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You
have to go! If you are reading this, you might even need to go.
This may be exactly what you're craving along your path in dance
and music. This event is the only one of its kind, anywhere. It
is quite different than any other retreat, workshop or camp I have
ever been to or heard of. And, folks, I've been to many. I've staffed
and sponsored many. There really is no comparison. The value gained
from attendance here far outweighs the expense, which is below or
at the industry standard in comparison to other choices offered
that are even close to this in my opinion (and that of the approximately
250 people who attend each year). For more information, please refer
to a previous and differently-styled review I wrote about this event
that appeared in Habibi Magazine about three years ago.
How
do I describe verbally an event that is so far beyond the written
word? That is so experiential, subjective, visceral and different
from our usual realm of experience in daily life? I can only hope
that my attempt at words for this will give you some semblance of
the actual feeling one gets from this incredible Camp.
I could go on (and on) about how wonderful and talented the staff
is, and how they hail from countries throughout the MidEast as well
as America and Europe. I could mention that there is no other place
in the world that you could find them all together, all at one time
- teaching, playing and dancing like this. I could go on about how
creative and open the participants are that this event attracts,
and how we become a strong, loving community by mid-week. I could
definitely rave on about the tremendously high quality of music
one hears all day every day while there, and especially in the evening
concerts. Music so heavenly, so full of emotion that you may think
you were not in California at all. Instead you are in Turkey one
night partying down in Istanbul, another night meditating in Konya.
Later you will go, as if by magic carpet, to Armenia, Greece, and
to Egypt for a full orchestra. Stop off in Lebanon, Syria, Saudi
Arabia and the Gulf, and the United Arab Emirates. Why not enjoy
an evening of soulful fusion music, flavored from the MidEast and
spiced with a bit of jazz for good measure. Are you the type of
person who likes to dance to this wondrous music? Just can't sit
still while it's playing? No worries! Most of us are right there
with you, and there is enough open floor to wear out even the hardiest
camper. Did I mention you will hear not one pre-recorded note? All
music here is live, not "Memorex." The only exception to this is
in some of the dance classes, and then during the class and at the
week's end recital only.
How
about the fabulous classes in music and dance from all over the
Middle East? I could attempt to describe each one, but my descriptions
would fall short of the real thing. Did you know you can study pretty
much any instrument you can think of that comes from most any Middle
Eastern country while there? And in various levels of skill from
beginning to advanced? Things like zurna, mizmar, tambourine, riq,
oud, baglama, saz, Arabic percussion, kanun, violin, nay, clarinet,
saxophone, davul, bouzouki, Middle Eastern drumming on any type
of drum from frame to hand styles, makam, music theory - even instrument
making and repair are among the many offerings. Don't see your instrument
of choice listed in the brochure? Come, and bring it anyway. Chances
are extremely good that you will find someone there who will be
glad to help you learn it.
You could decide you'd also like to learn more about ensemble playing
- and then participate in one before the end of the week. As far
as dance goes, you could discover folk dances, line dances, social
dances and dance for solo or group performance.
Imagine watching dancers that transport you to another place, maybe
even to another time. Precise Persian, macho Zeybekiko, whirling
Semasens, robust Romani styles, playful Turkish folk and oryantal,
sultry Egyptian, veilwork and American cabaret, coy Khaleji, delicate
Armenian, Azeri, Uzbek, definite debke from Lebanon, and more, more,
more. Finally, a place where men can feel as at home as the women
in dance classes. And, he can learn any style he chooses - masculine
or feminine. Same for women. Yes! Men can, and DO dance! (In the
Middle East and here). Women can dance. Children can dance and learn
music at Camp as well. Here we can all dance and play together,
and be unashamed and unconcerned about perceived differences.
There are some other things that are possible here that may not
be everywhere else, and I feel it is at least partly because this
Camp is on American soil. You will find as little judgement as could
be found in any Utopia in regards to religion, clothing, dreadlocks,
wildly colored hair or very plain hair, length of hair, tattoos,
piercings, ancestry, age, lifestyle, gender, race, diet, command
of the English language or of any other language, skill, ability,
knowledge or lack of any of the above. Here qualities that count
far more than these external trappings mentioned are personal merit,
honesty, unconditional love, joy, patience, kindness, open-mindedness,
understanding and your sharing of the above.
Ever wish to raise your voice in song? How about in Arabic, Persian,
Turkish or another language? Are you into learning about the rich
and varied traditions, culture and history of these many countries
whose music and dance we love? How about more recent innovations
both in this country and in indigenous countries in this field of
living, evolving art? Pure? Fusion? All of the above are here.
Get to Camp only to discover you forgot your hip scarf? Decide once
there that you'd like to learn flute or play shenai? Gherhabas?
Tablas? Zills? What if you signed up for the Mother Earth Cabaret
dancer's lottery for campers and you left your costume at home?
No worries. Camp has vendors and purveyors of most anything you
may desire.
Ever wonder what traditional folkloric costuming looks like? Interpretive
fashions? Authentic? The difference? Check out the fashion shows!
They're part of the evening concerts in the main dance hall. Have
a unique costume? You can bring it and participate, too. Are you
a member of a band or performance troupe? Why not schedule a show
for your group? Every year there are group and solo performances
by campers, too. This year we also had firedancers - what an intense
treat they were. Your experience and enjoyment of Camp can vary
depending on the amount of participation or observance you may choose.
It is up to you, there are no rules. You can do all of the time
or part of the time, you can watch others who do, you can learn
to do, you can choose to take entire days off and not do. Swim,
sleep, shop in Mendocino, walk the beaches, visit the amazing and
powerful being known as "The Big Tree." Even get a chair massage,
Reiki or Breema bodywork treatment. You are free. You have choices.
Sometimes too many!
Classes are held at the rate of at least 13 dance classes, 28 or
so music classes and 2 or 3 singing classes to choose from per day.
Most classes are an hour long. All classes are held between the
hours of 9:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Decisions are tough, and rightfully
so. It does give us another reason to come back next year..... and
I'd rather have too many choices than not enough, personally.
Music and dance concerts go from 8:00 p.m. until ? There is no formal
ending time. That depends upon what's going on. We had two separate
fire pits, two sides of the Cabaret Hall going, and an extra platform
provided by the coffee booth for jams, alternate creative outlets
and some organized entertainment. This is all after hours, folks
- starting about 11:00 p.m. This year Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
nights were all-nighters for many folks. Others managed to tear
themselves away anywhere from 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Typically,
those are the most active nights at Camp. By then the energy and
flow is high, at the peak of the week for those days. If you can
only attend part-time, those would be the days to go, in my opinion.
Some folks who come for their first time do not bring what they
need to ensure their total comfort. All registrants do receive a
written list of things to bring, but many do not heed it. As your
reviewer, I want to mention that it is very important to bring all
the items listed! Especially warm clothing, sturdy shoes, flashlight
and a warm sleeping bag. I suggest wearing layers of clothing if
your cabin or campsite is not near the main area. Bring a bag in
which you can haul items like tape recorders, cameras, hip scarves,
dancing shoes, notebooks, etc. If you have a small folding chair,
bring it! They can be very handy. If you are not an "outdoorsy"
type, you will really want to make sure you do everything possible
for yourself and your mental, emotional, and physical health so
that your experience is the best possible one for you.
You are allowed to freely record all music and dance performances.
You may make audio and video recordings as you desire. Sometimes
people who do this offer compilations of their work to participants
after Camp has ended for the cost of materials and shipping. This
is an extremely valuable way to record for future edification your
experiences at Camp. It can help you to recall the wonderment you
felt while there. Not to mention the songs and dances! Imagine the
cost of locating and buying this quality of recorded music or dance
videos, even IF they were available!
Don't have any money but sincerely wish to attend? There is hope!
Each year a limited number of full and part time work scholarships
are awarded. You could serve by helping in the kitchen, keeping
the trash containers and restrooms clean, or by any number of tasks
assigned to you. As mentioned before, entire families can come.
No need to leave the little ones at home. Remember you can sign
up by the day if you cannot attend for the whole week. Of course,
it is all best assimilated if you can. And it's very hard to drag
yourself away while it's still happening! Attendance of the entire
week is definitely my recommendation. That will give you a better
chance to become part of the community that evolves on a more personal
level. Then you will understand what I am trying to tell you in
your heart, not with your head only. I feel the most important things
learned and shared at Camp are not in the realm of the mind, but
in that of the spirit. Which is where life's true gifts are found.
Classes I had the pleasure of attending this year were those of
Elizabeth Artemis Mourat, who taught Turkish Oriental and Turkish
Romani dance, Tayyar Akdeniz's Turkish folk dance class and some
of Elena Lentini's Middle Eastern dance classes.
Artemis has always been one of my all-time favorite instructors.
I've taken several workshops with her over the years and have sponsored
workshops with her three times. So, yes, I'm biased! I love Artie,
and think she is one of this nation's best treasures, especially
where Turkish dance forms and dance history are concerned. Artemis'
parents were Greeks from Izmir, Turkey. She travels the world frequently
conducting research. She's been to Turkey seven times. Some of the
things that have always impressed me most about Artemis as a teacher
is that she is extremely well versed in knowledge of the subject
matter, her handouts are small books they are so thorough, and her
humor and down-to-earth qualities make learning from her fun. She
explains things very well and has very strong personal ethics, especially
in regards to calling dance forms what they are. She knows the difference
between styles and teaches that very well. She also encourages students
to try anything as long as they call it by it's proper name. If
it's an interpretation, that's great, just don't say it's authentic.
As a performer, Artie is unmatched in alacrity and grace. Her zills
are like speeding bullets and her moves are amazingly athletic in
true Turkish style, yet playful and with meaning. When she "becomes"
the Romni (a married Romani woman) in performance, her gestures
"will melt the stone" spoken of by a European traveler to Turkey
in the history portion of her lectures.
Another rare gem is Tayyar. Having danced with the Turkish State
Folk Ensemble and performed dance and music in Turkey, the U.S.
and abroad for 25 years, he has an incredible amount of knowledge
to share. He's lived in the U.S. since 1989 and now directs the
Turkish Fine Arts Ensemble in New York. I have taken Tayyar's classes
several times. I noticed this year how hard he's been working as
a teacher for Americans. He has really improved since the first
class I took with him, which was still wonderful but was harder
to catch onto the material in. Now he's far more patient, thorough
and clear in his explanations. He's learned English very well now,
too, which makes things easier when there's no interpreter! If you
ever get a chance to come to Camp or study with Tayyar elsewhere,
do so. And bring your stamina!
I was only able to attend two of Elena Lentini's classes. Elena
is from New York as well, and was a principal dancer in the Ibrahim
Farrah Near East Dance Group. One day I was in class she was explaining
how to take on the characteristics of other creatures to enhance
your dance. Our focus was on snakes that hour. Elena deftly demonstrated
many moves and had us follow her while we tried them on for fit.
I got so much out of just watching her and hearing her explanations.
She has a unique style and way of getting ideas across that resonated
with me. I like the snake techniques she shared and some of them
have already cropped up in performance and practice for me while
dancing since!
Knowing
you may like to hear more about this Camp than my experience of
it, I asked a few folks at random during the week for their personal
impressions.
"For years I've been attending Balkan Camps on both coasts. Years!
I thought they were â'it' for me. This is my first year here, and
already I see I have been wasting my time at the other camps. I've
learned more useful things here in the first three days of this
Camp than in all my years at the others. This is where I want to
be. Wow. At least I'm here now. Too bad it took me so long to figure
it out!"~ anonymous musician from MD.
Lee, San Juan Capistrano, CA. Second year camper: "Rather than being
a geographic place, this is a mental space. Each person brings with
them their own knowledge and longing for a world that they wish
existed. Because I believe we all, in the Middle Eastern life -
I call it â 'The Life' - want something to exist.... we want a perfection
that doesn't exist. Especially those of us who have been in the
dance for many years have a nostalgia. We remember something that
doesn't exist, especially now, in the current age of Egyptian cabaret
and the â'Egyptian Nazi Regime.' I think we're bringing with us
a mental space, a hope, a desire that definitely comes true here
in moments. But those moments are only punctuated by moments of
agony, because the place is a juncture between agony and ecstasy.
You're camping, so you're uprooted from all of your paradigms, all
of your physical creature comforts. You're lost, you're cold, you
can't find anything - and there are moments when you wonder why
you're here. And then that moment will be followed by an ecstatic
message from God that says â'THIS is PRECISELY WHY YOU are HERE!'
in no uncertain terms."
"I'm taking a lot of drumming classes. This is my first year, but
my Dad has been here lots before. I'm studying the dumbek with Salah
and Souhael. I took a dance class. It was pretty cool, I enjoyed
it. I really like the ensemble class I'm taking with Souren. He's
really classical. He plays the clarinet, and he's just so humble.
It always comes out so beautiful. He's really strict about keeping
everybody in place. Like the drums - he keeps everyone very solid.
Which is great for me as a drummer, ‘cause when I sit back and
watch drummers, every drummer has a tendency to rip. You saw Souhael
(in performance) last night! He's a madman. So Souren's class is
good because it teaches discipline. If you're silent, and still
get the notes clear, you can hear everybody - which is rare. All
you have to do is tone down and you can hear every little separate
piece of the whole. I can tell he's classically trained. He's kinda
old and he's really sweet, though, and just has a gentle way."~
William, from West Marin County, CA.
"Will's my son. He said a lot of what I feel, too. The Camp is very
nourishing. If you have creative energy and you want to express
yourself, this is a good place to come, because you're really supported
by the energy here. I think it's very intense and it can challenge
you to really want to perfect yourself each year when you come back
again to experience with your other friends. It's a good coming
togther and sharing here." ~ Patrick, West Marin County, CA.
"This is my probably my sixth year. I love to come back for many
different reasons, but one of the main reasons for myself is that
is I am half Middle Eastern. I can come here and be immersed in
my culture, and not only mine, but all the varied cultures of the
Middle East. It's a very, very profound, very deep experience for
me. It's just so beautiful for me. I don't get this anywhere that
I live, where I can have all of this. And the concerts, the food,
the people. So it feeds me on a soul level and that's why I come
back. I have many friends that I like to see year after year - it's
always a joy to see what's new. It's always very inspiring for me
whenever I come up here. I come away with new ideas, things I want
to do when I get back home. Mainly, the Camp feeds me, and that's
why I come back." ~ Liza Vosbigian, Los Angeles, CA.
Rosalia, from Eureka, CA said, "I'm taking Georges' violin class,
the debke class with Hassan and I'm working in the kitchen for over
six hours every day. I get up around 7:00 a.m. to shower and serve
breakfast. I take the debke class at 9:30 and then the violin class
from 10:45 - 12:45. After lunch I work from 3:00 until around 9:30.
That's because I'm a full-time scholarship camper. The classes are
really, really fun, and they're both something that I'm new at.
I'm used to doing sort of a westernized style of bellydancing, and
I play Irish fiddle. The Arabic tuning was new and really hard!
I just figured it out this afternoon!" (Cheers in the background)......
This year one of the bellydance teachers was Rayhana from New York.
I asked her to share some thoughts and background about herself.
"I teach and dance in New York. I do study with a lot of people.
This is really different for me, to be out here in the forest. I
feel like Little Red Riding Hood! But the really nice part is the
community feeling. That's one. The classes. There's so many, one
right after the other, so many choices. So many different talented
people. It's wonderful to be able to take all those classes without
getting on a train or in my car. I love the atmosphere, the community
mealtime. Another thing I like about it is the music classes and
classes for musicians. There's a real balance because when there's
too many dancers it becomes somehow lopsided, and tensions run.
I'm not really sure why, but that's what I've noticed in workshops.
So there's a real balance here. Of course having males and females
helps. Certainly hearing the concerts every night with so many fabulous
musicians is great. In my opinion, they should be a separate admission
fee, they're so good! I thought about that the other night while
I was dancing, how it really is something extra. Then to go up to
the Cabaret and see dancers! I've been coming here three years.
The first year, on the first night I cried in my cabin. I'm not
a very outdoors person. There's moonlight, no electricity, no bathtub,
and I thought, ‘how am I gonna live?' But I made it, and the next
day, as soon as I went to classes, I got over it. Last year I felt
better about coming, as I knew what to expect and what to bring
with me. This year, I didn't know how I'd be received teaching,
and the people have been just wonderful and cooperative. There's
a lot of really talented dancers here." I asked Rayhana to tell
us about the classes she's teaching. "I taught a veil number that
I choreographed to a contemporary Egyptian piece of music, 'Ghalbi
Mali.' Normally, an Egyptian would not use a veil throughout the
whole piece, so this is something that's Americanized. The song
is about a man who left a woman and doesn't know what happened to
his heart. He says he ‘no longer has it, and I just don't understand
what happened.' So she's not being very faithful during the dance
because she knows. The dance is playful and once in a while she
socks it to him. I'm also teaching floorwork in a more freestyle
format. I'm teaching everything, basically, that I do when I do
floorwork. And, if anyone has any questions about what they do,
say in one of their own routines, I help them individually. The
floorwork is pretty intense but it's a lot of fun and I think I've
moved into every possible position on the floor during our time."
Jenny Fremont from WA and first-year camper from WY, Julia Patel/Majoun,
told me about Elena's classes. Jenny's favorite word to describe
Elena is "Lyrical!" Julia says, "The class was unlike any other
bellydancer's I've ever had because it tunes into the spiritual
essence which turns into producing your own power and expressing
in ways unlike cabaret, unlike tribal, unlike anything I've ever
seen before. It's got some modern, some fusion, but it's totally
Elena. She's an icon and there is nothing like her." "She's way
ahead of her time," Jenny interjected. Julia continues: "She uses
the breath, she uses all the elements, she becomes anthropomorphic......
she never criticizes or corrects. Everything is up to your own interpretation.
She does things on and off the beat. She brings into the dance a
pounce, a voracity - other times the feline and the feminine." Jenny:
"She could just walk across the room - I mean, just walk, and make
you feel like an idiot." Julia: "Not an idiot, a Goddess!" Kajira:
"Well, one person's idiot is another person's Goddess!" (Unbridled
giggling)... Back to Jenny: "I like when she told us about being
in Bobby Farrah's class and how he just let her be. She was the
one in the corner, not doing anything the way anyone else did it,
and she's like, ‘I don't know why, he just let me be.'" "She has
never compromised her spirit in all these years. She's never sold
out. She's followed her own head and I admire her for that," said
Julia. "That's what she said about us. She said ‘I'm gonna let
you be. I'm not the kind of teacher that interjects. You guys are
all like butterflies. Why would I want to teach you how to fly?"
Jenny recalls. "The way she describes steps is great. She would
break it down fairly fast. Then she'd say ‘it's like an ahh,'
or a ‘umpf,' you know, (Jenny is miming moves as she talks). ‘Just
feel that line of energy.' She'd point to her chest and say ‘it's
all about here,' or ‘here.' Simple, lyrical movements with elegant
lines..... so hard to do!" About the Camp experience in general,
she said she "didn't realize how taxing Camp would be on my body.
The intensity of each workshop, one after the other. The first day
I took classes the whole day. The second day I did everything but
one. For the past three days I've done five each day."
"It's great watching all the different levels of performers. It's
such a non-judgmental crowd that everyone has a good time," commented
Elizabeth Artemis Mourat of MD. "It's like being in the Middle East,
but you can't tell which country you're in! And, it has all the
best parts of those countries without any of the hardship or less
pleasant aspects of travel."
"It's very interesting that all these people come from all these
different points on the planet and converge in this one little place
in the woods in Mendocino. Perhaps these are old souls who've lived
before in the Middle East and this is still a picture in their space,
it's familiar to them, and that's what draws people here." "Otherwise
why would all these Americans and people from other places be drawn
to something so foreign to them and their culture in this lifetime?
Drawn to sounds and music that makes other people you know go ‘ick!'
and cover their ears, yet to us it's always been beautiful. The
jewelry, the textiles, the way people dress. This isn't all learned
behavior. This is much older than this lifetime." "The odd rhythms,
at least to American ears, and the turbans - everything that people
here do so well, I think it's because it's familiar to us." ~ two
anonymous self-described "new agers"and experienced Mendocino Middle
Eastern Music and Dance Campers.
Other stellar dance teachers this year included the lovely Helene
Eriksen, an American who now resides in Germany. Helene is beautiful,
giving, very well researched and traveled, and has an astounding
array of dance offerings to share. During one of her performances
of Persian dance she executed the single most amazing backbend from
standing to the floor and back up again that I have ever witnessed.
This year Helene taught Armenian and Khaleji dances.
Robyn Friend is the only women's solo dance form instructor at Camp
who returns as a teacher annually. Other teachers (except some of
the music and folk dance teachers) are changed over the years for
variety in offerings. Robyn also teaches Persian and Turkish singing.
Her dance focus is classical Persian style, and this year she placed
emphasis on posture, alignment and hands. Robyn is well-trained
in Pilates, and shares the benefits of this training with her students
in class. She is an exquisite performer of this genre; precise,
delicate - very alive and engaging.
L'Emir Hassan Harfouche is from Lebanon and he's the debke teacher.
A great performer, his classes always sound like so much fun. I
can hear their exuberant stomping and yelling from my campsite in
the morning. What a great way to start the day!
Joe Kaloyanides Graziozi teaches Greek folk dance. His class recitals
always make me wish I had more hours in each day at Camp so I could
take one of his classes as well. Joe seems like a very personable
and gentle guy, he knows what he's talking about, and he and his
students always seem to be having fun.
Music teachers included Souren Baronian (tambourine, ensemble),
Necati Celik (oud, baglama), Souhael Caspar (Arabic percussion/tabla),
Halil Karaduman (kanun), Georges Lammam (violin, Arabic singing),
Elias Lammam (Arabic ensemble), Hank Levin (instrument making and
repair), Haig Manookian (oud), Scott Marcus (maqam and nay), Naser
Musa (oud), Rowan Storm (drumming, frame and other), Salaheddin
Takesh (drumming/darbuka), Hamid (zurna) and Ergun Tamer (maqam
and saz). Someone else who cannot go without mention is the Camp's
organizer, Joshkun Tamer. He's a humble man who prefers to remain
behind the scenes, but during the evening shows you can find him
playing alongside his colleagues. Since I am not a musician, I cannot
comment on the instrument classes, but as a dancer I can comment
on the music..... and these folks can play! They can take you to
heaven and let you back down gently onto the earth with a breath,
a flick of the wrists or a pluck of the strings. True shamans, all
of them.
For more information regarding this phenomenon known as Middle Eastern
Music and Dance Camp, write to the same at: 3244 Overland Ave.,
No.1, Los Angeles, CA. 90034. Check out the website, too: www.middleeastcamp.com
or call Joshkun at: (310) 838-5471. He can be emailed as well: joshkuntamer@msn.com
Kajira Djoumahna is from northern California. She teaches several
regular Tribal bellydance classes weekly, directs the troupâ United
We Dance, and instructs workshops in the form nationally and internationally.
A well-rounded performer, she enjoys many ethnic dance styles, traditional
and not. Kajira has attended this Camp since 1993.
~end~
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