Get ready for an exhilarating, high-energy performance workshop to the funky beats of the Cairo’s streets!
Join us for an 8-week choreography series set to “Ah Ya La Laly” by the Wust il Balad Band, where we’ll build on the foundations of Egyptian social dance—Raks Baladi—and translate its sensual, joyful spirit into an unforgettable stage-ready adaptation full of celebration, excitement, and swagger!
Come learn to bounce to the Baladi Beat!
WHEN:
8 Wk Course: Tuesdays 6.30-7.30pm, May 26-July 14
Performance: Saturday July 18th
WHERE:
8 Wk Course: Bellyqueen @ Playwrights 440 Lafayette St, 4th Floor, Studios 4D, New York, NY 10003
Press "Playwrights" on the intercom to be let into the building and to activate the elevator
Show: Speyer Hall, University Settlement, 183 Eldridge St, 2nd Floor, New York, NY
INVESTMENT:
$195, $175 Unlimited Pass Holders
Includes a video and photos of the performance.
Participants are expected to invite at least two paying audience members
* Costume is an extra cost
Tarik Sultan is one of the world’s best-known pioneers of male Oriental Dance (Belly Dancing). He began his formal training in 1985. In addition to classes, he spent countless hours in the Dance Research Library at Lincoln Center, striving to learn as much as he could about the dance, its history, and the culture from which it originated. In 1988, he traveled to Egypt for the first time, observing the dance in its native homeland. This experience allowed him to distinguish the truth about the dance from the many popular myths created by the media.
Inspired by his travels, Tarik began teaching his first class in the early '90s, eager to share all he had learned and observed. Over the years, his talent and dedication to the art have earned him a reputation as a dynamic performer and a gifted, inspiring teacher and choreographer. He has taught many successful seminars across the nation as well as internationally in the UK, Japan, Australia, Trinidad, and Argentina. Some of Tarik’s international performance credits include the Jerusalem Festival, the Dar America Association in Marrakech, Morocco, and Alexandria, Egypt. In 2003, he became one of the first male dancers to perform at the Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival in Cairo, Egypt. Other credits include performances at the United Nations, Lincoln Center, and The Museum of Natural History.
Tarik holds the distinction of being the only male dancer to be featured in the top venues in New York City, such as Casbah Rouge, Mehenata Bulgarian Bar, Babylon, Horus, The Habibi Lounge, and Feluca and 1001 Nights in Brooklyn, NY. From 2003 to 2014, he was the premier dancer at Le Souk in NYC. Until recently, he taught regular weekly classes in NYC, The Bronx, and Jersey City. He is available for private lessons, Zoom classes, private parties, and workshops upon request.