Dance workshop in the great south of Morocco

Dates: from Thursday March 24 to Saturday April 2 (total dates)

Length of travel: 10 days / partially itinerant / transfers in minibus

Regions visited: Draa valley, Sahara region of Mhamid, Ounila Valley

Workshop leader: Nadia  Makhlouf, dance instructor

Organization: Zafrani

Accomodation: inns and permanent bivouacs

Groups: maximum 18 participants

Arrivals possible: Marrakech

Nadia Makhlouf and Zafrani propose a dancing adventure of 10 days in the heart of the sumptuous landscapes of the Ounila and Draa valleys and the Sahara.  We offer you unforgettable moments of movement with musical groups and local dancers and residents.

In the picturesque Ounila Valley on the south slope of the High-Atlas, you will experience the Ahouach, a folkloric style of music and group dance.  It is an extraordinary part of Berber tradition which is inextricably linked to the land of the High-Atlas.  You can also visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site site  of Ait Ben Addou, which lies along the river of Oued Mellah.

For 4 days in the Saharan sands of the town of M'Hamid El Ghizlane, you will be introduced to and learn the  Guedra.  It is a trance dance specific to Sahraouis women. This ritual dance of mystical origins is used as a blessing in order to better submit the individual to God.  This collective dance requires each dancer in  turn to allow positive energy, peace and spiritual love to fill the depths of their soul.

Your dance instructor

Nadia comes from a family of musicians from Rabat where dancing is a family and sacred ritual.  She has performed Arab dances since she was a child.  As time has passed, she has begun to explore many styles of dance, from traditional to modern.

She uses performances and the dances themselves to reacquaint the public with the majestic and rich aspects of this art.  The grace and dignity of the movements are a counterbalance to the clichéd image that many have of this noble tradition.

At the moment, she teaches dance in Geneva at the Ethnomusicology Studio and has produced several pieces.