Countdown to Under a Desert Moon

January 28, 2009 05:56 PM

Queen Scheherazade

Who doesn’t love the classic folk tales Aladdin, The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves? These are all the legends of Scheherazade, the storytelling heroine of One Thousand and One Nights.

On the first day of the semester, I learned that our LI class will perform to an energetic yet suspenseful piece called Sherherazade, by Ahlam Jasmin. This instrumental piece will be a pleasure to dance to, not only because of its rich musical texture, but also because of its namesake.

Last week in class, I secretly got into character when I began to learn the choreography. I tried not to dance just to memorize the moves, but also dance as if I was Scheherazade herself, sharing one of her delicious stories. When I close my eyes and listen to the music, I can see a folklore unfold. The composition begins lively, as if to introduce an adventure and begin building the narrative. When the tempo picks up, I imagine the plot growing with action and danger. When the piece reaches its end, I’m left wishing for more.

When I asked my future stage mates what they enjoy most about the choreography so far, Bina replied, “the earthy movements and the way Colleen describes what she wants from us as dancers.”

“Colleen’s choreography tends to be very organic, her style is very intuitive,” said Farida, who has been dancing with Sahara Dance for a year. “You feel like these moves are naturally meant to go with the song and your body is part of the music.”

We ended class last week with almost one minute of the choreography completed. With three minutes left in the piece, the LI students await our next class just as the king from One Thousand and One Nights eagerly awaited the next intriguing chapter from Scheherazade’s collection of tales.

-Lauren

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