belonging, this year’s production will feature all new work with the Qabila Dance Company and special guest artist Samia Karimi (Los Angeles) and Black Sea Dance with Izumi (Seattle). Join us for this unique and beautiful evening of dance, music, and community celebrating SWANA dance traditions and expressions.
LOS ANGELES
Held at Studio A Dance, 2306 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027.
Street Parking with many of local restaurants to enjoy before or after.
Tickets are limited to get your’s today while you can!
presale $30, at the door $40 (if available)
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
SEATTLE
Held at Exit Space, 1621 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 .
Street Parking.
The Seattle Qabila Project is fiscally sponsored by Shunpike. Thus it is a great joy to announce this year’s tickets are by donation for more accessibility. Thank you for supporting Qabila!
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
We are thrilled and honored to share this year’s production with you all!
Pictured above: Yallah!, Middle East Music & Dance Camp, Emerald Sanctuary Retreat, Heidi’s 70th birthday celebration
We are honored and thrilled to have the amazing Samia Karimi for a unique online Afghan Dance course next month!!! Stay tuned for full details. This course will include technique, cultural context, musicality, and an opportunity to perform for those local to Los Angeles at the culmination of the course. Full details will be announced on our website shortly. Don’t miss this opportunity to study with an incredible teacher, artist, and being. Email qabilafoundation@gmail.com if you would like to receive details directly as soon as they are available.
In celebration of back-to-school, Dance for Palestine is offering a new fundraiser featuring a whole library of video classes by some of today’s top Middle Eastern dance artists, teachers, and scholars. All proceeds will go directly to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. Fundraiser launches Sept 1st so don’t miss out on this great chance to dive into your studies while supporting Falastin!
“Core Connections: Cairo Belly Dance in the Revolution’s Aftermath” by Christine M. Şahin, published w/ Oxford University Press (2024), is available to readers worldwide! This is a dance ethnography based on fieldwork in Cairo between 2015-2020 - a key time in the city’s rich dance history remaining highly relevant today. Explore contemporary class-stratified sites of dance in relation to embodied socio-political values & knowledge. Deepen your understanding of Cairo raqs sharqi dancers’ lived realities, commercial performance circuits, and dance’s entwinement with history, culture, & local, intra-MENA, and global politics.”
Interested in joining us for a book club? Email qabilafoundation@gmail.com for details.
The Qabila Project stands with Palestine. Every Child deserves care, aid, and support. Please help support the children of Gaza by donating today. All funds go directly to Palestine Children's Relief Fund providing medical care and humanitarian relief for all children.
This fundraiser includes two upcoming events in Los Angeles and Bay Area respectively. Full details to come asap. All donations help and go directly to Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. Together we can create change building our collective humanity. Shukran!
DONATE TODAY
Have you always wanted to be part of a dance family of warm hearted, hard working, dedicated learners sharing their love of Arabic dance, music, and culture? Now is your chance! We are holding auditions for both our Los Angeles and Seattle chapters~ SUNDAY, January 7th. ALL genders, ages, bodies, and backgrounds welcome! Apply TODAY and if you have any questions, please email us at qabilafoundation@gmail.com
On Monday February 6, 2023, a 7.8 earthquake shook Syria and Turkey with several aftershocks devastating the area including the collapse of buildings and the buckling of roads. Rescue efforts have been intensified by winter temperatures, a lack of infrastructure, and limited aid to find and save those trapped under the rubble.
While many of us could be there to help directly, we did what we could by gathering to raise funds and support our Syrian and Turkish family and friends. Friday, February 17th we produced the Earthquake Relief Concert at Evolution Dance Studios. Featuring the dance artistry of Adrianne, Ariel Kasha, Aubre Hill, Ayse,
Corina, Elizabeth Strong, Gulistan Dance Theater, Laura Leyl, Olga Kramarova, Samia Karimi and live music by Vedat! It was a heart warming and healing evening.
We exceeded our original goal with everyone’s generosity, raising over $3400 that went directly to Save The Children. Much love to everyone that made this concert possible and to all that donated and supported.
It has been a long three years since our last Nights of Arabe production, and we are thrilled and honored to be bringing together all three of our dance company chapters for this one evening! Join us Saturday, November 19th at Studio A Dance for this sojourn across the Arab World and beyond! Doors open at 7pm, Show begins at 7:30pm with refreshments and a reception to follow. Tickets are limited to respect space and safety. So get your’s TODAY and see you November 19th! Purchase tickets HERE
We are looking for a diversity of team players with a genuine enthusiasm for learning and sharing Arabic culture through dance and music. Members are required to attend rehearsals (on zoom & once a month in studio with masks) every Sunday 10am-12pm, pay $20 monthly dues to help cover operational costs, and sign a year contract. Auditions must be received by Wednesday September 8th. Email to qabilafoundation@gmail.com . Selected members will be notified Friday September 10th to begin rehearsing with us Sunday September 12th.
Last Friday, June 11th 2021, our Los Angeles chapter returned to the stage for the first time in over a year. What an incredible blessing and joy it was! A few photos by Aubre Hill from the LA Hafla~ Homage performance featuring Alia Gamal, Yuliya Lunessia, LoriAnne Edwards, Eemah, and Alice Dee. You can still see this show but don’t delay it is only up until Friday, June 18th. See the show HERE!
Join us as we dive into a new book each month exploring Arabic culture, arts, and experiences. In celebration of Black History Month, we are excited to share Cynthia J Becker’s “Blackness in Morocco: Gnawa Identity through Music and Visual Culture.”
“Absolutely groundbreaking, Blackness in Morocco is the work of a trailblazing intellect. Showing that 'blackness' is constructed in Africa as elsewhere in the world, Cynthia J. Becker demonstrates a deep commitment to Gnawa lived experience, forever changing how we understand the religions and aesthetics of Africa.” —Prita Meier, author of Swahili Port Cities: The Architecture of Elsewhere
Join us on IG @qabilafoundation for weekly reflections or email us your thoughts directly. We’d love to hear from you!
Qabila Folkdance Company
Bay Area Chapter Online Auditions
Due by 1/8/21
Thank you for your interest in the Bay Area Folkdance Company Online Audition!
Folk dance brings people together, united in humanity. The Qabila Foundation is dedicated to sharing the joy and diversity of Arabic folk dance rooted on the strong belief that art can build bridges of understanding across cultures, ages, genders, ideologies, and backgrounds and allows us all to belong. Be a part of the Arabic folk dance revolution!
We are looking for a diversity of team players with a genuine enthusiasm for learning and sharing Arabic culture through dance and music. Members are required to attend rehearsals on zoom every Sunday 11am-1pm, pay $20 monthly dues to help cover operational costs, and sign a 6 month contract. All activities will be virtual for the first 6 months most likely, and we will address in person options when safe to do so. Selected members will be notified Saturday January 9th to begin rehearsing with us Sunday January 10th.
To apply email qabilafoundation@gmail.com the following by January 8th, 2020~
Dance resume including performer name and social media handles
Headshot
Write up explaining why you are interested in joining the Qabila Folkdance Company, what regions you have experience with, what regions you want to learn about more, and what additional skills would you like to contribute (ex. sewing skills, flyer design, etc)
Video links of your performances of the following two combos:
1. Saidi Combo
Saidi Music file
2. Lebanese Dabke Combo
Lebanese Dabke Music file
Please do not send video files directly.
If you have any questions, email qabilafoundation@gmail.com.
Thank you again for your support and interest! Happy dancing!
Happy holidays from the Qabila Folkdance Co!!!
Our new Seattle Chapter was proud to have their debut performance as a part of Stefanie Mari’s “Evergreen Hafla”, a show dedicated to the Washington State bellydance community. We hope you enjoy this brand new performance created especially for film!
