OUM (MOTHER)

February 11-14 2010, Premiere Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada.

The swirling, undulating passion of Arabesque Dance Company & Orchestra celebrates two great mothers; the Mother of Arab Music Oum Kalthoum and the Mother of the Universe, ancient Inanna of Babylon.

Sponsored by: NextSteps, Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Now Magazine, Media Profile
Running Time: 120 minutes
Cast: 17 dance artists (female and male), 7 musicians/vocalists

Cast & Crew

 Artistic Direction, Choreography: Yasmina Ramzy

 Musical Direction, Composition, Arrangement: Bassam Bishara

 Percussion Direction, Composition: Suleiman Warwar

 Assistant Musical Direction: Walid Najjar

 Lighting Design: Arun Srinivasan

 Dance Artists: Yasmina Ramzy, Samara, Tim Spronk, Saba Alemayehu, Melissa Gamal, Laura Selenzi, Valizan, Sarah Brawley, Ingrid Schossler, Nikki Gentles, Amy LeBlanc-Parkinson, Leigh Clarke, Katrina Kukurs, Anjelica Scannura, Tatiana Kaptianskaia, Erika Zuniga, Rommel Delos Reyes

 Understudies: Grace Wu, Shadia Saad, Anuka, Nomad Bakr

 Musicians: Bassam Bishara, Suleiman Warwar, Walid Najjar, Eddy Suleiman, George Barbas, Mohanned Maotassem, Mohamed Sroujli

 Costume Design & Construction: Yasser Abd El Rahmon, Madame Noussa, Deborah Shaw, Rachelle Allen, Karen Brown, Anuka, Shadia Saad

 Props: Sussi Dorrell

 Stage & Production Manager: Sam Joyce

 Wardrobe Mistress: Deborah Shaw

 Assistant Stage Managers: Deb Shaw, Rachelle Allen

 Choreography Consultant: Robert Desrosiers

 Rehearsal Coach: Mary Cabral

 Production Staff: Nikki Gentles, Melody Bogin, Karen Brown, Suzanne Karima, Sussi Dorrell, Suleiman Warwar, Yasmina Ramzy

 Administration: Melody Bogin, Karen Brown, Suzanne Karima

 Publicity: Media Profile

 Graphic Design: Melody Bogin, James Robinson

 D.O.P: Matt Phillips, Videography: Jaene Castrillon

 Photography: Sussi Dorrell, Samira Hafezi

ACT ONE

FAKAROUNI / DRUM MANIA #3

A touch of the music of Oum Kalthoum accompanied by a percussion moment with Suleiman Warwar

SAHRA – Night Out

Cairo style Bellydance highlighting the Veil set to dynamic music written especially for the Opening of a Bellydance performance

AMANA ALEIK - Pleading

Original singer and composition: Karem Mahmoud

SAIIDI / TAHTIIB / LUXOR BALADNA

A display of Egyptian style machismo featuring fighting sticks set to traditional music. Fight Drums composition: Suleiman Warwar

COFFEE SHOP

A playful scene at the coffee shop smoking shisha.

Music arrangement: Bassam Bishara

TUTA

Composition: Farid El Attrache

HAYEE (remount EGYPT 2009) - Eternally Alive (referring to God)
Exploring nuances of the world of the Zaar Exorcism Ritual

Composition: Bassam Bishara

SANATEIN WANA HAYEL FIIK – I’ve Been Chasing You for Two Years

Composition: Raouf Zehni, Original singer: Leyla Murad

HAYSA – Party Chaos

Drums and Segat

Composition: Suleiman Warwar

INTERMISSION

ACT TWO

OUM

"OUM" means "mother" in Arabic. “OUM” pays homage to the diva of Arab music, Oum Kalthoum. This is a montage of some of her beloved musical moments.

OUM Order of Music & Translations

Alf Leila Wa Leila – One Thousand and One Nights
My darling, the night and its sky
And its stars, moon, and the burning of its midnight oil
And you and I, My darling, my life
We are in love with each other
And love, ah love, sleepless love
It waters us with happiness and congratulates us
My darling let's live in the eyes of the night
And tell the Sun to come back after a year
Not before a year
This is a night of beautiful love in 1001 nights
In all our life, what is life except a night like tonight?

Darit El Ayam – The Days Went By

The days went by, And the days passed

We didn't see each other or speak to each other

Then I saw him, And forgot that I wasn't speaking to him

And forgot my sleepless nights

And forgave him for tormenting my heart and playing with it

I don't know how I spoke to him again, Who do I have but my love? 

Amal Hayati – Hope of My Life

Hope of my life

O love that has cost much; one that does not end

O beautiful song, that my heart has heard,

And cannot be forgotten

Take all of my life, but today, but today, let me live

Let me aside you, leave me, in the lap of your heart

And leave me dream, leave me

And I hope my time wont wake me up!

Hobi Eh – What Love?

What love did you come to talk about?
Did you know what is the meaning of love?
When you talk about love, when you talk about love
What love did you come to talk about?

Baeed Anak – Far From You

I've forgotten sleep and its dreams

I've forgotten its nights and its days

Far from you, my life is torture

Don't go far from me

I have nothing but teardrops

With it I live far from you

Desire conquered me

And the sleepless nights melted me

And no matter how much the desire keeps me up

And no matter how much the separation confuses me

No fire of love will change me, Nor will the days make me far... From you

Al Atlal – The Ruins

Had love seen two as intoxicated as us?

So much hope we had built up around us

And we walked in the moonlit path, joy skipping along ahead of us

And we laughed like two children together

Oum Kalthoum

When the Egyptian singer Oum Kalthoum died in 1975, millions flooded the streets of Cairo in mourning. Her songs deal mostly with the universal themes of love, longing and loss. They are nothing short of epic in scale, with durations measured in hours rather than minutes.

 Oum Kalthoum has been a significant influence on a number of musicians, both in the Arab World and beyond. Among others, Jah Wobble has claimed her as a significant influence on his work. Bob Dylan has been quoted as saying, "She's great. She really is. Really great." Jean-Paul Sartre, Marie Laforêt, Salvador Dalí, Nico, Bono, Farin Urlaub, and Led Zeppelin are also known to be admirers of Kalthoum's music. She was referred to as "The Lady" by Charles de Gaulle, and is regarded as "The Incomparable Voice" by Maria Callas.

 Oum Kalthoum  is remembered in Egypt, the Middle East, and the Arab world as one of the greatest singers and musicians to have ever lived. She is also notably popular in Israel among Jews and Arabs alike, and her records continue to sell about a million copies a year. Even today, she has retained a near-mythical status among young Egyptians.

  “ Imagine a singer with the virtuosity of Joan Sutherland or Ella Fitzgerald, the public persona of Eleanor Roosevelt and the audience of Elvis and you have Oum Kalthoum, the most accomplished singer of her century in the Arab world. ”  - Virginia Danielson, Harvard Magazine