Moroccan Dance Workshop w/Soumaya MaRose

Get ready for high energy hips, hair and feet!

Moroccan dance is coming to Tarrytown, New York!  Soumaya will show us how to party like a Moroccan and will discuss the context and cultural aspects of Chaabi (social) dance in Morocco.  Prepare to sweat, laugh and have a ton of fun.

About Soumaya MaRose:  Soumaya was born and raised as a Moroccan woman in Belgium after her parents came to Europe from Tangier in the 1970’s.  Her experience with Moroccan music and Raks Sharqi started very young, when she begged her mother to take her to Moroccan weddings.  From the beginning, her community said, “dik Soumaya, ouhda shataha,” meaning “This Soumaya is a dancer!”  When she was 13, Soumaya performed at shows, weddings and events, and learned to play table and drums.  She became a member of “El Housna,” a Moroccan girl band, and for 15 years played with the band at Arabic events in Belgium, France, Germany and The Netherlands.  At 26, she began to study belly dance with Serkan Tutar (international Turkish male belly dancer) and many other international teachers as Khaled Mahmoud, Ahmed Refaat, Tito, Mohamed Kazafy, Orit Maftsir, Asena, Serap Su, Maria Aya, Tommy King, Farah Bakkali and many other teachers.  Last June 2015 she won second place in the folk dance competition at Rakass Istanbul International Festival.  Since arriving in Boston in January 2014, she has dedicated her life to dance.  She currently performs and plays music with Atlas Soul (North African music), Club Mediteranee (Arabic and Balkan music) and gives solo Raqs Sharki performances and Moroccan folkloric dance at weddings and events around New England.  She says “For me, dancing means language.  It is my way to share my culture and keep the Arabic woman in me alive.”