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Attention Dancers and Drummers!

Souhail Kaspar Dance and Drumming Workshop

August 2-3, 2008 - Apex/Durham, NC

Souhail Kaspar with his drum

"He revolutionized the way I think about dancing to the rhythms and I cannot recommend him highly enough." -- Haala

"He is one of the finest drummers in the world." -- Dr. A.J. Racy, ethnomusicologist at UCLA

He’s back! Grammy-nominated Arabic percussionist and dance coach Souhail Kaspar is returning to the Triangle for another dance and drum workshop with all-new content! This time Souhail will teach a drum workshop in Durham all day Saturday, and Sunday in Apex he will focus on dancers with a full day of instruction on improvisation to live drumming. Sunday night there will be a special hafla and show at the Mosquito Club in Raleigh featuring Souhail and Naji Hilal in a fun and relaxed hafla environment!

Souhail has decided to return to this area to continue working with YOU – the talented dancers and drummers of North Carolina!

About Souhail

Souhail Kaspar is a master percussionist who has accompanied many famous Arab musicians and has performed with Sting and Kronos Quartet. He has played for some of the greatest dancers in the world, such as Dina, Fifi Abdou, Nadia Gamal, and Rachel Brice. He has many recording credits including the Sinbad and Prince of Egypt soundtracks and the recent Grammy-nominated album "When the Soul Is Settled: Music Of Iraq" on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

   Video of Souhail playing a drum solo
   Video of Souhail interacting with a dancer

Drum Workshop Track

Saturday, August 2nd is the drum workshop at Music Explorium in Durham, NC. Drummers of all levels should make sure to take this chance to study with one of the great living Arabic drummers. Beginners will learn fundamentals, while “repeat beginners” and intermediate students will get a technique refresher and progress their understanding of this exciting drumming style. Advanced students will get a full day’s workout and have the opportunity to schedule private lessons if desired.

9:00 am - 9:30 am Registration
9:30 am - 11:30 am Beginning Doumbek/Riq - In this class the student will learn posture and instrument position, flexibility exercises, hand control techniques for basic Dum and Teks, introductory rhythms and timing. For the Riq he covers both classical and cabaret instrument position. Souhail emphasizes staying relaxed with the use of proper technique and posture! This class is for beginners and is also recommended for higher level drummers that want to improve their technique weaknesses or get guidance to correct their “bad habits”.
11:30 am - 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Intermediate Doumbek/Riq - In this level Souhail continues to monitor execution of proper hand control and adds the half pop, full pop, half tek, half dum, speed and flexibility drills and more rhythms along with their variations and embellishments. For the riq he begins work with different zil techniques and tones. Classical and cabaret rhythmic variations are introduced for both instruments.
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm Advanced Doumbek/Riq - Musician accompaniment is a big focus in this class in addition to covering the 3 different types of drum solos: solos to show off the drummer, solos within a musical arrangement and solos for the dancer. He includes techniques that will spice up your performance and discusses how to work with dancers and musicians on and off stage. Appropriate application of classical and cabaret rhythmic variations is covered in depth.

Dance Workshop Track

Sunday, August 3rd is the dance workshop at the Academy for the Performing Arts in Apex, NC. Souhail will challenge dancers with the finer points of dancing to a live drummer. This often overlooked facet of dancing can be very rewarding for both musician and dancer, but each performer must understand the other’s art and make use of cues and signals to provide a compelling performance. Demonstrations may be provided by Haala and workshop students.

9:00 am - 10:00 am Registration and Shopping
10:00 am - 12:00 pm Dance Session I
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch and More Shopping!
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Dance Session II

REMEMBER - If you are a drum or dance teacher and you sign up 5 of your students, you will be able to take the same classes for FREE!!

Sunday Evening (Raleigh's Mosquito Club)

7pm - 11pm A fun and relaxed show with Souhail and Raleigh's Naji Hilal in the hip setting of the Mosquito club in Raleigh. Cover charge $15; doors open at 7 pm with dance music in between the live performances. Workshop participants who would like to perform in the show should email John Price at freecellwizard@gmail.com. Click here for the flyer and more information.


Prices and Payment Options

You can pay for the workshop in one of three ways:

  • Online (this page) via PayPal/credit card
  • Mail a check or money order - please email John for the address
  • Pay at the door - note that prices at the door are higher, and the workshop may sell out!
REMEMBER - If you are a drum or dance teacher and you sign up 5 of your students, you will be able to take the same classes for FREE!!

Package Prices

Package Description Price Buy Now!
Saturday Drum Workshop all three classes $75
Sunday Dance Workshop both dance classes $75

Advance A la Carte Prices

Class Price Buy Now!
Beginning Doumbek/Riq $30
Intermediate Doumbek/Riq $30
Advanced Doumbek/Riq $30
Dance Session I $40
Dance Session II $40

For more information, please email John Price at freecellwizard@gmail.com


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