Cassandra in Maine 2022 - Weekend "In Person" Dance Workshop and Concert by the Sayir Ensemble - Hosted by Kay Hardy Campbell
We are sorry that this event has been cancelled. We will host Cassandra again in Maine and will post the information here. Thank you for your interest.
If you would like to be notified of Cassandra's future return to Maine, please contact kayhardycampbell@gmail.com
April 29 - May 1, 2022 at The Treehouse Studio, Jefferson, Maine
Middle Eastern Dance Master Cassandra Shore is returning to Maine for another fantastic weekend of dance and music. The weekend is tailored to the advanced-intermediate, advanced, and professional level dancers. Cassandra will teach five classes, including a session on Friday. You'll experience Cassandra’s unique and highly lauded intensive technique style. She will challenge you physically and mentally. She will inspire you to hear the music in new ways, all the while getting a great workout. There is minimum talk, maximum dance.
This year we are delighted to present a....
LIVE CONCERT BY THE SEYIR ENSEMBLE directed by Eric LaPerna. The ensemble performs folk, classical, and Sufi music from the Turkish, Arabic, and Armenian traditions. Cassandra will perform, and there will be opportunities for open dancing. Saturday April 30, 2022 at 8 pm in the Treehouse Studio. Website for Eric LaPerna, director of the Maine Middle East Ensemble. Here is a video of the Ensemble playing Hele Hele, an Armenian folk tune: Hele Hele
Schedule:
Friday, April 28, 2022
1 – 2 pm - Registration
2 – 4 pm – Session I - Drumming for Dancers with Cassandra (a sit-down class but it may not be all sitting down!)
4 – 7 pm - Break for dinner and housing check-in
7 – 8 pm – Session II - Khaliji dance with Kay Hardy Campbell – “roots” women’s social dances from the Arabian Gulf. No prior Khaliji experience needed.
8 -9:30 pm – Drum Jam with everyone – open dancing encouraged. Melodic instruments welcome too!
Saturday April 30, 2022
Session III – 10 am – 12 pm – “Juicy Hip Combinations” with Cassandra. This class will focus on foundational to advanced Raqs Sharqi hip movements and combinations.
12 pm – 2 pm – Lunch Break - Brown bag it at the studio, or dine out on your own. If there is interest we’ll order takeout.
Session IV – 2 – 4 pm –“Karsilama” - with Cassandra. A class focusing on the Turkish, Armenian, and Greek folkloric club dance style that includes the signature 9/8 karsilama rhythm.
4 – 8 pm – Break for dinner – on your own
8 - 10 pm – Music Concert and Dance Performance – Live Music by Eric LaPerna and the Seyir Ensemble. Cassandra will perform, and there will be open dancing for all. Note: friends and family of participants are welcome to attend, a $5 per person donation suggested.
Sunday May 1, 2022
Session V – 10 am – 12 pm “Dancing to Rhythm” with Cassandra. Learn to ‘listen to the drummer’ as you interpret the music in dance.
12 pm – 2 pm – Lunch Break – Brown bag it at the studio, dine out on your own. If there is interest we’ll order takeout.
Session VI – 2 – 4 pm – “Masterful Cymbal Patterns” with Cassandra. As a skilled percussionist, Cassandra has been an expert finger cymbal player who has been teaching these patterns for decades around the world.
Workshop Pricing
$304 for all six classes – Friday to Sunday
$224 for Saturday and Sunday only – four classes
$ 80 for Friday only – two classes and drum jam
$ 75 pick and choose your classes
Note: If these pricing tiers don't work for you please email Kay at kayhardycampbell@gmail.com
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Refund Policy:
No refunds after April 15,2022. You may sell your spot to another participant, (please inform us if you do this). If COVID conditions change, and we cannot have an in-person event, you will be given the option of an on-line alternative or a full refund.
COVID Protocols: Proof of full vaccination and booster required for all participants. If still recommended by the CDC, all participants and audience members will be required to wear face masks.
Location:
Treehouse Studio, 15 Mariner Lane, off N. Mountain Road, Jefferson, Maine 04348
Jefferson is 3 hours by car from Boston, 1:15 from Portland, 1:30 from Bangor, 1:00 from Freeport, and about a half hour from Augusta, Camden, Rockland, and Damariscotta.
The nearest airports are Portland (PWM), Bangor (BGA) and Boston (BOS).
About Cassandra:
Cassandra Shore is a highly acclaimed dancer and dance instructor from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is the founder and director of the Cassandra School and the Jawaahir Dance Company. Through decades of hard work, study, performance, teaching, and choreography, she has trained thousands of dancers, created an award-winning dance company, and brought Middle Eastern dance and music to general audiences and schools.
Her performances are loved by native and western audiences alike, for her musical expressiveness, dignified elegance, and skill in performing with live musicians.
When creating one of Jawaahir’s dance productions, Cassandra wore many hats. After developing the concept for the show, she chose the music and creates the choreographies. The company rehearsed the numbers months in advance. Cassandra hired the musicians. She has brought some of the best in the business to perform for her shows. These productions have featured leading musicians such as Simon Shaheen, Bassam Saba, Georges Lammam, Naser Mousa, Karim Nagi, Michael Ibrahim, Ali Paris, and vocalists Mayssa Kara, Shelley Thomas, and Roula Said. Later on, she worked with set, costume, and lighting professionals. The result of her work was dance theater of the highest quality.
Read more about Cassandra, her school and Jawaahir Dance Company here:
https://www.jawaahir.org/Cassandra.html
Cassandra’s Dance Journey
While a pre-med student at the University of Minnesota in the 1970’s, Cassandra saw belly dance performers in Chicago. Shortly after that, she dropped out of school and traveled to San Francisco to study with Jamila Salimpour. She immersed herself in Jamila’s technique, and began dancing professionally in the thriving nightclub scene. She performed six nights a week, honing her performance skills, and developing her ability to perform with live musicians.
In 1977 she returned to Minneapolis and continued performing to live music at a Greek night club. Women in her audiences kept asking her to teach, and so she did, founding The Cassandra School. She traveled to the Middle East to study with master teachers, and immersed herself in the study of Middle Eastern music as a percussionist on riqq and frame drum.
She traveled to Egypt on her first research trip in 1981. She has since returned numerous times for dance and cultural research, as well as exploring virtually all of the North African countries, as well as Turkey and Greece, in her search for cultural understanding, authentic techniques, and inspiration.
Cassandra is a student of the finest teachers and choreographers that the Middle East and the US have to offer. This list includes Mahmoud Reda, director of the Reda Group, Cairo, Egypt, and former Under Secretary of Culture; Mohammed Khalil, director of the National Folklore Group of Egypt; Vivian Hamamjian, former member of the Caracalla Ballet, Beirut; Raqia Hassan, choreographer to Egypt’s top dance stars and former member of the Reda Group; and Ibrahim Farrah, director of the Near Eastern Ensemble, NYC, the first professional US performing company in Middle Eastern dance. These are but a few names from a stellar list.
Today, the Cassandra School and Jawaahir continue to thrive. Cassandra estimates she has taught over 5,000 people Middle Eastern dance, both “Oriental” and folkloric. Cassandra has led workshops across the U.S., Canada and Europe. She has been the mainstay instructor at the Oasis Dance Camps for over three decades, and has taught at Mendocino Middle East Camp, Belly Dance Blossom Festival, and the Arab Dance Seminar.
Through her study with leading dance masters in the US and Egypt, and her deep research in the field, Cassandra developed a national reputation for musical sensitivity, emotional expression, and strong technique. She is especially acclaimed by native audiences wherever she goes for expressing the music through her dance with a dignified elegance. Arabic music maestro Simon Shaheen calls her his “choreographer of choice”. She has performed live to his music the Mahrajan al-Fan in New York City, as well as in Seattle, WA and Canada.
Her company has been funded by prestigious regional granting agencies that recognize Jawaahir’s quality, as well as its important role in furthering cultural understanding.
Always learning something new, Cassandra studies and performs percussion on the drum set. She lives with her partner, Mike, and their three dogs, at their home on the bluffs high above the Mississippi River. She’s looking forward to her visit to New England to meet new friends and to share her love for the dance and music of the Middle East.
The Location and Studio:
The workshop will take place at the Treehouse Studio, 15 Mariner Lane, Jefferson, Maine. The studio is set on the edge of a forest overlooking a field. It is peaceful and quiet, the perfect setting for a dance retreat. Directions to the studio will be provided to registered participants. There is no public transportation available, so you’ll need a car or share a ride to get there.
Jefferson is in the heart of Midcoast Maine, a region known for its artistic inspiration, quaint harbor towns, lighthouses, beautiful lakes, and forests. About a half hour inland from the sea, Jefferson borders the northern part of beautiful Damariscotta Lake. The town and region are popular destinations for summer visitors.
For our weekend, several nearby housing options are available.
Sunset Cabins – Jefferson - Rustic vintage cabins set on the eastern shore of Damariscotta Lake. The cabins share a dock and swimming float. Kayaks and canoes are available. About ten minutes from the studio by car. Owner Aloisia Pollock welcomes workshop participants for one night stays. Normally she opens on May 1st, but she may open for our weekend if people reserve well in advance. No meals provided. www.sunsetcabinsmaine.com
Blueberry Fields B&B – Washington – Classic B&B rooms, as well as a cottage/cabin that sleeps five people. Restaurant on site. Two night minimum. About 15 minutes from the studio by car. http://www.blueberryfieldsbandb.com/
Clary Lake Bed and Breakfast – Jefferson – Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast. One night stays OK. Full breakfast. About 10 minutes from the studio by car. http://www.clarylakebedandbreakfast.com/ or Clary Lake Bed and Breakfast FB Page
The Comfy Dome – Jefferson – Unique glamping experience just ‘over the mountain’ and only a five minute drive from the studio. Camp in one of three geodesic domes set up in a field near the woods and a small pond. No meals provided. https://www.comfydome.com/