Tarab Retreat History
Inspiration
Driving Back from Mendocino, California Mid East Music and Dance Camp around 2014 to the Colorado Front Range, Meg and Pete dreamed of bringing the Mendo Tribe Vibe to the Rockies. We had played for countless belly dance cabarets and Balkan dance parties. We approached the historic venue in Colorado's Black Forest La Foret Retreat Center which
has just the right ambiance for a
"Mendocino without the Mosquitos"!
We were truly honored to have Travis Jarrell, Deborah Newberg, Rafi'ah Ruyah, Eva Cernik, Deepali of Roshni Organization, Omar Al Tabal, Hadgaba Klezmer Band, Farabi Persian Ensemble and the incredible Moroccan musician, Rachid Halihal at our First Tarab Retreat in 2018!
In 2019 we added Eric Zang as well as Nepali Master musicians Bijay and Nabin Shrestha and the Parson Sisters.
We began hosting online Faisal Zedan percussion sessions in 2020 and hosted him in person in 2022 for a series of Front Range events.
Inclusion
This is our fifth year bringing Tarab to Colorado for Front Range Artists, their students, and audiences.
Innovation
When the Covid 19 Pandemic made it a struggle to host a camping immersive event at La Foret, we asked Columbine Unity Spiritual Center outside Boulder, CO, to host two days of hybrid live streamed events with a live band and one dance teacher. We've had so many past glorious concerts there with Sufis Beniyamin and Rabia Van Hattam, Yuval Ron, Key Jam Key Nepalese Classical music, Farabi Persian Ensemble, and more...
Outreach
In this age of barriers, music and dance
build bridges between the
past and the future by basking in the present.
Tarab is that magic moment of surrender to
immersion of improvisation
We cannot demand Tarab occurs --
we can only hold space for ourselves, and let it unfold.
Tarjama Ensemble: Present and Future
To date Tarab Retreat events have hosted over 400 hours of online percussion classes, over 80 hours of online dance taksim classes, 25 hybrid concerts, dozens of Arabic community parties, played at Persian poetry readings, private Iranian events, ethnic holidays, ethnic weddings and ethnic celebrations of life.
Tarjama Ensemble plays for Unity Peace Concerts and dozens of fundraisers for our Musical Ambassadors of Peace.
Help Our Cause
We share hybrid events in engaging ways
to lift everyone's spirits.
As always, we appreciate your participation and support.
Musical Ambassadors of Peace
Non-Profit Fiscal Partner
MAP funds music and dance projects for refugee communities, trains music ambassadors to go into these communities and keep authentic folk music alive since 2003, and fiscally sponsors music and dance events that bridge communities here in America. Founded in Boulder, Colorado, MAP is Tarab Retreat's nonprofit fiscal partner.
Alex Wilson Legacy Fund
Folklore Partner
A fund to honor the legacy of Alex "Tink" Wilson was established in 2012 in cooperation with the Wilson Family to support folklife programs in and around the Boulder, Colorado, area.
For the first five years the Alex "Tink" Wilson Legacy Fund operated as part of Boulder International Folk Dancers (BIFD). In September 2017 a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, the Alex Wilson Legacy Fund, was established and the BIFD-related fund closed. The Alex Wilson Legacy Fund operates independently.
Regular Grant Cycle Since its inception, the Fund has supported a wide range of projects in folk and community music, folk dance, and story through small grants (usually $500 to $2500) to individuals and organizations in the Boulder, Colorado, and Front Range areas. Please note that all funds granted prior to 2018 were given when the Fund was part of BIFD.
Tarab Retreat has been funded in part by ALWF 2018 through 2022. Thank you!
Zikr Dance Company
Denver's premiere Modern Ballet Company
David Taylor Zikr Dance Company collaboration with Persian Cultural Circle in kind donation of volunteer hours, Shahrzad Khorsandi and Farabi Ensemble with a grant from Denver Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs culminated in 20 hours of workshop with Shahrzad Khorsandi with Zikr dancers, a soundtrack by Farabi Ensemble, several interviews with Persian artists on KGNU Radio, three concerts of Persian music and to date 28 performances in 26 different cities in Colorado and New Mexico of the Persian folklore inspired ballet choreography.
Boulder Arts Commission
Funding artists in Boulder County
The Boulder Arts Commission was established in 1979 to increase awareness and support for the arts. It consists of seven members appointed by City Council for five-year terms.
The Boulder Arts Commission believes arts and culture are the foundation for a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible community. We work collaboratively with city staff, artists, arts and culture organizations, and the
community to support artists and enrich Boulder’s quality of life and economic vitality and to help create a highly innovative, vibrant, and resilient city.
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
Recording Partner
Our Tarjama Ensemble uses ASCAP, which is a professional organization of 900,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers, founded and governed by its members, and the world leader in performance royalties, advocacy and service for music creators, to pay our musicians' royalties.
To date, our musicians have earned approximately $3500 from their recordings.
Denver Office Of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs
City cultural funding
The Denver Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs (DOIRA) partners with nonprofits, community-based organizations, residents, and government agencies to develop and implement policies, practices and programs that influence the various paths of immigrant integration.
DOIRA funded a seminal concert at Mercury Café.
Persian Cultural Circle
Persian Cultural Circle
Persian Cultural Circle exists in order to help improve the image of Persians and the people of Iran. We promote ancient Persian celebrations as secular and positive community festivities and invite all nationalities and backgrounds to celebrate the Persian culture with us. Moreover, we communicate and model the ancient Persian philosophies of respect for humans, animals, earth, water and air at all times. Our hope is to inspire the next generation of Persians and non-Persians to continue honoring and celebrating these meaningful traditions joyfully and proudly. Through in kind donation and volunteer hours, PCC is instrumental in helping with Farabi Ensemble Events, Shahzad Khorsandi and Bella Diva Dance Residencies, the Mercury Café Persian Music Night, Persian Dance night at Vital Root Yoga, Bamdad Concerts with guest soloist Meg York, and making costumes for David Taylor Zikr Dance.
Bella Diva World Dance
Dance for every Body!
Bella Diva World Dance consistently strives to bring culturally authentic and informed world dance forms to Denver and provide unique performance opportunities for their students in semi-annual Student Showcases held at popular, various Denver venues and professional theatres. During their weekly dance classes, students will smile while they sweat to global dance grooves, shedding weight from within and without. At Bella Diva, they believe dance is for every BODY, no matter your size, age, background, or orientation. World Dance is the universal language that connects us all in our human experience. Tarjama Ensemble LOVES our annual fall Haflas Arabic Dance Party.
Eastern European Folklife Center
Balkan Cultural Exchange
The East European Folklife Center (EEFC) was established in 1982 through the love and dedication of a core group of musicians and dancers. Today, this ever-growing and expanding organization brings together an inclusive, celebratory, and welcoming global community of passionate amateurs and professionals, to respectfully share the richness and complexity of Balkan music, dance, and cultures.
There is both inspiration from and faculty cross pollination with EEFC Camps in Mendocino, California.
Middle East Music and Dance Camp
Tarab Retreat's Original Inspiration
Mendocino Woodlands are located in a beautiful redwood forest near the California coast, inland from the town of Mendocino, 175 miles north of San Francisco. Our camp has 4-person enclosed cabins with fireplaces and balconies, and spacious dining and dance halls. If you prefer to tent, there is ample open space and of course, the woods provide their own pleasures.
Our Workshops Offer a program covering a broad spectrum of music and dance traditions from this tremendously diverse geographical region. We urge you to take advantage of this opportunity and join us in a nurturing and informal environment.
•Middle Eastern folk dance classes, Belly dance classes
•Instruction on Middle Eastern classical and folk instruments
•Parties with live music
•Ensemble coaching, performances
•Ethnic cuisine