Meg plays melodies.
Travis guides movement and a wealth of body awareness, culture and warmth of spirit.
You move along with Travis
then you get several solos played
for you
at the end of each session.
HD Audio recordings
available of your taksims upon request.
Travis Fontaine Jarrell's dance background includes extensive Western classical and modern training, North Indian Kathak, American clogging, Flamenco, as well as classical and folkloric Central Asian dance from Uzbekistan.
She began her study of Middle Eastern dance in 1971, and during her 45 + years of teaching and performing, she was privileged to study with such excellent artists as Jamila Salimpour, Serena Wilson, Morocco, Bert Balladine, Dahlena, Ibrahim Farrah, and many others. Travis has also been a participant at many Mendocino Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camps, and is a favorite solo dance artist with clarinetists' Souren Baronian and Stuart Mennin.
Travis was introduced to Central Asian dance in 1989 by Laurel Victoria Gray,
and in 1992 was invited to Bukhara, Uzbekistan, to live and perform with Mohy-
Sitora Folklore Ensemble. She also studied classical Uzbek dance in Tashkent with
the acclaimed Akilov family.
In 1996 Travis and Laurel Gray collaborated to produce Central Asian Dance Camp, a summer dance program for the study of Uzbek and Persian dance. Travis' solo dance concerts, presented in the US and in Europe, have included classical and folkloric Uzbek and Middle Eastern dance, as well as her own original creative works. Travis currently resides in Cookeville, Tennessee and teaches dance in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as on online.
Zikr Dance Soloist "Runes" Tour
Tarab Retreat 2018 performance
Tarab Retreat Performance
Denver Ballet Theater class
Denver Ballet Theater Contemporary class
Zac Bigbee was born in Taos, New Mexico where he exhibited oil paintings at several galleries and openings, studied Wing Chung style Kung Fu, and competed slam poetry. He began training in classical ballet with Amber Vasques of New York City Ballet and Megan Yackovich of Colorado Ballet at the end of his senior year. He went on to study mathematics and Russian language and culture at the University of Arizona. During this time he continued his training in dance as a scholarship student at LINES Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory, and Netherlands Dance Theater. He has also attended the Royal Danish Ballet’s Summer Course, and spent several months in Israel researching Gaga at the Suzanne Dallal Center. Beyond dance he is also a self taught Cyr wheel practitioner and has trained in aerial acrobatics in Russia under Viktoriya Zhukotzova of the Moscow State Circus. He currently dances for cocodāco in Chicago and Zikr Dance Ensemble in Denver and serves as guest teaching faculty at Denver Ballet Theater, Tarab Retreat International and Ballet Taos. He has performed as a guest artist with Cañon Concert Ballet, Colorado Ballet and Convergence Ballet in Phoenix. Under seasonal contracts with the Russian American Foundation he provides oral and textual translation services for the Bolshoi Ballet Academy's summer schools and teacher certification program. As co-producer on the Inertia and Mechanical Nature: Movement VII projects with Ballet Taos he set original choreography, contributed to styling, marketing and visual effects while also performing. As an artist he is captivated and enlightened by the continuously evolving mechanical and neurological perfection of classical ballet. His initial infatuation with classical dance, having now given way to a deeper, smoldering passion, has led him into a search for the essence of classicism. This search is informed by his western education in mathematics as well as visual art and recently, by exposure to classical traditions, especially movement techniques, foundational to great the civilizations from across time. There is something profoundly universal about the human experience that defies it's specificity even as it creates it. This is what he seeks to better know and share in his work with students, collaborators, and viewers in hopes that we may all become more deeply human.
Zac is a featured soloist with David Taylor Zikr Dance.
Georgia Michelle is a multi award winning performer, instructor, and choreographer currently living in Boulder, CO. She is classically trained in several genres of dance with a lifetime of dance education and experience allowing her to create an array of authentic and evolutionary styles of dance. Having played 3 instruments, Georgia has a solid comprehension of music, providing her with precision and clarity in her teaching and choreography skills. Her childhood years were filled with rehearsals, performances and competitions nationwide. She has won many awards and scholarships in dance and has accepted many invitations to study and perform worldwide with several dance companies and schools.
For Tarab 2020, join on a journey into Andalusian style dance! Muwashahat music originated during Muslims rule of Spain from 711-1492. It is a romantic style that combines poetry in classical Arabic, Hebrew, and Spanish with music, which provides a rolling rhythm that brings a graceful and free flowing style to the dancer. In this workshop we cover movement with dance combinations, and we’ll also discuss costuming and musicality.
Deepali Lindblom is a Denver based professional Dancer/choreographer, Actor, Storyteller, Artistic Director. Trained in Indian dances and theatre, she performs, teaches and produces art works with a social message. Deepali's artistic work consists of theatre and dance productions
Deepali is founder and director of
Roshni Step into the Light
In India, I didn't dance.
In Sweden, I realized that I would like to dance.
In Canada, I became a successful professional dancer
But it was in the US, I realized the power of dance.
When I held my newborn and wondered what kind of world he would grow up in.
-Deepali
From Annya: My path to becoming a belly dancer began as a young girl, when I knew I wanted to be a belly dancer, despite having never seen one, or even having heard Middle Eastern music. When I began belly dance lessons in 1991, I was instantly hooked on the beautiful movements, vibrant music, exotic costuming, and the discovery of Middle Eastern cultures from which this dance comes. Belly dance is such a diverse, deep, and fascinating topic, that I haven’t stopped learning since!
My other dance studies began with Jazz and Ballet when I was a teenager and evolved to encompass Haitian, West African, and Cuban Orisha dances, Butoh, and Contact Improvisation, among others. I have also studied Rajasthani Gypsy dance of the Kalbelia people and Ghoomar Ladies dance in Rajasthan, India, and Turkish Roman (Gypsy) dance in Turkey.
I have a wide background in movement, energy training, and physical body studies. I have studied a variety of dance and movement forms for over 35 years, including yoga (in India and the US), and tai chi and qigong (in the US and China). I have a Qigong Instructor Certification and a Tai Chi Teacher certification from Qigong Academy. I am also a trained massage therapist, Level 2 Reiki practitioner, licensed minister, and have been trained as a licensed Art of Feminine Presence® teacher. I am certified in Level 1 of Sadie Marquant’s Raqs Flow Bellydance Training Program.
I teach belly dance, Qigong, and Tai Chi in Taos.
Joining us on Sunday morning 9:00 from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Deborah Newberg is the founder, director and lead choreographer of Saltanah Studios, a center for teaching Middle Eastern Dance in Santa Fe, NM, since 2005. She has been on the faculty of the Dance department of Santa Fe Community College since 2008. Her dance company, the Saltanah Dancers, has presented over 500 performances in New Mexico, at venues including the Santa Fe Plaza Bandstand, Lensic Theatre, Cleopatra's Cafe,Taos Inn, and the Scottish Rite Temple. Her apprentice and student troupes also perform regularly with the Saltanah Dancers.
She has been on staff at Mendocino Music and Dance Camp for many years leading Yoga for Dancers. We welcome Deborah to our Tarab Retreat Staff teaching Raqs Sharqui and leading Yoga for Dancers with Live Music each day.