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Artwork © copyright 1997 by JenJai.
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BEACH BLANKET BELEDI 2009
Celebrating sixteen years of oceanfront fun!
** Classes & Schedule Subject to Change **
Beach Blanket Beledi
is an annual seminar and dance party held in Nags Head, NC,
on Columbus Day weekend. The fifteenth annual event is on
October 9-10, 2009. The
focus of Beach Blanket Beledi is that dance is serious fun.
The emphasis is on
creativity, exploration, and innovation.
For more information, go to:
Classes, Dance Party,
Schedule, Location,
Cost, Registration.
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CLASSES
Beach Blanket Beledi offers three classes in three different, but often
complementary, subjects that are guaranteed to pique your interest
and expand your dance horizons.
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Artemis
Artemis (MD) has been dancing, teaching, and researching dance
history worldwide for over 25 years. Her research has been used by
Egyptian universities, the Middle East Institute in Washington,DC, and
the Library for the Performing Arts in New York. Her workshops showcase
her spirited and articulate technique, and present valuable background
on the history and culture behind the dance.
Artemis has an M.A. in psychology, an M.S.W. in social work (with
specialized studies in cross cultural awareness) and has done postgraduate
work in dance movement therapy.She was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Her research is used by Egyptian universities, the Middle East Institute in
Washington, D.C. and the Library for the Performing Arts in New York.
She has lectured, taught and/or performed for Cornell University and Princeton
University, National Public Radio (NPR), Voice of America and in Spain, England,
France, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Canada, Japan, Greece, Turkey and in
29 states within the United States. Artemis is a member of the Society of
Folk Dance Historians.
Artemis is listed in the International Dance Council (CID) Who's Who of Dance.
Her photograph can be found in the International Encyclopedia of Dance under
the listing for "danse du ventre" (which translates to "Belly dance") which
is produced by the Oxford University Press. She has won the "Ethnic Dancer
of the Year Award" presented by the International Academy of Middle Eastern
Dance (IAMED) and has won the "Most Popular Ethnic Dancer Award" from
Zaghareet Magazine twice. Artemis has also won their "Lifetime Achievment Award."
Artemis will be teaching Ancient Dances, featuring her research and reconstruction
of the timeless and spiritual ancient dances of Egypt, Crete, Greece, and/or Rome.
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Donna Mejia
Donna Mejia is a choreographer, lecturer, teacher, administrator, and performer specializing
in contemporary dance, traditions of the Arab and African Diaspora, and new fusion traditions in world
electronica. Donna is one of a handful of artists authorized to instruct the Brazilian Silvestre Modern
Dance Technique (an esoteric, codified system of contemporary dance technique). For twelve years she
served as managing director of the award-winning Harambee African Dance Ensemble of CU-Boulder.
She taught at Colorado College for 10 years and was Director of the Colorado College International
Summer Dance Festival for the last half of her term. Donna was hired by Smith College in 2006 as
Guest Artist in Residence to teach a variety of history, theory and technique courses for a
three-year residency. Her choreography projects at Smith have been critically hailed as "astonishing",
featuring "exceptional ability and dramatic contortions","enthralling" and
"refreshingly different". She continues
to teach, choreograph and perform Modern dance, Improvisation, Hip Hop, Jazz, Arab-American Tribal
Fusion and traditional dances of the African Diaspora for colleges, private organizations and dance
festivals internationally. Donna shares her life with husband, Shatta (educator, poet and musician);
and daughter, Ajah.
Donna will be teaching Global Fusion, an exploration of the inevitable transformation of
old and new dance traditions. She takes on the sensitive issues of translating and dialoging with the
signature values of classical traditions, both in movement integrity and choreographic intention.
With her usual candor, clarity and humor, Donna will teach a vigorous, methodical, technically
intriguing class offering her interpretation of fusion rooted in over 28 years of study and
scholarship in dance traditions of the globe.
Participants should wear clothing permitting free range of movement (including inversions
and floor work). Yoga mats are recommended.
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Chelydra
Chelydra has been a student of middle eastern dance since 1978,
and began performing professionally in 1981. She was the artistic director
of the Caravan East dance troupe from 1981-1997, and has performed and taught dances of
North Africa and the Middle East
at the award-winning Fields DanceStudio since
1985. A current contributing author to Zaghareet! magazine, she
is also the producer of the No Frills series of instructional
videos. In 2004, her Andalusian-Moroccan Romany choreography was one of the entries selected to be
featured in the Old Dominion University Local Choreographer's Showcase, and in 2006, a
ghawazee duet choreographed by both Chelydra and Aegela was chosen for showcase presentation.
Chelydra presents authentic folk dances of the Middle East and North Africa along with modern folkloric
fusion adaptations, including a tap-dancing melaya leff, a hip-hop khaleegy, and a techno ghawazee.
She considers dancing to be serious fun.
Chelydra will be presenting Mood Swings, tips and techniques for changing the character of
steps to present different moods and personalities, adding depth to your musical interpretation.
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Dance Party
The stars are out at the beach, and the stars are YOU! The evening dance party is a
great time to try out your latest & greatest costume
and choreography. Have you always wanted to try something just a little bit different -
but never had the right setting? This is it! Be experimental! Be daring! Be playful!
The dance party is open to the first sixteen registrants who volunteer by the preregistration
deadline. Time limit is seven minutes (but remember, less is sometimes
more).
To be fair to everyone, if you request multiple performances, only one will be
scheduled. A request for a second performance will be honored on a space-available
basis after the preregistration deadline.
You must register for the seminar to qualify for a place in the programme.
SCHEDULE
| Subject To Change |
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| Time | Activity |
| Friday, October 9 |
| 8:00-9:30 PM | Welcome Wagon & Swap Sale |
$5 per swap space |
| Saturday, October 10 |
| 9:30-10:30 | Registration |
| 10:30-12:00 | Ancient Dances | Artemis |
| 12:00-1:00 | Lunch (On your own; due to time constraints,
brown bag is recommended) |
| 1:00-2:30 | Global Fusion | Donna Mejia |
| 2:45-4:15 | Mood Swings | Chelydra |
| 8:00-?? | Dance Party | Bring a snack to share! |
LOCATION
Beach Blanket Beledi is held at the Comfort Inn South
Oceanfront at milepost 17 on the Beach Road in Nags Head, NC. For reservations,
call 1-800-334-3302.
Be sure to specify Beach Blanket Beledi when you call to get the special seminar rate!
Room rates are $68 soundside/$76 oceanside for 1-2 persons. Add $10 each for a
third or fourth person. At the current time, room tax is 13%.
Reservations must be cancelled
48 hours in advance, or a 1-night stay will be charged.
Check-in time is 4 PM; check-out is 11 AM. No more than
four persons per room are allowed by the local fire/safety code.
The hotel is usually full over the holiday weekend, so call early
to guarantee you get the room you want. Reserve rooms by
Friday, 9/18/2009, or rate and availability are not
guaranteed. The hotel frequently sells out over this weekend, so don't procrastinate.
The nearest airports to Nags Head are Norfolk International (ORF) and
Newport News/Williamsburg International (PHF). A rental car is required to
reach Nags Head.
COST
The fee for the seminar and dance party is $65 if registration is received
by 09/18/2009, and $75 after that date. Groups of five registering together receive
a $5 per-registration discount.
Additional dance party guests are $5/$2 (adults/children).
REGISTRATION
Registration is not available on-line. To obtain a registration form,
email or write to the address in the footer, or download a PDF copy of the
flyer.
(Adobe Acroread is required. The download may take some time to complete
even after the Acroread window opens.)
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