Fri 30 May 2025 l 3 - 5pm l North Perth Town Hall
The Awalim are a class of professional urban dance entertainers that have been based in Cairo and the Delta region of Egypt since the late 19th century. They provided traditional entertainment at weddings and other celebrations of the urban lower and middle classes before being incorporated onto the stages of Cairo’s entertainment halls as well as into Egyptian cinema. The term Baladi can have a number of meanings in relation to Egyptian dance. In this workshop, Baladi refers to the dance “of the country” or “of the people”, the way that everyday people would dance in social situations and celebrations. The Awalim/Baladi dance style (often considered a precursor to modern Raqs Sharki) can be quite raw and energetic, earthy and grounded with a very low centre of gravity. The movement vocabulary is very pelvis-centric, utilising hip lifts and drops, belly pops and locks, and gooey smooth moves originating from the deep lower abdominals. This style of dance can have a deceptively relaxed, laid back and have an easeful quality. However, a great deal of strength, flexibility and connectedness is required in order to embody these energetic characteristics. In this workshop we will connect, not only to the roots of the dance, but also to the centre of your power as a dancer - the pelvis and lower abdominal muscles! Please bring something to balance, like a small packet of rice ~500g to 1kg (I will also have 10 beanie bags to share). Balancing these during some technique drills will aid in grounding our movements lower into the body.
Open Level / Choreography