Hunter College to Welcome Fadi Khoury's FJK DANCE in A FUSION OF CULTURE AND DANCE

To foster understanding through dance, the Consulate General of Lebanon in New York and the Arabic Studies Center at Hunter College will present Fadi J. Khoury's FJK Dance in A Fusion of Culture and Dance, 7:30-9pm on Friday, February 26, 2016 at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 695 Park Ave.

FJK Dance blends ballet, tango and ballroom with Middle Eastern folkloric dance forms. While Middle Eastern influences are strong, the choreography exhibits a distinctive mix of styles. Music ranges from classical, Latin tango and jazz to contemporary Middle Eastern.

The peace-themed evening will present FJK Dance's innovative choreography and movement as a positive reflection of Middle Eastern culture in the United States. In the words of Fadi Khoury, FJK Dance Artistic Director and choreographer, "A Fusion of Culture and Dance will embody hope, resilience, tolerance and peace... the passion in our dance is intended to offer prayers for hope and a new beginning."

A Fusion of Culture and Dance is co-sponsored by the Pasos Peace Museum, a non-profit organization dedicated to peace-building through education and the arts.

Full Program:

• Home - choreographed to a selection of Frédéric Chopin compositions, Home is a ballet reflecting resilience in the face of war, hope, and an abiding belief in trust. A work for ten dancers, Home represents Fadi Khoury's childhood aspirations in Iraq; it manifests a dream. The score includes Chopin's Adante Spianato G-major; Nocturne in C-sharp minor; Étude Allegro sostenuto; and Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor. The work also includes a partial score composed by Peter Michael Von Der Nahmer, based on Chopin. It is a musical fusion of cultures. Video

• Echoes - a piece in which five men dance to music by Shamou, a Persian percussionist and composer who fuses Middle Eastern drums and percussion instruments with electric based sounds and rhythms. Inspired by "Dabke," a folkloric traditional Bedouin dance from the mountains of Lebanon and Syria, the dancers together find unity, mutual support and confidence. Echoes offers a prayer for hope and new beginnings.

• Serenade - A woman from a dream. A solo to classical Middle Eastern music by Ihsan Al Mounzer, playing Kanoun, a harp-like string instrument.

• Dum Tak - Dancers perform in pointe shoes, Latin heel and bare feet in a blend of ballet and Latin salsa, evoking peace, love and harmony. A composition of Tabla (Middle Eastern Drum) playing Latin salsa by Matias Hazroum, from the Arabic percussion album of Mrio Kirlis, along with an original Rumba composition played by Johnny Farraj with the Arabic Riq. Additional score composed by Houssam Ramzy. Video

FJK Dance connects Argentinean tango, Middle Eastern movement, classical ballet and ballroom dance in a brilliant contemporary dance setting. A diverse and versatile group of ten dancers-five male and five female-create dramatic and passionate partnerships, moving always as in a pair.

"At FJK Dance, we believe in the unique fusion of culture and dance. The endless possibilities of experimenting with the fundamentals of various forms of dance, from classical ballet to ballroom, from Middle Eastern to jazz--we combine the essentials of each to create our own language. One that uses abstract body lines, forms and energy to communicate with our audience." - Fadi J. Khoury

IF YOU GO:

The Consulate General of Lebanon in New York and the Arabic Studies Center at Hunter College present FJK Dance in:

"A Fusion of Culture and Dance"
Friday, February 26, 2016, 7:30 pm
$20-$50
TICKETS

Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 695 Park Ave, NY, NY 10065
(68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues)

ABOUT FADI J. KHOURY
Artistic Director - Choreographer

Fadi J. Khoury's innovative style - both as dancer and choreographer - showcases his life-long immersion in a world of dance forms. He was born in Baghdad, Iraq, surrounded by the folkloric music and dance of Arab culture. His father, also a dancer and choreographer, was Artistic Director of the National Iraqi Ballet. Through his father, Fadi was exposed to diverse approaches to dance in Mesopotamia, still present in Assyrian, Syriac, and Bedouin folkloric dances of the Middle East.

When Fadi was thirteen, he moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where he trained in classical ballet and folkloric dance, but also in Modern, Jazz, and Ballroom. Still in his teens, he began experimenting with the eclecticism that has defined his work ever since. By seventeen, he was dancing professionally with the Rahbani Musical Theatre, while studying at the Lebanese Fine Arts University.

In 2005, Fadi joined the Caracalla Dance Theatre, touring the Middle East and North Africa. He moved to the United States in 2009 and performed with Caracalla at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He was awarded a scholarship to further his ballet and modern dance training with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York City. There he collaborated with distinguished choreographers such as Gary Pierce, Earl Mosley, Elisa Monte, Venti Petrov and Edward Simon. He also toured the U.S. and Latin America with NY2Dance, and performed Nejla Yatkin's "Oasis" and "Wall" dance theatre pieces.

Fadi's multi-cultural background, versatility, and passion for dance allowed him to establish a career in Ballroom as lead instructor, dancer and choreographer at the Arthur Murray Dance Center in New York City. From 2009 - 2013, he placed first in the Top Teacher awards from Arthur Murray International.

Though Fadi had assimilated several dance forms, he was not at home in any of them. In 2014, inspired by a successful collaboration with Sevin Ceviker, he created his own company, where he could continue to refine his distinct, personal style. Every FJK Dance performance reflects his unique mix of experiences, unlike anyone else's in the current dance scene and still exuberantly evolving.

On December 20, 2015, Fadi was awarded a grant by the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation commissioning the composition of original music score by Peter Michael von der Nahmer an internationally recognized composer, for Reflection, a multimedia piece that will debut in April, 2016. In view of the criteria set out in the Foundation's guidelines (citing in particular "cross cultural" works), this award underscores both Fadi's artistic achievements and broad cultural aspirations.

Photo Credit: Jaqi Medlock