The women of Alexandria, Egypt are famous for wrapping the Milaya liff (heavy, black veil) arond their bodies and walking and swaying hips in such a way that defeats the purpose of the veil. The Milaya dance expresses that aspect of nature whose truth is that no matter how much you try to oppress and deny something, it will always find a way to express itself. In fact, the women were so much more provocative with the veil than without, that it was outlawed, and at present, the veil has been fashioned into a tent-like dress.
This piece is based on a historic dance, whose origin can be traced through two different stories: the first is that the dance originated with the Zoroastrian religion of ancient Turkey; the other is that a nightclub dancer took a candelabra from a table and performed her finale with the candelabra banlaced on her head.
The Zaar is a ritual performed throughout the Arab world that exorcises evil spirits. Only women attend the Zaar. In a society where women's freedom is severly oppressed, the Zaar ritual is a chance to dance into a frenzy, releasing repressed energy and frustration. The hypnotic drum rhythms are tradionally played by seven women. Evil Jiin can be exorcised, or healing Jiin can be invoked.
The drum solo is a dual between the dancer and drummer, where each has the opportunity to showcase their skill. This piece is complicated by the fact that ten dancers are required to act as one body in order to express the 'Dom', 'Tak', and 'Sak' of the drum visually.
From the mystical Sufi tradition: in the devotional Tannoura, the dancer aspires to become one with God through whirling for great lengths of time.
| Choreographer | Yasmina Ramzy |
| Musical Director | Dr. George Sawa |
| Costume Design | Jenny Yen |
| Scene Design | Kara Wenman |
| Lighting Design |
Jean-Ives Tessier |
| Running TIme | 45 min |
| Number of Dancers | 12 women, 3 men |
| World Premiere | 1996 - Studio Theatre, Habourfront Centre Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| live orchestra |