INTRODUCING OUR 8th Annual Folk Tours Middle Eastern Dance & Music Camp. We welcome all levels of dancers and musicians, from beginner to professional!
CAMP VACAMAS; (Located approximately 25 miles from New York City. Easy to reach by car or bus. 100 miles From Philadelphia (2 hours drive) and 4.5 hours from Washington DC) Also, only 45 minutes from Rakkasah Spring Caravan, right off rt. 287 (we are offering day rates so you can visit both events)
OUR 2011 DANCE AND MUSIC TEACHERS:
DANCE TEACHERS: Sema Yildiz, Nourhan Sharif, Lee Ali, Aszmara, Ayshe, Darshan, Ibrahim Tunc and Tayyar Akdeniz,
MUSIC TEACHERS: Souren Baronian, Ali Kahya, Sami Abu Shumays, Rachid Halihal, Mike Uzarmaciyan, Seido Salifoski, Ossama Farouk, Umut Yasmut, and Tayyar Akdeniz.
NEW EVENT! Camper pre-show performance showcase
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL UNTIL APRIL 20th $375
REGULAR PRICE AFTER APRIL 20th $400
Special day rates are available at $110 per day 10:00am to 6:30pm
LAST DAY TO REGISTER IS MAY 12, 2011. BALANCE DUE IN FULL MAY 12, 2011 (**REFERS TO ENTIRE WEEKEND CAMPERS ONLY)
Please come and join our Folk Tours family for an unforgettable experience!
New special offer!----Any camper who sends us 10 people can join to camp FREE! See Registration page for details
FOR COMPLETE DETAILS GO TO OUR USA EVENTS PAGE
Lee Ali was voted Favorite Ethnic Dancer and Golden Belly Award Winner, 2008. She's a multicultural shapeshifter who bridges the boundaries between East and West, modern and traditional. She's both a riveting performer and respected a folklorist in Moroccan and pan Arabic dance. With a Moroccan dancer Read More
AYSHE WINGS
Ayshe is a New York dance artist,
choreographer and designer. Ayshe blends her Greek and American heritage to create an exotic and unusual dance style. She has trained extensively in classical ballet, modern dance, yoga, and numerous ethnic dance forms, particularly Middle Eastern dance, ancient Pharaonic dance, and Indian dance. She holds a B.A. from Hunter College in Dance & Human Movement, Archaeology, and Middle Eastern Studies.Read More
SEMA YILDIZ
Turkish Oriental & Romany (Gypsy) Dances
One of the Ladies of Oriental Dance in Turkey, was born in Sulukule the gypsy quartier of Istanbul. She started her professional career in 1973 dancing in Kervansary, even today the first place for bellydance in Istanbul.She also performed many years in Gar casino in istanbul.Read More
DARSHAN
American Tribal Style Dance
Darshan aka Cammi Vance chose the dancer's path in 1991 as she began the avid study and practice of
bellydance. Oh, there had always been dance in her life: music, dance, and spirituality were key elements
in her family. Growing up, her movement studies included ballet, jazz, gymnastics, martial arts. As with
many on the path, her soul ran off with bellydance and left no return address.Read More
NOURHAN SHARIF
Egyptian Oriental Dance
Prolific, gifted, and tireless, New York s Nourhan Sharif keeps expanding the educational and artistic horizons for Middle Eastern dance. She persistently creates new ways to bring this dance to newcomers and new audiences and executes opportunities, new ideas, and projects for professionals.Read More
IBRAHIM TUNC
Turkish Folk Dance
ails from Denizli, Turkey and graduated from the respected Manisa Youth and Sports Academy in 1979.
After graduation Ibrahim performed in various folk dance organizations in Izmir until 1981 when he joined The Turkish State Folk Dance Ensemble as a performer and an instructor for "Zeybek" dance.Read More
TAYYAR AKDENIZ
Turkish Folk and Gypsy Dance
Tayyar has been involved as a dancer, musician and director of folkloric troupes for 25 years in Turkey. He has performed and traveled extensively around the world with the Turkish State Folk Dance Assemble and several other distinguished dance companies from Turkey.Read More
OSSAMA FAROUK
Arabic tabla (Instructor/performer)
Ossama Farouk, known as Farouk to friends and colleagues, is a self-taught performer of Middle Eastern percussion. Egyptian-born, he has been playing the popular Arabic hand drum instrument named table (other names for this drum include darbuka, dumbek, doumbek, derbakeh) since the age of 5. A natural talent, he was the first in his family to develop a passion for music and percussion.Read More
RACHID HALIHAL
Arabic oud, Arabic singing
(Instructor/performer)
Is a world class musician who began his studies in his native land of Morocco as a child. He is classically trained.Read More
UMUT YASMUT
Turkish kanun
(Instructor, Performer)
Studied kanun, chorus and violin at the Bogazici Music Foundation in Istanbul. He has performed in concert with many classical Turkish singers, such as the Erkose Brothers, Inci Cayirli, Safia Ayla, and many others. He has been living and performing in NYC since 1998Read More
SAMI ABU SHUMAYS
violin, Arabic maqam and singing
(Instructor/performer)
Studied Arabic violin with Simon Shaheen in New York, Alfred Gamil in Cairo, Abdul-Baset Bakkar and Abdul-Min'im Senkary in Aleppo, Syria, and Arabic classical singing with Mohammad Qassas in Aleppo.Read More
ALI KAHYA
Turkish singing, maqam, ensemble class
(Instructor/ performer)
A longtime professional entertainer, is a diversely skilled musician, playing and singing in both Eastern and Western styles.
Read More
SEIDO SALIFOSKI
Turkish darbuka
(Instructor/ performer)
A Roma born to a singer mother and a folk dancer father in Prilep, Macedonia, Seido has palyed darbuka / dumbek in Balkan and Middle Eastern style for 30 years. With his extensive experience playing Turkish, Greek, Balkan, and Middle Eastern percussion Read More
SOUREN BARONIAN
clarinet (Instructor/performer)
Is an Armenian born artist in NYC. He has performed throughout the US and abroad as a soloist for over 35 years. His groups "Taksim" a Near Eastern jazz-fusion ensemble and "Transition" a folkloricRead More