NYAF x Maghreb Movement Lab at La MaMa Theater: Algerian Dance & Drum Workshops w/Esraa Warda & Fella Oudane

Program Description:

As a New York Arab Festival (NYAF) special program, on Sunday April 28th, we present Algerian dance and drum workshops by artists Esraa Warda & Fella Oudane hosted at the world-renowned New York cultural institution, La MaMa Theater! This program is FREE with RSVP with the option to give a suggested donation given directly to the artists. This workshop is the day after a duo concert with Warda & Fella on April 27th at Nublu. To book tickets to the concert, click here. 

Program Info - Sunday, April 28th @ La MaMa Studios

3:00-4:30pm

Dance of Algiers - "Assimi" -Workshop w/ Esraa Warda

Picture Algiers, the pulsating heart of the Algerian revolution; its colonial architecture kissed by the Mediterranean breeze, the ceaseless flow of vehicles tracing the coastline, and the faint strains of chaabi music lingering in the air. Algiers stands as an epicenter of cultural convergence, where echoes of Andalusian, Ottoman, Amazigh, and Arab influences intertwine.

In Algiers you find folks dancing "El Assimi" or "Algéroise" dance, where the elegant movements, accompanied by the rhythmic flutter of "les mouchoirs" or handkerchiefs in our hands embody both the resilience of colonial defiance and the profound pride of Algiers' inhabitants.

Come learn this dance with Esraa Warda, NYC's Algerian-American dance artist and educator.

Please dress comfortably and prepare to be barefooted. Bring a scarf to tie around your waist (no coin belts, just regular scarf) and two (2) handkerchiefs. You can also use disposable tissues.

4:30-6:00pm

Algerian Rhythms - Percussion Workshop w/ Fella Oudane

Join us for a rare opportunity with guest artist Fella Oudane, powerhouse woman and Algerian darbouka virtuoso, as she teaches classic Algerian rhythms on the derbouka drum (also known as tabla, derbekke, doumbek)  with a focus on rhythmic traditions from the chaabi repertoire.

Please bring your own darbouka. If you do not have one, we will welcome djembes as an alternative.

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More about the artists:


Fella Oudane, hailing from Bab-El-Oued, Algiers of Kabyle origin, gained fame through duos with Cheb Nasro and upholds traditional Algerian music, including Kabyle, Assimi, and Rai, even from her base in Los Angeles. In 2023, she collaborated with dancer Esraa Warda at the "For the Sake of Dancing in the Street" exhibition by OXY arts and the Los Angeles Nomadic Division. 

Esraa Warda, a prominent Algerian-American dance artist in New York, explores socio-cultural themes in traditional Algerian dance. Catch her on PBS's Bare Feet and NPR's Tiny Desk with Bnat el Houariyat. Warda's work has been lauded by the New York Times, VOGUE Arabia, The Metric, and she was a BBC 100 Women nominee in 2022. Learn more about her here: www.esraawarda.com

More about NYAF:

New York Arab Festival (NYAF) was established in 2022 to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month and fight the erasure of Arab and Arab American identities from New York City, a place that Arabs have called home for over three centuries.  At the New York Arab Festival, we believe in the urgency of dialogue between cultural practitioners in the US and the Arabic-speaking region, with a special focus on Arab American histories and artistic practices. NYAF is a multidisciplinary festival of art, culture, design, food, philosophy, and intersecting industries. It programs arts and culture from the Arabic-speaking region and the Arab diaspora, showcasing Arab American artists, particularly those working and living in New York City. Artists and speakers will flock to New York from Palestine, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and beyond.

NYAF was founded by Arab, Arab American, and American artists, curators, and cultural operators and is currently organized and run by its founding members: Artistic Director and Curator Adham Hafez, Urbanist and Curator Adam Kucharski, and the festival’s founding Senior Producer Cindy Sibilsky.

NYAF is produced by HaRaKa Platform and powered by Wizara LLC. The festival partners with multiple celebrated institutions, such as Poetry Project, La MaMa ETC, NUBLU, Museum of Moving Image, Urban Art Projects, Leslie Lohman Museum, Jalopy Theatre, and others.

Website: www.newyorkarabfestival.com

Instagram: @newyorkarabfestivalofficial

This event is also in part supported by the New York State Council of the Arts and the Center for Traditional Music and Dance in collaboration with the monthly Maghreb Movement Lab by Esraa Warda.