Join us in the Music City for a full weekend of immersive workshops in dance and sound healing inspired by the traditions of the Maghreb, guided by AMEL TAFSOUT.
Come ready to move, listen deeply, and experience a powerful journey of rhythm, connection, and renewal. WEEKEND AT A GLANCE- Friday night lecture, workshops, and a riveting showcase.
See workshop descriptions below and the weekend schedule here.
All registration and tickets are below. Guests may purchase showcase tickets separately.
Showcase performer applications accepted from Weekend Registrants only. Once you add this to your cart, you may also add your application to the cart. Choose all items you want, click “Add to Cart” for each item, fill out forms, if any, then proceed to your cart to complete payment.
Workshop Descriptions
Rahaba and Abdaoui: Dances of the Chaouia People
The Aurès Mountains of northeastern Algeria have long served as a sanctuary for Amazighpeoples. Throughout history, this region has been a stronghold of resistance, against the Roman Empire, the Vandals, the Byzantine Empire, and later Arab expansion. It is also the homeland of the legendary warrior-queen Dihya, known as al-Kahina, a visionary leader who resisted the Arab invasion of North Africa in the 7th century. The Chaouia (or Shawia) people, an Amazigh population native to this region, have preserved a rich and dynamic dance heritage. Among their traditions are two distinct forms: Rahaba and Abdaoui.
Rahaba
Derived from the Arabic word rahb (or tarhab in the Shawia dialect), meaning “welcome,” Rahaba is a communal dance performed in lines, with participants facing one another. The dancers, men, women, or mixed groups, move in unison to the rhythms of the gasba (reed flute), bendir (frame drum), and collective voice. Traditionally performed after the harvest, Rahaba celebrates the completion of agricultural labor and the joy of communal gathering. The dance is marked by brisk, rhythmic steps and a harmonious coordination between shoulder and leg movements. At times, the footwork becomes more intricate, with alternating strikes of the right and left foot, echoing the pulse of the earth.
Abdaoui
The Abdaoui dance, also known as ‘Abdawi, is a women’s dance rooted in fertility rituals and communal celebration. Its name is believed to derive from an ancestral figure, Sidi ‘Abed, and it is closely associated with the springtime Bendou festival, which honors the renewal of life and the fertility of the land. Traditionally performed by women, sometimes referred to as Aziyat (“women without men”), this dance is presented during weddings, rites of passage, and seasonal festivals. Dancing often in pairs, it embodies both grace and vitality. The movements are distinctive: the dancer glides across the ground with light, precise steps reminiscent of a partridge, hence the name tahjilt. She pauses to execute rhythmic foot patterns, alternating between toe and heel, while the head moves gently from side to side in horizontal alignment. The dance is accompanied by the gasba or zurna and the resonant rhythms of the bendir, creating a powerful dialogue between body and sound. In performance, this dance becomes a poetic expression of life’s cyclical nature, growth, renewal, and continuity. Amel Tafsout shares this vibrant tradition through a choreography inspired by the traditional “partridge” steps, thoughtfully adapted for the stage. Participants are encouraged to bring a long scarf or fabric to enhance the expressive quality of the movement.
Dancing to Raï Music with Choreography
Emerged in Algeria in the late 20th century as a bold fusion of traditional Bedouin melodies and modern musical influences. Emotional, vibrant, and often rebellious, Raï shares a kinship with the expressive depth of American blues and, more recently, the rhythmic innovation of hip-hop. This high-energy music inspires a dynamic dance language that blends improvisation with tradition. In her work, Amel Tafsout brings together multiple cultural threads: the fluid sensuality of Arab-Andalusian movement, the strength of Amazigh ancestral presence, the grounding rhythms of African heritage, and the expansive spirit of the Sahara. The result is a joyful, expressive dance that celebrates both individuality and collective memory.
Sacred Sufi Healing: Moving and Breathing with the Elements
This dance workshop welcomes everyone who is drawn to dance as a language of personal and collective spiritual expression. Rooted in sacred movement traditions, the workshop embraces a rich diversity of cultures, dance forms, spiritual practices, and individual abilities, creating a space where body, mind, and spirit may gently come into harmony. Through movement, breath, sound, and presence, participants are invited into an immersive healing experience inspired by ancient Sufi traditions of the Middle East and North Africa. The workshop includes body awareness and breath work, leading into Zikr (Sufi chanting), and culminating in whirling, a sacred practice used for centuries as a path toward healing, meditation, and inner transformation.
Together, we will connect with the elements through movement, breath, rhythm, and sound—without ever stepping outside. Using our bodies, our voices, and our shared energy, we will create a sacred space for transformation, connection, release, and renewal.
Awaken your body. Nurture your spirit.
Come and dance your release in a compassionate, non-judgmental sacred space.
