Pro Course

Intensive Professional Middle Eastern Dance Course

Arabesque is proud to announce we are now sponsored by the Ontario Arts Council and can offer a more profound experience to our students!
Thank you, Ontario Arts Council, for supporting Bellydance! Sponsor: Ontario Arts Council

Upcoming Pro Course dates:
November 5 - 16, 2012
July 8-19, 2013

Arabesque PRO COURSE

Since 2001, Pro Course graduates have hailed from Japan , Mexico , Austria , China , Portugal , Hungary , Panama, Great Britain, Chile, Latvia and across Canada and the United States.
They have gone on to be ambassadors of a comprehensive art form, replete with meaning, tradition and integrity.

Join this elite group of artists with 65 hours of in depth training from 10 master teachers, each experts in their fields of Stage Presence, Musicality, Choreography, Improvisation, Creativity, Showmanship, Character Portrayal, Marketing and History.

Receive thorough Performance Feedback, Coaching and Technique Refinement. Take a huge leap in your Bellydance journey with all the mysteries solved and homework to keep you busy for 5 years. No certificate can measure up to the new confidence and assurance in your profound understanding of Middle Eastern Dance gained through the Arabesque Pro Course.

See clips of Pro Course 2010 on youtube here

Professional Course Summary

Arabesque Professional Course creates fully rounded professional dance artists and teachers who learn and experience the art form as a whole. While working with live Arab musicians both in class and performance, students gain a deep undertanding of why and where the movements come from. During this intensive couse, students also benefit from the expertise of a number instructors in different fields including Yasmina Ramzy, Dr.George Sawa, Bassam Bishara, Suleiman Warwar, Wagdi Bechara, Karen Louise Parker, Jennifer Watkins, Robert Desrosiers, Brian Smith, Arun Srinivasan and Sashar Zarif.

Course Elements

Technique Refinement
Improvisation
Musicality
Creating Choreography
Character Portrayal
Personal Feedback
Showmanship
Costuming
History
Marketing
Stage Presence
Personal Coaching

Students of Arabesque Dance - Professional Course in Belly Dance classes and Arabic Dance at the Toronto Island al Haima

Pro Course

By audition only
Limit of 10 students per session

Professional Course is offered several times a year as an intensive 2-week course covering over 60 hours of class and performance.

Note: Although this course is required in order to become a member of Arabesque Dance Company, completion of the course does not guarantee placement in the company or as a soloist with Arabesque Agency.

Upcoming Pro Course dates:
November 5 - 16, 2012
July 8-19, 2013

Monday-Friday: 11:00am-4:30pm
Plus 12 Evening & Weekend Classes
Price: $849

Payment Deadline
Half of the course fee is payable in order to reserve a spot and the balance is payable before the course begins. Refunds are not available.

Acccomodations

Please see the Residence page for a list of affordable accomodations near Arabesque here

We will try to help you find Billeting - but it is not guarranteed.

Auditions

- Submit a 5-minute video or DVD of yourself dancing, in any kind of venue (including a studio, no costume necessary)
- A dance CV
- A short biography
- Brief explanation as to why the you are considering the Professional Course at this time

Audition deadlines: Audition materials due anytime up to 4 weeks before Pro Course dates.
Results within 2 weeks.

Audition considerations:

Technique and technical potential
Creativity and musical understanding
Stage presence and personality
Any experience as a professional performer or teacher
Age, ethnicity, body shape and size are NOT factors for qualification

Send Audition Materials to:
Arabesque
1 Gloucester Street, Suite 107
Toronto, ON M4L 1L8
CANADA
phone: 1-416-920-5593
e-mail: [email protected]

Professional Course Feedback

"Arabesque Pro Course is unrivalled! Yasmina and her staff of instructors are a wealth of knowledge... the most supportive, giving and open learning environment I have experienced. I highly recommend this course for the serious advanced dancer"
- Chellcy Reitsma, Chicago, U.S.A.

"I couldn't find a course such as this anywhere in Europe. Arabesque Pro was much more than I expected. The quality of information, the precision of what "professional" means and the authenticity of Yasmina's style made me feel and think in a completely different way about Bellydancing. I am very proud of having the opportunity to study with Yasmina and all of the Pro Course Team."
- Ana Chora, Portugal

"The Pro Course gave me a wealth of information that will last a lifetime. Yasmina has such an impressive knowledge of this art form and was so open in sharing with us. She provided us with a memorable, challenging yet positive working environment. Personally, I feel I have evolved from taking this course and have been left with a more refined sense of direction when it comes to maximizing my potential as a Middle Eastern dancer."
- Serena Kerbes, Alberta, Canada

"The Pro Course has really created something wonderful in Toronto!!! At one point I really thought about moving to Toronto... the Pro course was very intense, challenging and fun! I think Yasmina has a very special talent; being a wonderful dancer, gathering the most talented dancers and teachers, the best musicians. Yasmina is one of the best teachers I've ever had because she analyses so well and because she is so open hearted and willing to give everything in dance and not holding anything back. I think what is done here to take oriental music, arts and dance to a higher level should be happening everywhere around the world- THANK YOU SO MUCH!"
-Dina, Austria

You cannot imagine how much I enjoyed and valued the Pro Course!!! The pro course was such an eye opener to show me how much more I need to know about belly dancing. It touched on so many important issues that everyone should know about! It would have been very difficult to go even more in depth and keep everyone's focus since not everyone is looking to learn the exact same aspects of belly dance. My favourite part was Sashar and Walter's workshops. Reason being, I never thought about stage presence. It plays such a big role and I never realized that if I want, I can take a course just on that! This course has taught me that to be fully rounded as a dancer I need to also learn things besides dance! My other favourite part was the incredibly 'safe' and supportive and positive environment which allowed me to feel free of judgment and to help me explore the possibilities of movement and myself. I'm not sure if Yasmina is aware of this but everything I have learned I will also incorporate in my classroom as a day school teacher. The pro course did more than help me grow as a dancer. It has changed me as a person and I'm eternally grateful for it!
- Eva Hu, Toronto, Ontario

"I really appreciate all the quality of the Pro Course. It was informative and academic. Most of the teachers told us 'choreography is not bellydance' and asked us 'why we dance?' - which made me think about it seriously as it was easy to fall into the trap to stick to choreography and copying it. Especially our improvisation sessions were practical lessons. I also appreciate the different angles for belly dance such as stage presence classes with Persian Dance & Actor Training, and Ballet Class. I also enjoyed creating my own choreography and performing in front of other members. Feedback from them is always informative even they are not talking about me. I liked to try something it might be stupid but I could show and could get feedback - which is a safe zone to learn. I also enjoy 10 classed from variety of instructors. My expression (face, body movement) is not shy anymore. Japan's society is a 'shy' society and people tend to avoid doing something extreme, especially in front of others, which sometimes prevents creativity. I feel comfortable that I am a person who expresses something to others. - I know it is something I will have to improve more. I have a confidence for the improvised performance now because of my practice with live music in Toronto. I pay more attention to translate music to movement than before."
- Tamami Shirai, Japan

"The 2007 pro course changed my bellydance vision! I'm so happy - I've learned so much! I loved everything. I think I really enjoyed learning more about the Egyptian culture the best. The videos and all the things we share, I really enjoy the class with Sashar Zarif, and all the knowledge that Yasmina gave us. I think the live band performance was a great experience because a lot of us have never dance in front of an audience with live band, and it was fun ! = ) .The feedback after we dance. I wish it could have been longer!"
- Ivanka Espinosa, Panama

"This Pro Course opened my eyes, my ears and my body to dancing. I learned a lot from Yasmina, the other instructors and fellow dancers. The knowledge and inspiration I got from this will keep me busy improving myself for a while."
-Judith Nursalim, Toronto, Ontario

"A highlight of my time studying at Pro Course was the experiential quality of the lessons. Each day brought new experiences, new ideas and took me to a deeper understanding of my art form. As a dance artist, my understanding and appreciation of the music and roots of the dance form have been magnified. As a performer my presence has expanded and transformed. As a dance teacher my knowledge has grown and will be passed down to others. The course was intensive and complete immersion for two weeks heightened the experience. It is the kind of course that could be experienced at various times during ones dance career and would take on new meaning each time. I would recommend this course for any serious, advanced dancer to take their art to a higher level."
- Kristin Panylyk, Edmonton, Alberta

"The pro course helped me immensely in my confidence as a belly dancer and understanding in belly dancing. If it was not for this full two week experience I would not have got the boost I needed to go back to my home town and be a better teacher and performer. The pro course gave me the opportunity to dance and learn about working with live Egyptian musicians; something I would have never experienced where I am from. Learning from the musicians has given me a much better understanding of how Middle Eastern music works, and how to feel belly dance music. The course also gave the chance to work with other dance/ improv instructors which helped put connections between belly dance, modern dance, and emotions together. This has improved my dance posture and passion. I am so grateful for this course!"
- Lindsay Cottin, Regina, Saskatchewan

"Yasmina Ramzy managed to create a very unique course which has no analogue in other countries to my knowledge. The subjects which were tough in the course would unlikely be formally tough even in Egypt, The county of belly dance. Personally, the course gave me a great sense of information about the Middle Eastern dance in general, culture and its music. Also I very much needed the lessons on marketing and self promotion a dancer in order to progress in my dance career. Again, to my knowledge such subjects are not tough anywhere else. To sum up, I found the course extremely informative and inspiring and it gave me a good push to proceed with my career as a professional Bellydancer."
- Lena Yavorska,U.K.

"PRO COURSE ROCKS!!!!!!! Best experience ever! You'll take information to assimilate for years and years to come. Don't hesitate, TAKE IT!!!"
- Maryfer Cardenas, Mexico

Instructors

Yasmina Ramzy

Yasmina Ramzy is revolutionary choreographer and visionary committed to the evolution of Bellydance as high art. After many years of performing throughout the Middle East for royalty and heads of state, Yasmina Ramzy founded the critically acclaimed Arabesque Dance Company and Orchestra, Arabesque Academy and the International Bellydance Conference of Canada (IBCC). She received her key training from leading masters in Egypt and Syria including Aida Nour of the Reda Troupe and Mohammed Khalil, director of the National Folklore Troupe of Egypt.

Her unique and highly creative choreographies have won numerous awards and been commissioned internationally by universities, museums, ballet companies, figure skating teams and many Middle East dance companies including the internationally renowned Bellydance Superstars.

Yasmina is invited to teach and perform regularly in over 60 cities on five continents. She has produced 8 instructional DVDs, 8 performance DVDs and 7 CDs that sell worldwide. The "Ask Yasmina" column which is published in the world's largest Bellydance magazine,The Gilded Serpent, is translated into several languages.

Yasmina is well known for elevating the status of Middle Eastern dance as high art and conveying its relationship with Arab music and culture. She is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists and has served on the Board of Directors for Dance Ontario since 1996.

Bassam Bishara

Musicality, Improvisation

Prof. Bassam Bishara was born in Ramah village, upper Galilee, Palestine in 1954. He began his early training in Middle Eastern Oude at the Academy of Music in Hafia and at the University of Jerusalem. He eventually went on to teach in private schools and formed a Middle Eastern Orchestra quickly becoming sought after throughout Palestine. In 1983, he was appointed Music Director for Alhakawati Theatre in Jerusalem, where his concerts, music and songs were dedicated to the Palestine cause. He has toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States performing with an orchestra and as a soloist. Now living in Canada, he composes and records music for many artists including Arabesque Dance Company. He is the lead vocalist, oude and violin player as well as musical director for Arabesque and is professor of Midde Eastern Music at York University.

Suleiman Warwar

Musicality, Improvisation

Suleiman Warwar was born in Nazareth, Palestine in 1977. He began playing Arabic Tablah or Dumbek at age 6. The self-taught musician was the lead Dumbek player in his high school orchestra in Nazareth and performed traditional and modern musical pieces around the country. Suleiman immigrated to Canada in 1995 where he was introduced to Latin American, African, Turkish and many other types of music. As well as traditional Arabic percussion including Dumbek, Duff, Katim and Riqq, Suleiman also plays Bongos, Congas and Djembe. His innovative style of drumming has led him to play with such artists as Bassam Bishara, George Wasouf and in various peace movement events. Suleiman is a sought after master dumbek artist who is invited around the world to teach. He is the lead dumbek player for the Arabesque Dance Company Orchestra and has composed many popular drum solos available on his CD entitled "Beyond Rhthym" and the Arabesque Dance Company CDs entitled "Nawaem", Asala 1 and Asala 2.

Dr. George Sawa

Musicality, Improvisation

George Sawa was born in Alexandria , Egypt in 1947. He studied Classical Arabic music at the Higher Institute of Arabic Music specializing in qanoon, voice and theory. After immigrating to Canada in 1970, he studied ethno-musicology and obtained his doctorate in Historical Arabic Musicology at the University of Toronto. He has taught medieval, modern and religious Middle Eastern Music at York University and the University of Toronto, and is the author of "Music Performance in Early Abbasid Era 750-932AD" published in 1989. George Sawa has given numerous concerts and lecture demonstrations at universities, museums and art galleries in Europe and North America He has been teaching at Arabesque Academy, School of Middle Eastern Dance and Music Arts since 1995 and regularly teaches alongside Yasmina Ramzy in many dance workshops. He was awarded the 1990 Ontario Folk Arts Recognition Fellowship for his performances and lecture demonstrations on the qanoon. George served as a performer, composer and music coach in R. Murray Schafer's RA in Toronto (1983) and Holland (1985). As well as serving as the Musical Director for the Egyptian exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum, George has arranged music for and directed the musicians of the Arabesque Dance Company Orchestra since 1996 where he also plays the qanoon and naye in all of their performances.

Robert Desrosiers

Movement

Robert Desrosiers is well known as one of Canada's most innovative and imaginative choreographers. He was a member of the National Ballet of Canada during the 1971-1972 season before pursuing a career as an independent dance artist. In this capacity he has worked with numerous other artists and companies, including Felix Blaska, Hugo Romeo, Ballet Y's, Dancemakers, Toronto Dance Theatre and Lindsay Kemp. Desrosiers also has collaborated with several Canadian artists, including Dan Solomon, Leonard Cohen, Toller Cranston and Bruce Cockburn. In 1980, he formed Desrosiers Dance Theatre in Toronto. He was awarded the first Jacqueline Lemieux Prize for his innovative choreography. One of his most famous works, Blue Snake, commissioned by the National Ballet of Canada in 1985 won the Jean A. Chalmers Award for Choreography. The work premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1988. The Calgary Olympic Arts Festival commissioned Desrosiers to create a full-length work for the Calgary Winter Olympics. For the Glory of Mozart Festival in Toronto, Desrosiers was commissioned to choreograph Full Moon. More recently, Desrosiers worked on a film by Robert Altman featuring Neve Campbell entitled The Company. In 2007, Desrosiers created Rendezvous for Ballet Jorgen.

Sashar Zarif

Creative Movement/Persian Dance

Sashar Zarif, BFA, MA, PhD Cand. Middle Sex University, UK. (those studies currently on hold) Artistic director of SasharZarifDanceTheatre/ Joshgoon, The Canadian Academy of Azerbaijani Dance/ Dancers for Peace International Festival and Centre for Dance Studies. Inspired by a strong artistic family background, recipient of numerous awards for his excellence in arts, Sashar Zarif is an internationally renowned multi-disciplinary artist, educator, and researcher in the field of dance ethnology and ethno musicology based in Toronto, Canada. He received his formal academic training in performing arts at the Azerbaijan Conservatory of Music and Dance where he was awarded the honorary title of "Artist for People of Azerbaijan". He continued his Bachelor (Fine Art, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Performing Arts) and Master (Arts-Dance), degree at York University in Toronto. Zarif has studied various forms of dance and music including Uzbek, Tadjeek, Persian, Georgian, Chechen, Afghan, Middle Eastern, Flamenco, Bharatanatyam, and Lezginka. He is a part time faculty at the Dance Department teaching "Fundamentals of Dance Performance" and "Introduction to World Dance Practices: Dances of North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia" and Fine Arts Cultural Studies teaching "Performing Arts in Global Perspective" at York University. Among many other fields, Sashar specializes in the filed of Sufi and Shamanic dance rituals of Near and Central Asia. Through many years of fieldwork and study he has been able to share the result of his research and creativity internationally by teaching and performing across the globe. His accomplishment in this field has brought him golden opportunities such as his collaborative project/performance with internationally renowned, singer, Alim Qasimov from Azerbaijan and Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali, the prodigious nephews of legendary qawwali master, Nusret Fateh Ali Khan. He has collaborated with many well known artists such as Holly Small, Carol Anderson, Keiko Kitano, Soheil Parsa, Terrill Maguire, Anne Bourn, Suba Shankaran to name a few. Sashar and Susan Cash have been collaborating on a number of cultural, global projects that are revealing intriguing creative results.

Karen Louise Parker

Character Portrayal

Karen Parker is a Toronto based actor. She was most recently seen performing on the Second City Toronto Mainstage where she co-created their much anticipated 62nd Revue, BARACK TO THE FUTURE. Karen also co-created and performed in The Second City's very successful 60th and 61st reviews, FACEBOOK OF REVELATIONS (Canadian Comedy Award Winner) and TAZED & CONFUSED (Dora Award Nominee) In 2008 Bravo!FACT adapted four sketches from the Second City's acclaimed stage show, Facebook of Revelations, into four short films which Karen co-wrote and starred in. Karen has toured the world with The Nearly World Famous Duffle Bag Theatre and has performed in regional theatres across Ontario in various productions such as Having Hope At Home, Animal Magnetism and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Film and Television credits include The Joh Dore Show, CTV's Instant Star, Global's The Final 24, Forensic Factor and The Four Horseman. http://www.karenlouiseparker.com/

Arun Srinivasan

Stage Management

Arun has worked extensively in the arts and entertainment industry over the last 14 years. Arun has assisted on new galleries at The ROM and was the Toronto associate designer for The Lion King. In 2003, he was fortunate to receive a Dora nomination for Outstanding Lighting Design. Productions have taken him to Ukraine, Malaysia, Singapore, India and across North America. Currently, Arun is teaching at York University in the dance and theatre departments. When not in the theatre, he can be found at the park on the monkey bars with his wife and kids. Arun is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

Brian Smith

Improvisation

Brian Smith is a filmmaker, writer and educator specializing in comedy. An award-winning alumnus of Toronto's 'The Second City', Brian now teaches improv and uses the art-form liberally in his productions. Brian has produced television, theatre, short films and multi-media in Canada and the Caribbean. At present he is director of You and Media.com, a creative production company in Toronto and is a mobile journalist for Now Magazine in Toronto.

Wagdi Bechara

Middle Eastern Culture

Wagdi started performing in the early 60's with a small group of musicians known as the Rainbows in Heliopolis, Egypt. He then moved on to work with a band known as The Hearbeats in Kuwait city as lead vocalist and drummer in 1968. The band travelled during this time and performed in many countries including, Cyprus, Jordan, Bahrain, Dubai and Lebanon. Wagdi also performed with Edwardo's Quartet in England, France, Portugal. In 1978 he immigrated to Canada with his young family and continued as a musician until opened a Middle Eastern restaurant called Cleopatra in Toronto that featured live Arab music and Bellydancers six nights a week. After many years in the music industry and various recording projects, Wagdi is now living in Toronto and focusing on exploring Egyptian and Middle Eastern art, music and culture. He is a member of the teaching faculty at Arabesque Academy imparting his knowledge of Egyptian culture and its prominent music and dance artists throughout history.

Pro Course Brochure

Master Pro Course

Highlights from Pro Course condensed into 7 days. Your favourite teachers, more performing with musicians, more feedback. This course is specially designed for those former Pro Course graduates who have done a year of homework and now want to return to assess their new found skills.

no application/audition necessary - for graduates of the Arabesque Pro Course only

June 16 - 22, 2013. Sunday through Saturday inclusive - $495
11:00am - 4:30pm Workshops
up to 3 classes a day in technique
3 major performances

Pro Course

Intensive Professional Middle Eastern Dance Course

Arabesque PRO COURSE

Contents:

Professional Course Summary

Pro Course

Acccomodations

Auditions

Professional Course Feedback

Instructors

Yasmina Ramzy

Bassam Bishara

Musicality, Improvisation

Suleiman Warwar

Musicality, Improvisation

Dr. George Sawa

Musicality, Improvisation

Robert Desrosiers

Movement

Sashar Zarif

Creative Movement/Persian Dance

Karen Louise Parker

Character Portrayal

Arun Srinivasan

Stage Management

Brian Smith

Improvisation

Wagdi Bechara

Middle Eastern Culture

Pro Course Brochure

Master Pro Course