***POSTPONED***

Sample the beautiful, rich cultures of North Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) through Dances of the Maghreb: A Taste of Culture.  In this solo program, dance artist and storyteller Kristina Koutsoudas alternates endangered dances with stories, poetry, and discussion to bring to life the spirit of the culture from which they spring.  These beautiful, artistic traditions are rarely seen in the US.  Dances include Moroccan shikaat, Algerian Kabyle, and Tunisian folkloric dance.  The audience will also have the opportunity to learn a dance. The dance concert is filled with new works.

Besieged from the media with negative images of the Middle East and North Africa, the general public does not often get a chance to view the beautiful art of this region. In addition, many of the dances performed have not often been made accessible to the general public. Koutsoudas, known for her authentic cultural dance representations, is seeking to embody the original intent of the dance of these people “the transcendence of spirit through the dance.” In danger of disappearing through the movements of the modern world, the dances are slowly becoming relics of a bygone era.

Mach Mach, Shikaat I & Shikaat II are a trio of works interpreting the traditions of the Moroccan shikaat dancer, of the traveling people of Morocco.  While previously performed in private settings, today these dances are performed in commercial settings to entertain audiences.  Lively and fun, the dancer’s physical skill l is often overlooked by her expressiveness and ability to engage an audience. Shikaat comes from the word “sheikha” meaning “wise woman’ i.e., wise not just in counsel but in the ways of fertility. All three dances originate from ancient fertility dance rituals yet each dance also emphasizes different elements of culture. Mach Mach, a tambourine dance, highlights entertainment; Shikaat I incorporates meditative and healing movements of trance possession rituals, and Shikaat II, highlights social customs and hospitality with a tea tray dance. Performed to the music of Chalaf Hassan, this traditional Moroccan piece has a contemporary twist with the dancer balancing a tea tray on her head.  Following the dance, a discussion of tea and its role in culture ensues, including the roles of stories and storytelling. Funny and thought provoking stories are told to illuminate the custom.

Tunisian Danse, a very lively, traditional dance from Tunisia, features the compelling hip technique that defines the style. In this dance, the dancer engages the audience in a way similar to a bride engaging her prospective bridegrooms whom she does not marry, a custom common to the Bedouin. (After all, the bride will have her whole life to dance with her husband and only this night to dance with the others!)

Kabyle Rose is a revision of the original piece performed in Koutsoudas’ program Nour-an-Nisa: The Light of Femininity which premiered at the Rothko Chapel in 2011.  While the original was performed with seven dancers with six sections, and almost fifteen minutes of run time, this Algerian scarf/fertility dance is now adapted for a solo performance with movements highlighting the fertility of the land as well as the people. Traditionally performed by women, the piece highlights the subtle femininity of women, their grace and power, by simultaneously performing incredibly intricate hip technique and the counterpoint of scarf gestures. 

Audience members will then be encouraged to learn and perform a dance after the final piece. 

ABOUT Kristina Koutsoudas

Artistic Director/Performer Kristina Koutsoudas celebrates 20 years of artistic excellence and recognition in Houston, Texas. Her unique programs serve a diverse population to foster creativity, compassion, community, and engagement. For two decades, she has committed herself to improving the quality of life for Houstonians through art. Kristina Koutsoudas’ primary focus is to provide Houstonians with opportunities to view world class cultural, traditional and contemporary dance and to participate in dance at any level.

Engaged in both traditional research and innovating performance and choreography, Kristina Koutsoudas interprets and presents traditional dance, especially women’s dances, of the East and Mediterranean, for contemporary audiences.   Kristina stages compelling and accessible new works that challenge, entertain uplift, and educate audiences. Her performances are powerful, joyful, and intimately human, connecting to both children and adults. 

Kristina is a rare, gifted combination of a choreographer, performer, researcher, and teacher of contemporary and folkloric dances of the Middle East and North Africa.  Recently awarded a Let Creativity Happen grant from the City of Houston and the Houston Arts Alliance for her North African dance performance, Dances of the Maghreb: A Taste of Culture, she was also just awarded her fifth Support for Artists and Creative Individuals grant, her first for literature, from the Houston Arts Alliance and the City of Houston. Kristina will be creating, “Inara and the World Tree: An Anthology of Tales” a collection of short stories based on the ancient Mesopotamian myths of Ishtar/Inanna with public readings to come this winter.

For ticket information click here: 

Check Bayou City Art Festival for stage location.