Copyright 2001
by Faith LaFave
Here are a few rave reviews of
HADIA's
performances:
(Be sure to check out the Adventures,
Workshop, DVDs,
Tour, Festival,
and Teacher Training Reviews!)
| An Occidental Tourist Takes the
Orient Express Dancer Hadia Transforms the Classics by Kerry Sloan What happens when the Middle East meets Mozart? Can Mussorgsky be Modest in a skimpy bra and belt? I was about to find out on the "Orient Express", a collaborative performance of oriental dancer Hadia, the Aiwa Arabic Dance Ensemble - and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. On November 27, 2003, a packed house of novelty-seeking Calgarians filled the Jack Singer Concert Hall, one of the city's most prestigious venues, to see their own Hadia's acclaimed choreographic talents applied to Western classical music. As I sat, ticket in hand, waiting for the "train" to depart, I admitted to feeling fairly skeptical. Was about to witness the birth of an artistic monster - a pop pastiche of "East meets West"? Was I going to be subjected to the worst in trite orientalism? The CPO's promotional material had done nothing to allay my fears, using the words "sensual", "exotic", "allure" - even "magic carpet ride". However, I did feel some consolation in the knowledge that, if anyone could pull this show off with class, it would be Hadia, an internationally respected dancer and winner in 2000 of the coveted "Best Choreographer" award from the International Association of Middle Eastern Dance. I glanced down at my program and scanned the offered repertoire - all oriental-inspired works composed between 1775 and 1920. Obviously, the European fascination with the Middle Orient was not a recent phenomenon. Hadia's choreographic commission from the CPO was simply following tradition. I also noted from the program that we wouldn't be seeing the dancers until the second half. We were going to be put into an oriental mood - but gradually. The orchestra began with two Turkish-influenced pieces by Mozart. First, the Overture from the opera The Abduction from the Seraglio, then the Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, with its famous "Turkish" Rondo, performed by the young and capableCanadian soloist Karen Gomyo. Mozart wrote these two pieces during a period in which Vienna was occupied by the Ottomans - a number of times. The Viennese, despite their fears, seemed enamoured of all things Turkish: there were Turkish dress styles, Turkish hair-dos, Turkish stories, and what the Viennese thought of as Turkish music. "Turkish" military music was especially popular, perhaps suggesting the use of the triangle and the bass drum in the Overture, and the striding, angular phrases of the Rondo. Despite all this, I felt convinced I was still in Vienna. Imagining myself on a pleasant Strasse, sipping coffee and indulging in Sachertorte, I was suddenly jarred eastward to a surreal street scene, to the garish strains of "In a Persian Market" by Albert Ketelbey. The English silent movie score composer wrote a number of popular sentimental pieces, including this one, with its visions of carnivalesque camel-herders, snake charmers and slaves. The audience was cajoled into a sing-along, all the better to contribute to the bustle of the marketplace. After the intermission, we were quite firmly back on European soil with a rousing rendition of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C Minor, with its popular "exotic" allusions, this time to the music of the region's Gypsies. Evidently, we the audience were now primed for some real honest-to-goodness sensualism. Still, not to rush or rouse us too much, the first dance was a cross-over number, Tchaikovsky's "Arabian Dance" from his ballet The Nutcracker. I surmised a synthesis of styles would be suited to Hadia, who has trained and performed throughout Turkey and the Middle East, and has also studied ballet, jazz and contemporary dance with the likes of Les Ballets Jazz du Montreal, Phil Black, Luigi and Alvin Ailey. Evidently, the "Arabian Dance" has been performed before by Middle Eastern dancers, notably by Zari in 1998 at the Boston Conservatory. Hadia's rendition was graceful and balletic - and not overly oriental. She floated onstage in a white cabaret outfit and veil, and was slowly joined by members of her troupe flourishing their jewel-toned veils in tandem with surges in dynamics and tempo. Subtly interspersed with ballet and jazz moves were occasional hip drops, soft shimmies and gentle undulations. I felt I was in a pleasant dream, and for a moment forgot my interest in the East-West dichotomy. I quickly snapped myself out of my reverie in contemplation of the poor Prince Ivan Khovansky, the subject of Modest Mussorgsky's opera Khovanshchina ("The Khovansky Plot"). The ambitious prince, feeling comfortable and secure in his luxurious palace, orders his slave girls to dance for him. Such are the raptures of the "Dance of the Persian Slaves" that he becomes oblivious to a messenger warning of a plot against his life. He dies, of course. Despite my disdain at such obsession with the powers of the exotic, I confess I was again transported by Hadia and her dancers - and by the choreography. Hadia is certainly adept at transforming the aural into the visual by accentuating melody, harmony and rhythm, and by capturing musical moods and styles. For the Mussorgsky piece, Hadia used melodic phrases, motifs and rhythmic accents to create "characters" for her slave dancers. The melody was sinuously portrayed by Hadia. Two tall blonde dancers carrying veils aloft like banners flanked the troupe, providing foils for Hadia, as well as a frame for the other dancers and orchestra. A triad of dancers, in "doo-wap" fashion, minced in unison to ornamental motifs. Meanwhile, more characters flitted across the stage - a pink ballerina accompanying an airy melodic theme, and a blithe, folksy tambourine player highlighting percussive accents. By this point I was wondering whether Prince Ivan might not have had his priorities straight after all. Oh dear. Feeling a bit sheepish, I was relieved to be able to return to my original cynicism with Carl Neilsen's Aladdin Suite, which was originally intended as incidental music for a Danish stage setting of Aladdin and was first perfomed in 1919. It was variously menacing, frenzied, nostalgic and swashbuckling. In other words, more vaguely exotic popular entertainment. The music for the evening's finale was the "Bacchanale" from Saint-Saens' opera Samson and Delilah, which seemed fitting, as the composer was born in Paris and died in Algiers. The "Bacchanale" takes place inside the Temple of Dagon, where pagan worshippers revel in preparation for a sacrifice. The oriental theme is one of unrestrained sensuality and hedonism. And, typically, because no one can have too much fun, the revellers are eventually punished, with the prurient onlookers feeling chastened and somehow absolved. Saint-Saens employs pseudo-eastern scales, prominent augmented second intervals, and a great deal of crashing percussion, supposedly evocative of sensual abandon and barbarism. This was by far the most heady and intense of the dances, and definitely the most bellydance-like of the three. It was also a showcase for Hadia's choreographic talents in highlighting musical device, evoking mood and creating story. The "Bacchanale" began with quick-moving, energetic "worshippers", arrayed in red and black peasant-style costumes, creating a mood of excitement and anticipation. Enter "goddess" Hadia, undulating and spinning langourously, her sensual yet muted costume setting her apart from the brightly-clad minions. At other moments, ranks of dancers performed a ritual of repetitive head slides while a sinuous oboe theme piped on. At one point, a number of the dancers moved coyly through the audience, as if tosolicit more followers. In the last moments of bacchanalic bliss, the troupe formed a chorus line, and then, as Hadia returned from the aisles, her devotees enclosed her in a circle of ecstatic worship. Suddenly, she took the form of an avenger, perhaps of an angry Dagon or of Samson, and she scattered her dancers, charging at them and waving her arms to great crashes of sound. The scene ended with all dancers falling to the floor as the"temple" crumbled down around them. The audience, obviously mesmerized, exploded into applause. Luckily, no divine punishment was visited on the hall, which left it available for the second performance of "Orient Express" on November 29. As the dancers returned for their third curtain call, I realized that what I had witnessed was neither East nor West, or some bastardized combination of the two, but the workings of choreographic imagination. The music itself may have portrayed a romanticized version of the Near East, but ironically it was the dance which redeemed it by embodying it as universal art. As Conductor Susan Haig told audience members in an informal talk after the performance, she was initially apprehensive about working with "bellydancers", but her worries quickly vanished when she realized, "The choreography brought the music to life". Members of the Aiwa Arabic Dance Ensemble performing with Hadia and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra were Alexandra Braginsky, Jumanah, Nim Khan, Christine Maurette, Holly McWilliams, Jess Rozon and Anna Samuelson. |
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Woman of Vision – Calgary Herald Article – November
5, 2002: Growing up in Saskatchewan, Jocelyn Chouinard dreamed of becoming a dancer. “I remember dressing in leotards and little tops…and prancing around the house doing Swan Lake until I wore a huge groove in my mother’s record,” says the 50-year-old Calgary resident with a child’s remorseful smile. Today, Chouinard is an internationally acclaimed dancer, but her specialty is quite a cultural leap from Swan Lake. For more than 30 years, Chouinard has performed and taught the ancient art of belly dancing, or as she prefers to call it, Middle Eastern dance. She was first inspired by the mystical moves of the dance while attending the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Since then, she has traveled around the world, including stops in Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia, to perfect her technique. In 2000, Chouinard was honoured with an international award as Choreographer of the Year. Chouinard, who performs under the name Hadia, says there is more to the dance than what most of us are familiar with. “It’s so much more than just one dancer in a little outfit running around between tables.” After two years of planning, Chouinard organized the Festival of the Nile, held last August long weekend in Calgary. She brought together several top Middle Eastern dancers for workshops and sold-out performances. It was the first festival of its kind in Canada and Chouinard says the response from participants was overwhelming. “What they took away from it was a much deeper understanding of Middle Eastern music, the history, the dance, the culture, the costuming. It was a very well-rounded perspective.” In her rich, deep, singer’s voice, Chouinard explains how Middle Eastern dance has given her a new personal perspective. With its fluid movements and flowing costumes of chiffon and jewels, she says the dance has allowed her to embrace her femininity. Chouinard believes that’s difficult for many women today, because of what she calls confusion between male and female roles. “I think the down side of (emancipation) is we tend to look a little more derogatorily at some of the softer aspects of being women.” In 1992, she went back to school to become a registered massage therapist. When she’s not touring or teaching dance, she works with patients and teaches post-graduate classes in massage therapy. Finding success in two careers has proven that Chouinard has followed her own advice. “If you really love what you are doing and you work really hard and you believe in it from deep inside, there’s nothing that can stop you.” |
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"Hadia teaches with clear, precise instructions. The information is
well organized and challenging. She is able to motivate dancers of all
levels with no disruption to the overall flow of the day. In addition, she
monitors each dancer's progress and offers individual appraisals, as
needed. Hadia's choreographies emphasize the flow of the music,
simplicity, variation on the basic steps and small touches to highlight it
all."
"In this two day workshop, we learned a beledi dance full of humor and joy. An elegant oriental choreography in the modern Egyptian style followed. Later, Hadia taught a cane dance suitable for solo or troupe performance. (please mention her name if you use it!) The workshop ended with an introduction to Tunisian dance steps." Heidi Branchaud, Calgary Workshop Review |
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"As the intro music played, the red beledi-clad guest star snaked through the audience in a surprise entrance to the stage. Her high energy, playfulness and musicality shone through a cane dance of her own choreography. The music switched to "Ageb Ageb" from George Assouf and she treated us to Rakia Hassan's masterful choreography." "Hadia wove intricate patterns with her body and expressions to Oum Kolthoum's classical piece "Ana Fintizara". The feeling and grace she portrayed was almost tangible and the petite dancer was a vision in her white, gold and silver lace beaded costume. Hadia returned in a ravishing teal oriental costume with a distinct look of Bella of Turkey. The band played on for her fabulous oriental show, and the audience went wild for her!!" Jamilla Abir, The Show Review |
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"..she was first inspired by the infamous Jordanian dancer "Badawia"... very quickly the need to learn all that was possible led her to other great oriental dancers such as Nadia Gamal, Jamila Salimpour, Ahmed Jarjour, Ibrahim Farrah, Lala Hakim and the National Folkloric Company of Egypt. In addition she spent course time with Yousri Sherif which has made Hadia a known and recognized artist. Her references include performances in Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Tunisia as well as the North African countries." "Upon returning to North America, Hadia has had but one goal: to train dancers and communicate to them all she knows. Her motivation for technical instruction has placed her among the most accomplished masters." "Her honesty and integrity in the performing and teaching of the oriental dance has given Hadia the ongoing enthusiasm from which she began, seeing the world through the eyes of youth, but acquiring the wisdom of an ancient woman." L'echo Des Sagattes, Journal Du Cours, Paris, France |
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"The Lila and Mayodi show put on by Hadia was a real treat. ...one of the most exciting shows I'd seen in a long time. ...Hadia performed to Masha'al with her troupe and her choreography was, as always, sublime. Hadia as a particular gift of musicality - setting movement to the music - that goes far beyond anything I've seen by the likes of Nagwa Fouad or Soher Zaki." Sahda, Newsletter of the Middle Eastern Dance Assoc., Vancouver, B.C., Canada |
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"When Mayod (of Paris) introduced Hadia to us as "the best", he was not exaggerating. Although I am not one for idolizing, I acknowledge Hadia as a true master of this art form. What I appreciate the most about Hadia's teaching is her generosity. She clearly and completely explains the "how to's" of this dance. I learned and discovered more in the five days with her than the entire seventeen years of my studies of oriental dance. Now I know that I have a lot of work still ahead of me but also that my students will benefit from this new knowledge and perspective." Evelyn from Paris, France |
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"The Hadia workshop has come and gone! Registration for the two-day event was healthy, with participants coming from all over southern Ontario. Hadia taught cane on Saturday, a drum solo choreography on Sunday and oriental both days. Students appreciated Hadia's teaching style, her personality and magnetism all of which won her many fans/friends. And sandwiched between the two busy days of workshops was the exciting Middle Eastern Dance Cabaret! The show was a huge success, packed with encouraging audience members and dazzling dance performances. And it's interesting to witness how many shows were creative fusions: Aziza belly dancing to Backstreet Boys, Yasmina and Sashar with Azerbaijan/Bellydance fusion, Layali Shehrazad with American Tribal Dance, Ilana's innovative veil and drum piece and so much more! Then there was Hadia's shows. She did an adorable cane routine n the first half and ended the show with a dramatic oriental show and a rockin' drum solo! Arabesque Dance Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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I wanted to e-mail you to let you know how much I enjoyed the workshop you gave in Virginia Beach this past weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. Even though I've been dancing for such a short time (7 months), I feel like I learned so much from your classes and I'll be able to apply that knowledge to anything I do in the future. I'm sorry so many people were scared away from the hurricane, but I guess the smaller classes were to my benefit and maybe Taaj will be able to bring you back again for another session when the weather cooperates! Anyway, thanks again! Shari W. |
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"Oh, you are going to LOVE Hadia! I sponsored her last year and can't wait to get her back. She is one of the most under-rated and under appreciated (because she doesn't put out all that hype and self-promotion garbage) dancers in the U.S. ever. She is a professional Flamenco, ballet, modern, Polynesian AND Middle Eastern dancer. This lifetime of training reflects in her warm- ups, her carriage, her instruction, her dancing, her everything! I never new what the phrase "dancer's dancer" meant until I saw it embodied in Hadia. It's all in the eye of the beholder, but my two cents worth is that Hadia is one of the best." Taaj, VA |
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Oasis Dance Camp
South, November 5th – Sunday, November 9th, 2003: |