Purchase tickets: https://matchouston.org/events/2022/moroccan-dance-live-0
Award winning choreographer/performer Kristina Koutsoudas will be presenting a program of joyous traditional, indigenous, and contemporary dances of Morocco in her latest performance, Moroccan Dance Live, at the Houston Fringe Festival on Thursday, November 3 at 7:30pm. Ancestors of ancient Berber fertility dances, these high-energy dance styles and ceremonies, combine movements of powerful, subtle, hip technique, with high-speed turns, expressive gestures and dynamic expression to create unique, beautiful dances unlike any other. Traditionally performed by professional Romangi (Chikaat) entertainers and urban residents (cha’abi style), Kristina is joined by Egyptian dancer Elishaba and community dance artists in this unusual program in which the audience are encouraged to be active participants. (Read all about Elishaba here http://banatbellydance.com/). With stories, tea, sweets, and ritual, dancers bring to life the spirit of the culture from which the dances spring and bring audiences together to experience that communal spirit as a village whole. Rarely seen in the US, the performance includes a Moroccan Chikaat tambourine dance, cha’abi (street style) social dances, a Chikaat tea tray dance, and a ritual dance. Joyous, creative, spiritual, and engaging, the dance concert is filled with new works and surprises. Moroccan Dance Live! is funded in part from a grant through the City of Houston, the Houston Arts Alliance, and Dance Source Houston.
As the institutions and ideologies of modern Moroccan culture significantly change, the dances , and those who perform it, are slowly becoming relics of a bygone era, barely relevant to the modern world, and in danger of disappearing. Furthermore, with negative images of the Middle East and North Africa besieging the public, audiences do not often get a chance to view the beautiful art, especially traditional/indigenous art, much less to see it live and in person. Many of the dances performed have not been accessible to the public. Kristina, known for her authentic cultural dance representations, seeks not only to demonstrate her mastery of its complex form, but also to embody the original intent of the dance, the ecstasy and uplifting, “the transcendence of spirit through the dance.” Come see for yourself!
Chikaat I: Mach Mach, Chikaat II, Hawel Hawel, and Chikaat III - Lalla Fatima are a trio of works interpreting traditions of the Moroccan chikaat dancer of the traveling people of Morocco. While previously performed only in private settings, today these dances are performed in commercial settings for entertainment purposes. Lively and fun, the dancer’s physical skill is often overlooked by her expressiveness and ability to engage an audience. Chikaat comes from the word “cheikha” meaning “wise woman’ i.e., wise not just in counsel but in the ways of fertility. All three dances originate from ancient fertility Berber dance rituals yet each dance also emphasizes different elements of culture. Chikaat 1: Mach Mach, is a tambourine dance, (based on contemporary Chikaat dances performed in urban areas) celebrates the tradition of Chikaat dancers performing in the marketplace for which the tambourine gathers attention to their performance; the lively Chikaat II: Hawel Hawel, incorporates meditative and healing movements of trance possession rituals together with expressive street cha’abi dance and meaningful gestures, and Chikaat III, highlights the social customs and hospitality demonstrated in the contemporary settings of Chikaat performers, in tea houses, with a tea tray dance. Performed to the music of Chalaf Hassan, this traditional Moroccan piece demonstrates the dancer’s skill as she dances balancing a tea tray, with tea set, on her head. [
Chikaat IV is a ritual Chikaat piece, a sama or ceremony most often, if not always, performed in private for the purpose of prayer and healing. Introduced with instrumental improvisation, the music continues in a repetitive, circular, and percussive manner, often for hours (though not in this performance) to encourage the dancer to fully engage with the rhythm and restore her spirit. In this performance, the ceremony will be kept short. Incense and candlelight will accompany the dancer, as well as rose petals. In addition, the dancer demonstrates her skill by keeping up the constant, subtle hip shimmy, characteristic of certain traditional Berber dances, throughout the dance’s duration. When called, the dancer emphasizes this connection with the earth with meaningful gestures and whirling, even balancing a tray of offering on her head.
Cha’abi : Social dances performed spontaneously for entertainment at a party, wedding or other holiday/coming of age ceremony, or just for fun, in one’s bedroom or living room in everyday life. Basic movements stem from traditional dance steps; however, the dancer’s personality and creativity is expressed through the improvisational nature of the form. Dancers often make up the unique gestures and movement combinations that they perform on the spot, moving both in place or across the floor. Fellow dancers often follow a dancer’s lead, in the style of traditional call-response, before leading the group themselves. Alternatively, dancers perform movements in unison or together, depending on the mood. Individuals, who dance together, listen and watch each other closely for cues for when to lead and follow, often appearing as if they have rehearsed. This piece(s) have additional community members performing alongside both Kristina and Elishaba.