Our DanceWeekend’24 Artist Feature is Yasmina Ramzy Arts as a part of our live mainstage performances at The Fleck Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre.
Sunday, January 28th 2024 1pm – 6pm – IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL
2:20pm Yasmina Ramzy Arts (Middle Eastern)
🔗 https://www.yasminaramzyarts.com/
About Yasmina Ramzy Arts:
Yasmina Ramzy Arts embodies contemporary creativity steeped in ancient Arabian tradition. The company presents Middle Eastern dance & music arts for theatre, film and special events since 1984. Creations include 10 full-scale theatre productions with as many as 45 dancers and musicians at a time since 1992 and three films since 2020. The company enjoys critical acclaim in national and international media while touring across Canada, United States, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Greece. Highlights include Sony Centre for the Arts with Alabina and Bijan Mortazavi (Toronto), Rogers Stadium with Cirque du Soleil (Toronto), International Conference on Middle Eastern Dance (Los Angeles), and Queen Alia Centre (Amman, Jordan). Yasmina Ramzy Arts is funded by Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council. The company’s innovation and integrity has attracted a stellar alumnus of over 200 dance artists and musicians from around the globe.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself/your company?
Yasmina Ramzy Arts in the new incarnation of Arabesque Canada who has been a prominent contributor to Ontario’s dance community. The main impetus to open Arabesque in 1987 was to shine a light on the dance and music arts of Middle Eastern cultures in an effort to correct misrepresentation, appropriation and orientalism. Since then, the company has had an outreach to 70 cities around the world. Director Yasmina Ramzy has been sitting on the board of directors of Dance Ontario for 24 years and in September 2020 created the Justice Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. YRA feels that Dance Ontario Dance Weekend’s exposure has played an important role in the company’s success.
What will you be sharing at DanceWeekend’24?
The 4th Pyramid (Oum Kalthoum Tribute)
How has the pandemic shifted your work as a professional dance artist?
Since 2020, all of the company’s major projects have been in film.
Please share what you are most looking forward to at DanceWeekend?
Seeing old dance colleagues and friends.
Do you have any up-coming performances/workshops/events you would like to share?
Filming of “Seven Gates” and regular masterclasses with Yasmina Ramzy.
In 1 or 2 sentences, what does dance mean to you?
The ability to blissfully ride on music.
Stay Up to Date with Yasmina Ramzy Arts at their social media links below:
📸 Photo Credits: Paul Devisser & Tim Motley