Mosaic Dance Theater Company’s (MDTC) world premiere production of Alhayat Raksa (Life Is a Dance), centers around an Arab woman who, at the end of her life, resolves her conflicting emotions and resentments of having had to follow the traditional path for a woman of marriage and a family, instead of pursuing a career as a dancer. The work underscores the fragility of women’s rights and choices that we often take for granted. The story is told as a flashback of the woman’s life. The different scenes, through the music composed for them, present different styles of Middle Eastern dance: traditional folklore, elegant raks sharki (oriental dance), popular shaabi (street dance), and contemporary interpretive Middle Eastern dance.
Adapted from an original story idea by Trisha Cangiano, Alhayat Raksa (Life Is a Dance) is directed by Morgiana Celeste Varricchio (MDTC’s Producing Artistic Director) and choreographed by Samara Adell (MDTC’s Artistic Director for Dance), with a commissioned score of original Arabic music composed by Maurice Chedid.
The commission was made possible through a grant from the New Music USA Organizational Fund. Mr. Chedid, is joined on the recording by some of the finest Arabic musicians in the NY metropolitan area: Vikin Makochian, Jabra Darieh, and Georges Radi.
Performing are: Samara Adell, Morgiana Celeste Varricchio, Nina Brewton, Kendra Dushac McCarthy, Heather Panikkar, Kaitlin Hines-Vargas, and Tashira Wadiya.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 5:00 PM, and Sunday, November 5, 2023 at 3:00 PM, with an artist talkback after each performance. The program is presented free of charge, and reservations are strongly recommended. Reservations can be made online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alhayat-raksa-life-is-a-dance-tickets-662980170537.
Made possible by funds from the Essex County Division of Cultural Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
