Rutgers Two-day Symposium Celebrated Vibrant North African Dance Traditions
November 9th and 10th, 2009
The inaugural two-day event, Dance As Community Identity: A Symposium on North African Dance explored the dance and culture of countries such as Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia with two internationally-respected dance scholar/performers: Morocco of New York City and Amel Tafsout of Eugene, Oregon, who have dedicated their professional lives to the study and preservation of North African dance traditions.
The Symposium commenced on Monday, November 9 with two lectures at the John Cotton Dana Library on campus. Morocco spoke on "Dance As Community Identity in Selected Berber Nations of Morocco,” and Amel discussed "Body Art: Symbols, Henna and Tattoos in the Maghreb." The Monday evening concert at Bradley Hall Theater included performances by the guest artists and other professional dancers.
On the second day of the symposium, Tuesday, Nov. 10, the artists hosted two dance workshops on the Guedra, the trance dance of the Blue people of Morocco, and Rai dance of Algeria.