Descent of Ishtar

Spring Tour

Arabesque Dance Company takes Descent of Ishtar and other traditional repertoire with full orchestra on tour this May, 2003.

All performances are at 8:00pm

Tickets for performances
Adults: $22.00 Students, Seniors, CADA: $19. Prices include GST.

May 3 - Sudbury, Fraser Auditorium, Laurentian University
Tix: 705-674-8381
May 10 - Windsor, Capitol Theatre
Tix: 519-253-7729
May 24 - Ottawa, Museum of Civilization
Tix: 613-755-1111
May 31 - St. Catharines, Sean O'Sullivan Theatre, Brock University
Tix: 905-688-5550 X3257

Workshops

Yasmina Ramzy, Dr. George Sawa and Suleiman Warwar will also teach a 3-hour workshop on the day after each performance. The workshop includes cultural aspects of Middle Eastern music and dance, Arabic music theory, and belly dance technique, complete with live music.

May 4 - Sudbury, contact Lucie LaFonteine of Baladi National Baladi, 1-705-897-7764
May 11 - Windsor, contact Khrista Boon of The Body Sanctury, 1-519-966-8620
May 25 - Ottawa, contact AZIZA, 1-819-772-4186
June 1 - St. Catherines, contact Kassia of Hip Circle Productions, 1-905-468-7993

Choreographer's Notes | Credits | Photo Gallery

Description

The critically acclaimed Arabesque Dance Company under the artistic direction of Yasmina Ramzy performs Descent of Ishtar, in a program that includes live traditional music and dance directed by Dr. George Sawa.

Descent of Ishtar relates the story of the Goddess Ishtar and her journey into the Underworld. The dance of the seven veils has long been associated with Salome and her seduction of King Herod, although it predates the Judeo-Christian Era and is deeper on meaning and symbolism than is commonly portrayed. Choreographer Yasmina Ramzy has been been a student of mysticism for more than 25 years, and she incorporates the knowledge, inspiration, and authenticity into her choreography.

Choreographer's Notes

I have called this piece Descent of Ishtar instead of Dance of the Seven Veils because this famous dance is usually associated with Salome's seduction of King Herod. I was taught that the Dance of the Seven Veils was a ritual and that all original theatre, dance, and music was created for the religious purpose of inducing a spiritual experience in its audience or perhaps initiate audience into some mystery. For thsi piece I have used the name of the ancient Middle Eastern goddess Ishtar, but the story of passing through seven stages to inner knowledge can be found in many mystical traditions. The Goddess, forgetting who she really is, finds she can no longer enjoy life because of the ever-present knowledge that all things must wither and die. She, being immortal, witnesses the suffering it causes her children and loved ones. Overcome with sorrow, she decides to seek out Death himself to find out the root and cause of this suffering. In order to reach the Underworld where Death resides, she must pass through seven gates. At each gate, she confronts a guardian, who demands the relinquishment o a garment, a piece of jewelry, or as in this ritual, a veil. Beyond each gate is a world that represents a different aspect of her mind. These seven worlds are often depicted by the natures of the astrological seven planets, following the order of the Sephiroth travelling up the Qabalistic Tree of Life.

Veil	Colour	Rules Over	Place On Body	Planet	Sephiroth Number and Name
1st	violet	the body, animal insticts, subconscious	sexual organs	Moon	9 - Yesod
2nd	orange	thoughts, analytical process, the mind	right hip	Mecury	8 - Hod
3rd	green	emotions, desires, yearnings, illusions	left hip	Venus	7 - Netzach
4th	yellow	the ego, harmony, sense of self with or separate from the universe	heart	Sun	6 - Tiphareth
5th	red	will, power, desire, severity	right shoulder	Mars	5 - Geburah
6th	blue	memory, habits, indulgence, glory	left shoulder	Jupiter	4 - Chesad
7th	black	tim, space, death	head, right side	Saturn	3 - Binah

Each veil has a distinct character that uses a completely different style of Middle Eastern dance, including Zaar, Sufi whirling, floor work, and of course, isolation and hip work. Recounting the descent of Ishtar through abstract ideas and a form of dance that is not usually staged for the theatre was extremely challenging as well as an enormous learning experience.

Credits

Choreographer	Yasmina Ramzy
Composer	Richard Feren
Costume Design	Denise Mireau and Jane Graydon
Scene Design	Yasmina Ramzy
Lighting Design	Penny Olorenshaw
Running TIme	45 min
Number of Dancers	15 women, 2 men
World Premiere	1998 - Studio Theatre, Habourfront Centre Toronto, Ontario, Canada
	pre-recorded music