Faisal Zedan Performances & Workshop October 17-21
Zikrayat is honored to have Faisal Zedan, a master percussionist based in the San Franciso Bay Area, as our special guest at the “Rakkasah East” Middle Eastern Dance Festival, this October 18th and 19th, 2008. Faisal will also be performing with us in a series of concerts in New York City surrounding the festival, and leading a percussion master class at Alwan for the Arts on Monday, October 20th, 7-9pm
The master class is $40 for participants, or $35 advance registration. To register in advance, send $35 via paypal to abushumays@hotmail.com (or email for instructions on where to mail a check)
Performances in New York City will be:
Friday, Oct. 17th, 8pm, Alwan for the Arts, Lower Manhattan
Friday, Oct. 17th, 11:30pm, The Secret Theatre, Long Island City, Queens
Tuesday, Oct. 21st, 8:30pm, Barbes, Brooklyn.
For the press release as a PDF, click here
Details:
Alwan For the Arts
Friday, Oct. 17, 8:00pm (Performance—$20/$15 with valid student ID)
Monday, Oct. 20, 7:00pm-9:00pm (Masterclass—$40/$35adv)
Contact: Amir ElSaffar 718-354-9816 elsaffar@gmail.com
16 Beaver Street, 4th Floor, new York, NY 10004
www.alwanforthearts.org
The Secret Theatre
Friday, October 17, 11:30pm ($10)
Contact: Richard Mazda 718-392-0305 info@secrettheatre.com
44-02 23rd Street, Long Island City, NY 11101
www.secrettheatre.com
Rakkasah East Middle Eastern Dance Festival
Sat., Oct. 18, 4:15pm; Sun., Oct. 19, 12:15pm ($15 each day)
Contact: Shukriya 510-724-0214 rakkasah@att.net
Ukrainian Cultural Center
135 Davidson Ave., Somerset, NJ 08873
www.rakkasah.com/east
Barbès
Tuesday, October 21, 8:30pm ($10 suggested)
Contact: Olivier Conan 347-422-0248 barbes@earthlink.net
376 9th Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
www.barbesbrooklyn.com
A master percussionist in the Syrian classical tradition, as well as a quintessential dancer’s drummer for Egyptian Raqs Sharqi (Belly-Dance), Syrian-born Faisal Zedan plays Riqq (tambourine), Derbakki (Tabla—goblet drum), and Tar (frame drum) with equal mastery, offering fellow performers and audiences a dazzling combination of virtuosity, subtlety, power, delicacy, assuredness, and humility. Visiting from California, he joins NYC’s Zikrayat in a series of concerts and a workshop, surrounding their headlining performance at the 2008 Rakkasah East Middle Eastern Dance Festival in Somerset, New Jersey, Saturday and Sunday October 18 and 19. Guest dancers Jaida, Mariyah, Jehna, Nabila Nazem, Indra Lazul, and Amani Jabril perform to Zikrayat’s exciting repertory of dance music from the “Golden Age” of Egyptian film, alongside Zikrayat’s own company dancers premiering a new choreography by leader Dameshe—featuring Yowalka, and Sherine and a Saidi performance with Zikrayat alum, Nahara.
Featured musicians are vocalist Salah Rajab, accompanied by Sami Abu Shumays (Zikrayat’s musical director), on violin and vocals, Dimitri Mikelis on oud and accordion, and Bridget Robbins on nay.
Performances in New York—Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn
Zikrayat’s performances in New York City highlight the versatility of Faisal’s playing, introducing him for the first time to New York’s audience.
The late-night performance (11:30pm on Friday, October 17) at the Secret Theatre will be a three-way dialogue among friends, with a heavy emphasis on improvisation, and the contemplative and virtuosic sides of Arabic music—featuring the trio of Faisal Zedan, Sami Abu Shumays, and Dimitri Mikelis.
At Barbès, (7:00-8:30pm, Tuesday October 21) Bridget Robbins will round out the quartet, which will perform highlights from Zikrayat’s repertory of vocal and instrumental music from the “Golden Age” of Egyptian Cinema, as well as classical pieces and improvisations.
And at Alwan, (8:00pm, Friday, October 17), vocalist Salah Ragab and dance director Dameshe will join the instrumental quartet in an eclectic concert presentation, including exciting belly-dance numbers and a preview of their performances at Rakkasah, in addition to a selection of classical pieces.
Master Class at Alwan for the Arts
Faisal will lead a two-hour workshop (7:00-9:00pm, Monday, October 20) geared toward beginner, intermediate, and advanced percussionists (Riqq, Tabla/Derbakki, and Frame Drum players all welcome). He will focus on three major topics: the physical aspects of technique and the proper use of the hands; the stylistic aspect, touching on the three major styles of left-hand movments; and the musical aspect, including distinctions between traditional and modern styles of playing, the proper use of ornaments, and rhythmic changes in Arabic songs—with examples provided by violinist Sami Abu Shumays. $35 for advance registration (pay via paypal to: abushumays@hotmail.com), $40 at the door.
About Faisal Zedan and Zikrayat
Currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Faisal is a founding member of the ensembles Kan Zaman and Youm it-Talata, a former member of the UCLA Near East Music Ensemble, and a member of Eliyahu & Qadim, Stellamara, and Aswat. He teaches workshops and private lessons around the world, and is a regular instructor at Kosmos Camp. Zikrayat is a NYC-based ensemble of Arab musicians and dancers that performs rare gems from the “Golden Age” of Egyptian Cinema, along with original compositions and well-known standards, in engaging stage productions that evoke the atmosphere of classic film from the period of the 1940’s-70’s
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