Let’s shimmy the hips! Festival Accès Asie proudly annouces the third edition of the Middle-Eastern Dance Competition at La Sala Rossa on Thursday, May 19th.
Au fil de cette soirée au rythme déchaîné, se succèderont des performances solo ou en duo des artistes soigneusement sélectionnés après notre appel à candidature. Divers styles de danse du Moyen-Orient seront représentés à travers les numéros choisis : Raqs Sharqi, Baladi, Saïdi, Shaabi, Eskandarani, Khaliji pour le volet solo, le Dabke pour la danse en duo.
Les prestations seront appréciées, selon divers critères artistiques et techniques, par trois professionnels de la danse et d’envergure internationale: Denise Enan, juge d’honneur, ainsi que Khadija Jabiry, et Pierre Khoury qui nous feront à nouveau le plaisir de prêter leur expertise lors de cette joyeuse compétition. Trois prix seront décernés ainsi que le Prix du public. La nouveauté cette année : les finalistes auront aussi la chance de se voir offrir trois ateliers dispensés par Khadija Jabiry, Pierre Khoury et Florence Leclerc. Ils exploreront l’habileté de la présence scénique afin de parfaire leur savoir-faire.
Animée par la danseuse Diane Labelle, cette soirée des plus festives accueillera également la gagnante de l’édition 2015, Sarah Jawida Vézina qui présentera un numéro. Le duo Interstellaire II et Me Float assureront les ambiances sonores et visuelles.
Born in Egypt, Denise Enan was the principal dancer of Firqa Kawmiyya (National Folkloric Troupe of Egypt) from 1960 to 1974. Both she and her husband were trained by Kawmiyya dancers Dawlat Ibrahim and Faten Salama, considered as masters of Egyptian dance today. Many times awarded for her interpretation and choreographies, Denise Enan has danced for international celebrities, presidents and monarchs included. In 1973, she began sharing her knowledge and dance experiences throughout Egypt before opening her own studio in Gatineau, Dance Oasis, in 2003.
Khadija Jabiry comes from a Moroccan home where dance and singing was part of her family day-to-day life. Passionate about Egyptian dance, she continued her training in Egypt, close to prominent master Eastern dancers such as Mahmoud Reda and Farida Fahmy. In 1999, she established the professional dance troupe Baladi et Danses de l’Orient : Tywalline, distinguished by its diverse folkloric repertoire. Khadija currently conducts workshops on North African dances both in Canada and the United States, and also serves as a board member of the Association québécoise de danse orientale (AQDO).
A Montrealer of Syrian origin, Pierre Khoury has attained a strong reputation in Eastern dance circles of Quebec and North America. After completing his training under the guidance of Khadija Jabiry, he put all his passion into professional dancing and choreography. Among other performances, he has danced for the International Bellydance Conference of Canada in Toronto and the Theatrical Bellydance Conference of New York in 2010. He has also acted as artistic director at Bellydance with a Twist events in Montreal, and on juries for many Cégeps en spectacles editions. He has worked along with many local artists as a choreographer, including as an awarded soloist of the AQDO in 2013.
Florence Leclerc holds a DCS in dance and has quickly gained a reputation in the world of Eastern dance. A talented ballroom dancer, she has been a member of the Denise and Ahmed Enan’s folkloric troupe, as well as the professional company, Oriental Ballet of Canada, which has been awarded gold medals from the AQDO and the Bellydancer of the World Competition. She has won several national and international Eastern dance competitions such as Rakstar (2014). Besides her participation in a number of productions, she runs the amateur troupe Mesk El Leil, and also works as a choreographer and instructor at the Louise Lapierre Dance School.
Born in Montreal, Diane Labelle began dancing at the age of twelve, engaging in classical ballet, jazz and contemporary dance. Passionate about all sorts of dance styles, she began practising baladi dance in 2003, perfecting her skills under the guidance of dance masters from Egypt, Morocco and Montreal. She has developed a distinctive style that fuses classical and contemporary dance with baladi and raqs sharqi.
Sarah Jawida Vézina began dancing at the age of eight, learning many different styles such as ballet jazz, hip hop and ballroom dance. She discovered her passion for Eastern dance in 2008, while training with Aicha, director of the Académie de danse orientale de Québec. In the last two years, she has perfected her technique alongside professional dancers Yousry Shariff, Yasmina Ramzy, Mercedes, Tito, Mohammed Sahin, and Nour among others. Sarah is currently establishing her own voice in the world of music interpretation.
Interstellaire II and Me Float is a sound and visual project of two artists involved in Jeunesse Cosmique label and they are also curators of their radio show at CISM. They organise the event called PITCH DOWN – MTL. They are currently working on a tribute to Sun Ra to be presented for Festival Suoni Per II Popolo.
Denise Enan – Jury of Honour
Khadija Jabiry – Judge
Pierre Khoury – Judge
Florence Leclerc – Judge
Diane Labelle – Spokeswoman
Sarah Jawida Vézina – Winner 2015 Edition
Interstellaire II et Me Float – VJ / DJ