Mood and Drama
Maqam Appreciation and Embodiment for Dancers
open level, hybrid event
(in person with Zoom streaming)
Sunday, August 17
2 - 4pm EST
at:
SharqiDance
30A Lewis Street
Eatontown, NJ 07725
with Zoom streaming for remote students
(use a time zone converter if you are outside of the US East Coast)
2 - 4pm EST
at:
SharqiDance
30A Lewis Street
Eatontown, NJ 07725
with Zoom streaming for remote students
(use a time zone converter if you are outside of the US East Coast)
Maqam - the system of melody used in Arabic and Middle-Eastern music - often seems difficult and confusing, but it doesn't have to be.
Sami Abu Shumays, co-author of Inside Arabic Music and creator of the Maqam Lessons YouTube series, uses an approach to listening and embodiment that demystifies maqam and makes it easier to grasp.
Sami Abu Shumays, co-author of Inside Arabic Music and creator of the Maqam Lessons YouTube series, uses an approach to listening and embodiment that demystifies maqam and makes it easier to grasp.
In this masterclass for dancers, we'll compare an Umm Kulthum classic with a contemporary Shaabi song to see how they use the same maqam pathways, and sing through the main sections of the maqam, known as "Ajnas" (plural of "Jins").
Sami makes the maqam easy by breaking the melodies down through short call-and-response singing. This helps participants embody the maqam through their voices, and embodying it in this way enables dancers to notice, and start to recognize, the dramatic changes that happen when one mood transforms into another: the key to understanding and feeling maqam.
We will also practice dancing to improvisation in the maqam, exploring how we can connect our bodies and emotions to the changes in the maqam.
No prior music or singing experience or skill is required for this class - just an openness to trying something new; Sami will guide participants toward feeling more comfortable with their own voices and appreciating maqam on a whole new level.
Sami makes the maqam easy by breaking the melodies down through short call-and-response singing. This helps participants embody the maqam through their voices, and embodying it in this way enables dancers to notice, and start to recognize, the dramatic changes that happen when one mood transforms into another: the key to understanding and feeling maqam.
We will also practice dancing to improvisation in the maqam, exploring how we can connect our bodies and emotions to the changes in the maqam.
No prior music or singing experience or skill is required for this class - just an openness to trying something new; Sami will guide participants toward feeling more comfortable with their own voices and appreciating maqam on a whole new level.
About the Instructor
One of the leading Arab violinists in the U.S., as well as a vocalist, Sami Abu Shumays is internationally known as a master of the maqam system.
He is co-author of the acclaimed book Inside Arabic Music (Oxford University Press 2019), and his passion for teaching and oral tradition is also expressed through his YouTube series "Maqam Lessons," the website www.maqamlessons.com, and his contributions to www.maqamworld.com.
Co-founder and director of the NYC-based Arabic music and dance ensemble Zikrayat, Sami released his first solo album Circles in 2023, available on all streaming platforms. In 2024 he was named a master folk artist through the New York State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program. In 2024 he was also awarded one of 25 Taproot fellowships nationally for folk artists rooted in communities, by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts.
He is an advisory board member of Brooklyn Maqam, the organization promoting the largest number of Arabic music events in NYC, and Deputy Director at Flushing Town Hall, a multi-disciplinary arts presenter based in Queens, NY
He is co-author of the acclaimed book Inside Arabic Music (Oxford University Press 2019), and his passion for teaching and oral tradition is also expressed through his YouTube series "Maqam Lessons," the website www.maqamlessons.com, and his contributions to www.maqamworld.com.
Co-founder and director of the NYC-based Arabic music and dance ensemble Zikrayat, Sami released his first solo album Circles in 2023, available on all streaming platforms. In 2024 he was named a master folk artist through the New York State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program. In 2024 he was also awarded one of 25 Taproot fellowships nationally for folk artists rooted in communities, by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts.
He is an advisory board member of Brooklyn Maqam, the organization promoting the largest number of Arabic music events in NYC, and Deputy Director at Flushing Town Hall, a multi-disciplinary arts presenter based in Queens, NY
More Info
- Registration closes on Friday August 15
- A recording will be available for 30 days after the workshop
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