immersive art
surrounded by a 90-foot screen in 270-degrees
created by 64 Canadian artists with cutting-edge technology
diversity of ages, sizes, abilities, gender identities, sexual orientation, & race
universal message that transcends language
immortal ancient goddess Ennana is heartbroken, witnessing human suffering
she travels past 7 gates in search of the reason for illness, old age, and death
the audience sees through Ennana’s eyes / lens of the camera
beyond each gate is an evocative world that represents a different aspects of Ennana/ourselves
body * thoughts * emotions * ego * will * memories * time
after the last gate, she lifts a veil of ignorance to look in the mirror
like Ennana, we learn that we create our own universes
Film Imagery for Diverse Demographics
dancers 16-66 years old
sizes incl 8-month pregnant dancer
sexual orientation
gender identity
race/ethnicity
(dis)abilities
7 dance/music styles
for installation information: 7gatesfilm@gmail.com
Sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts & Toronto Arts Council
The seven worlds are depicted by 42 Dance Artists inspired by Street Dance, African, Ballet, Raqs Sharqi, Sufi, Contemporary, and Interpretive styles of dance set to an eclectic array of music.
Director: Yasmina Ramzy
Director of Photography: Manuel Garcia
Choreographers: Yasmina Ramzy, Bengt Jorgen, Patrick Parson
Composers: Rob Christian, Rich Greenspoon
Projection Design: Gabriel Cropley
Creative Associate: Jeff Dimitriou
Assistant Director: Christina Djokoto
3D Environment Set Design: Immersion Room
Costume Design: Nancy Baltazar, Helal Hakim
Make-up Design: Voula Zisis
Dance scenes filmed at Immersion Room, Toronto
1at Assistant Camera: Will Binks
2nd Assistant Camera: Luca Cianfarani
Make-up Assistant: Isabella Martinello,
Wardrobe Assistant: Karen Perez
Production Assistants: Linda Crites, Shruti Srinivasan, Erika Galindo
Dance Artists: Ana Zamora, Ana Isabel “Chabi” Arauz, Leandro Prado, Márcio Teixeira, Akane Shimazu, Roula Said, Chrystal Powell, Emilio Colalillo, Kwasi Obeng Adjei, Robert Halley, Rumi Jeraj, Sebastian Hirtenstein, Emod Vafa, Tim Spronk, Cosmin Negreanu, Rhythm Vekariya, Stacie Noel, Akane Shimazu, Leanna Mendolia, Katy Solo, Anastassia Lada, Sofia Filipe, Rhythm Vekariya, Jaicyea Smith, Lily Yan, Angelina Da Silva, Tia Beete, Tihana Beete, Tanya Rybina, Mariano “Glizzi” Abarca Palomares, Chris Otchere, Kajaanan Navaratnam “KJ”, Matthew Morales, Chloe Reelis, Jason Patryluk, Kaleigh Murphy, Laura June Ness, Lindsay Aquin, Marisa Sherk, Raniya Farah, Penelope Artemis, Zoe Cacciotti
Talent provided by da Costa Talent Management, Yasmina Ramzy Arts, Footnotes Academy Freestyle Dancers, 10 Talent Management, Ballet Jorgen, Rumi Canada
Executive Producer: Yasmina Ramzy
Imagined & written by Yasmina Ramzy, it was first presented as a choreography created in 1996, then called “Descent of Ishtar”.
“Arresting imagery…a Jungian wonder…intelligent and inventive choreography… seduces completely” The Globe and Mail
“Creates dramatic impact” Toronto Star
Two-minute demo reel
for installation information: 7gatesfilm@gmail.com
“celebration of life” “vibrant” “transformative” “dance explosion” “gorgeous imagery”
Creator: Yasmina Ramzy
Described by the media as a visionary, a pioneer, and a disrupter, Yasmina Ramzy has created 10 films (including immersive), 12 theatrical productions with up to 45 dancers and musicians on stage together, 300 choreographies for international ensembles, taught in over 80 cities on five continents, performed in four Middle Eastern countries for royalty and heads of state, produced ten dance and music festivals, and written 26 dance magazine articles and 58 blog posts. Her memoir is currently being edited. Yasmina has served on the Board of Directors of Dance Ontario since 1999, and in 2020, she founded and currently chairs the Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
Testimonial Reel
A little backstory from Yasmina Ramzy...
I was gathering the kids on the block, as young as age 7, and creating ensemble choreography based on GoGo dance, Country & Western dance, or whatever I had seen on TV the night before.
As a teenager, I studied mysticism, and one of the stories really stuck with me. The inner teachings of the Dance of the Seven Veils explain the dance as an initiation in which the seven veils of ignorance are discarded to reveal the truth of our existence.
Skip forward to 1980 ... mystical studies led to 15 years of performing Middle Eastern dance in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt for royalty and heads of state and in Europe, Canada, the USA, and Mexico for Arab audiences, often still for heads of state.
In the mid-90s, I applied for grants to stage my first Dance of the Seven Veils. I called it “Descent of Ishtar,” so it would not be confused with the Salome story.
I was told at every juncture that the art form I practiced, Raqs Sharqi, was not dance until one Metro Toronto Arts Council (now defunct) jury gave me $500. They made sure it was explained clearly to me that it was meant as a joke—they thought it would be funny to see what the belly dancer did with $500.
I made Descent of Ishtar in 1996 with $500 and an all-volunteer cast & crew. It received rave reviews in all local and national media, was staged 36 times, and toured across Canada. Many filmmakers approached me, wanting to make it into a film.
Because “Descent of Ishtar” put me on the map, I became too busy teaching M.E. dance in 80 cities worldwide and making other theatre productions. Ten years ago, I started applying for grants to make the film version, which resulted in rejection after rejection.
I decided to move to Dubai as it seemed a better place to make my film dream come true. Three days after landing in Dubai, looking for an apartment, I received an email from the Canada Council for the Arts saying they now had more funds and could award me a large grant, which I had been denied a year earlier. The grant aimed to get Canadian artists back to work after Covid, so I returned to Canada to make the film (and stayed).
The ideas evolved over the years to include many dance styles and be an immersive experience.
”Seven Gates” is the realization of a 25-year vision.
for installation information: 7gatesfilm@gmail.com