My Blog

EGYPT!!!!

Hanna — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:50:57 GMT

EGYPT!!! Here we come. TO ALL DANCERS, FRIENDS & FAMILY Join us on this amazing journey to Egypt for Raqia Hassan’s annual Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival at which JEHAN will be teaching. You will have the opportunity to learn and dance with the best of the best from all over the world, Oriental, Folklore, Fusion and much more; Shop shop shop: merchants with treasures as far as the eye can see: costumes, jewelry, antiquities: parties every night, meditation under the moon in the shadows of the pyramids, performances by the past and current superstars of Egypt and talent from around the globe; dance competitions, Whirling Dervishes, Saidi and Nubian shows, Tour the ancient sites, the Cairo museum, the famed Khan el Khalili bazaar, The Pyramids and Sphinx. After the festival relax on the beach in Alexandra and take a five star cruise down the Nile to the Temples of Luxor and Aswan Here are some of the details and options: We will leave from JFK on 06/25/2008 and will return to New York on Friday 07/11/2008. If you wish to return earlier it is not a problem, you are not obligated to stay the whole time we are staying. Just let me know so I can book the flight as you wish. Also arrangements can be easily made if you wish to fly from another State or another Country and still be part of our group. It’s simple, the plan is to attend the festival, learn from the best teachers in the world and take advantage to visit some of the most magical places on earth- yes lots of them are located in EGYPT !!! The round trip air fare will cost you between $1,250.00 and $1,500.00 it all depends on how early you are booking, the sooner the better. The Festival is taking place in the 5 Star Mena House at the foot of the Pyramids, but the Meridien and the Sofitel are also beautiful and very close, 5 minutes by car and transportation to the festival is included but if you don’t want to wait for the free shuttle it only a $1.00 ride. Another option the Grand Pyramids is about 15 minutes by car. *** The Mena House tends to sell out very fast. I can not guarantee getting a room in it*** Here are the options on the hotel rooms: 7 NIGHTS US Dollars Hotels DBL Package SGL package TPL package Mena house Palace $690 $1,005 $676 Mena house Pyramids view $690 $1,005 $676 Meridien $430 $690 $410 Sofitel $400 $575 Grand Pyramids 4***stars $340 $466 $326 6 NIGHTS Hotels DBL Package SGL package TPL package Mena house Palace $610 $880 $598 Mena house Pyramids view $610 $880 $598 Meridien $388 $610 $370 Sofitel $362 $512 Grand Pyramids 4***stars $310 $418 $298 5 NIGHTS Hotels DBL Package SGL package TPL package Mena house Palace $530 $755 $520 Mena house Pyramids view $530 $755 $520 Meridien $346 $530 $330 Sofitel $324 $449 Grand Pyramids 4***stars $280 $370 $270 4 NIGHTS Hotels DBL Package SGL package TPL package Mena house Palace $450 $630 $442 Mena house Pyramids view $450 $630 $442 Meridien $304 $450 $290 Sofitel $286 $386 Grand Pyramids 4***stars $250 $322 $242 3 NIGHTS Hotels DBL Package SGL package TPL package Mena house Palace $370 $505 $365 Mena house Pyramids view $370 $505 $365 Meridien $265 $370 $250 Sofitel $248 $325 Grand Pyramids 4***stars $220 $275 $215 Festival from 06/27/2008 to 07/03/2008 After the festival : 1) 5 Star Nile Cruise Aswan Luxor 3 nights -4days: -Take a flight from Cairo to Aswan 6:00 am 07/04/2008 (If you are attending the entire closing show you will not be able to get any sleep prior to our flight- no one sleeps in Egypt, it’s normal) - Arrival Aswan at 8:00am, check-in the Nile cruise at 11:00am. Sailing for three nights 4 days from Aswan to Luxor 5 Star Nile cruse. - Check out from the Nile cruise in Luxor at 9:00am, will tour Luxor, and then drive to the airport at 6:00pm to take a flight to Alexandria. - Arriving at Alexandria at 10:00pm (this flight stops in Cairo for 2 hours), ((Instead of the flight from Luxor to Alexandria we can take the sleeping train, leaving Luxor at 8:00pm arriving Alexandria 9:00am with 13 hours to sleep!! – I like this but I never took this train-)) - In Alexandria, check in at the Sofitel Cecil Hotel 4 Star for two nights. - Drive back to Cairo Airport and fly back to your destination. Price for the above ( based on double occupancy) : $1200.00 per person. Your Total cost for this Amazing Trip will be $3,400.00 If you choose the festival only: $2,200.00 These prices do not include classes and registration fee, you are required to attend at least three classes. Cost for the classes: $60.00 for the master class. 3 hours each (cash only) $30.00 for folkloric classes. 2 hours each (cash only) The dead line for this trip is 05/15/2008*but e-mail me anyway :) Email me at hannaahann@yahoo.com

The Goddess Blues

Hanna — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:56:38 GMT

WARNING! On April 12 th, 2008 there will be an explosion.... of passion sensuality and color..... So come on and all to a celebration of the Divine Feminine featuring the mesmerizing talents of Alice Ridley and Beautiful dancers from The Temple Of Jehan When: April 12, 2008 Time: 5-7 PM . Where: The Cutting Room 19 West 24th Street New York, NY 10010 Price: $25.00 www.smarttix.com/show.aspx www.freewebs.com/templeofjehan

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow

Hanna — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:46:27 GMT

I said to my friend, “You see her leaning upon the arm of that man. It was but yesterday that she leaned thus upon my arm.” And my friend said, “And tomorrow she will lean upon mine.” I said, “Behold her sitting close at his side. It was but yesterday she sat close beside me.” And he answered, “Tomorrow she will sit beside me.” I said, “See, she drinks wine from his cup, and yesterday she drank from mine.” And he said, “Tomorrow, from my cup.” Then I said, “See how she gazes at him with love, and with yielding eyes. Yesterday she gazed thus upon me.” And my friend said, “It will be upon me she gazes tomorrow.” I said, “Do you not hear her now murmuring songs of love into his ears? Those very songs of love she murmured but yesterday into my ears.” And my friend said, “And tomorrow she will murmur them in mine.” I said, “Why see, she is embracing him. It was but yesterday that she embraced me.” And my friend said, “She will embrace me tomorrow.” Then I said, “What a strange woman.” But he answered, “She is life" by: Gibran K Gibran

NYC Concert

Hanna — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:02:18 GMT

Date & Time: Friday, February 29, 2008 more on this date 8:00 AM New York City concert: Friday, February 29 at 8:00 p.m. Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Peter Norton Symphony Space 2537 Broadway at 95th St., New York, NY For concert poster and detailed tour schedule: please visit www.arabesquemusicensemble.com/alfursan.html The Arabesque Foundation for Arab Culture is proud to announce a nationwide CD release tour, al-Fursan at-Talatha (the "Three Musketeers"). The concert tour features the Arabesque Music Ensemble (formerly the Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble). Al-Fursan at-Talatha features the music of Muhammad al-Qasabji, Zakariyya Ahmad, and Riyad al-Sunbati, who composed the majority of the repertoire for legendary Egyptian vocalist Umm Kulthum during the "golden age" of Arabic music in the 1930s and 1940s. The "Three Musketeers" CD is the second recording of historical significance from the Arabesque Music Ensemble, following the 2006 release of "The Songs of Sheikh Sayyed Darweesh: Soul of a People." This CD was named one of the "top-ten world music recordings" by the Boston Globe/WNYC. Peter Margasak of the Chicago Reader has deemed the new CD "a second great record," citing its "elegant classical influence" and stating that the AME is "a really meticulously-organized group that recreates this music with incredible precision and clarity." Founded in 2003, the Arabesque Music Ensemble presented its debut performance at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and has since conducted three international tours, highlighting Moroccan Andalusian music, contemporary Arab composers, and songs of Sheikh Sayyed Darweesh at such prestigious venues as the United Nations, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Symphony Space, Kennedy Center, Harvard University, and Place des Arts in Montreal. The Arabesque Music Ensemble has enjoyed critical acclaim; the Washington Post has cited the blending of the vocalists' "amazingly smooth sound with the ensemble's precise rhythmsand perfect intonation." The Los Angeles Times has written of the AME's "rich textures and roving counter-melodies" and "considerable musical versatility, alternating lush ensemble playing with bursts of individual improvisation." From the Harvard Crimson: "All of the musicians delivered virtuosic performances. The vocal performances were outstanding." The Chicago Reader notes, "This group brings a historical authenticity to the material and plays it with crackling precision"; the Seattle Post-Intelligencer praises the AME's "polished performance." Musicians performing in the Arabesque Music Ensemble are: Michel Merhej Baklouk, percussion; Hanna Khoury, violin; Hicham Chami, qanun; Walid Zairi, 'ud; Kinan Abou-Afach, cello; Youssef Kassab and Aboud Agha, vocals; and guest vocalist Dima Orsho. The Arabesque Foundation for Arab Culture is a Chicago-based organization dedicated to preserving the heritage of traditional Arabic, Turkish, and Armenian music. AFAC produces concerts, publishes scores and a magazine, and hosts the annual Heartland Seminar on Arabic Music (www.heartlandseminar.com). Xauen Music, the record label for the Arabesque Music Ensemble, distributes the "Three Musketeers" CD online at www.xauen-music.com/alfursan.html Other East Coast concerts: Washington, D.C.: Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m. Gaston Hall, Georgetown University 37th and O Sts., Washington, D.C. Boston area: Tuesday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m. Distler Hall (Granoff Music Center), Tufts University 20 Talbot Ave., Medford, MA Additional information is available at www.arabesquemusicensemble.com or at 847-830-8277.

One Thousand and One Tears

Hanna — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 22:23:44 GMT

Haunting Middle Eastren sounds blend seamlessly with other musical genres in these dramatic instrumental and vocal compasitions. Jehan and guest artists sing lyrics in English, Arabic and other languages, expressing longing, grief, fear, anger....courage and hope. Bringing to light some of the gravest problems facing our planet, including war, women's issues and human rights violations. Proceeds from the sale of this CD go to charities. To purchase go to:http://cdbaby.com/cd/jehan11

Back from Egypt!

Hanna — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:53:16 GMT

To all my friends on Tribe: My wife Jehan and I have just returned from an incredible adventure in Cairo Egypt where she taught and performed at the Ahlan Wa Sahlan Dance Festival. We brought a lovely group of dancers with us from NYC and they captivated Cairo as they were captivated by it. Music 24 hours a day and dancing to last a lifetime --- senusal strange, absurd, silly, beautiful . All of the above. So many styles ,so many dancers from all over the planet converging for a week of immersion and total saturation in this exotic culture. We have lots of new costumes if you are interested. A large shipment of tribal jewelry is on its way as well. So call us if you want to see any of the new treasures. 718 729 4187. We will returning to Egypt in December to participate in the Winter Intesive held at the Mena House - a five star palace at the foot of the Pyramids! So come join us or put in your order if there is something special you want us to bring back for you. We may also go to Morocco for an annual festival in the desert - dance music folklore and arabian horses horses horses ----our other passion. So rich was our experience that we will be writing and and sharing impressions and insights for months to come. Hopefully enticing you all to join us in cairo and then cruising to Luxor and and Aswan - to the magnificent temples of the ancient world on the Nile. We are recording a new CD in Egypt with a wonderful composer there. The music should be ready before the end of summer. We will let you know ASAP. Even my own experiment - an urban remix of an old classic song glorifiying the bellydancer entitled Hizi Ya Nawaim - was a big hit over there with dancer as well as Egyptians I was shy to play it but soo surprised and happy with the response! and I now have a singing career offer but Jehan says "Please!, don't quit your day job"........well, yet . More news and photos to come Hanna

Slow Dance

Hanna — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 14:51:19 GMT

Have you ever watched kids On a merry-go-round? Or listened to the rain Slapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight? Or gazed at the sun into the fading night? You better slow down. Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last. Do you run through each day On the fly? When you ask How are you? Do you hear the reply? When the day is done ! Do you lie in your bed With the next hundred chores Running through your head? You'd better slow down Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last. Ever told your child, We'll do it tomorrow? And in your haste, Not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch, Let a good friendship die Cause you never had time To call and say,"Hi" You'd better slow down. Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last. When you run so fast to get somewhere You miss half the fun of getting there. When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift.... Thrown away. Life is not a race. Do take it slower Hear the music Before the song is over. (I didn't write it but i like it)