'A Dream of Arabia': A Dream Worth Living

The Return to a Dream

Travelers, hospitality, rituals, ceremony, celebrations, civic cohesion and community. In days long past (circa 4000 BC) these were important cornerstones of society. Visitors were accepted into neighboring tribes who shared a common sense of purpose and ideals.

We know this from a time before written record; when stories were told through dance and handed down from generation to generation through the graceful movements of the body, the gracious expressions of thanks to the source of a bountiful harvest, and offerings given up to thank the Gods.

In A Dream of Arabia, we meet a traveling caravan moving across the desert that encounters a tribe that offers them hospitality and a chance to revitalize themselves in the fruits of their harvest. The travelers are treated to displays of tribal ceremonial rituals performed  with grace and beauty and incredible feats of skill with sword. The festival continues as the tribe dances to praise the Earth for her bounty.

This is ancient history represented though dance. Simple acts of compassion and community: a thankfulness for the food that we have been blessed with, and a reverence for the land and its creators. These emotions beam through the young woman Nanae who takes center stage around the young women she has taught this beautiful art form of Middle Eastern dance. Nanae is the Lead Choreographer for A Dream of Arabia and she is truly connected both body and soul to a greater place.

To observe her face and to experience her soul as she dances is a remarkable gift.

We move with the tribe and caravan into the temple adorned with gorgeous recreations of the columns of Baalbeck where the ceremony of life is to take place. Dance with incense cleanses the soul and it is reborn and renewed. The mind and body is further purified through the lotus blossom that heralds the sacred fire which summons the Gods.

The Gods respond and grant the spirit of love and peace to all as the priestess sends us all closer to the Dream. The sun rises again and our caravan moves onward into the dream of bringing the world together.

As with going to the ballet or going to the opera, it is helpful to know the story before you enter the theatre. The dance tells the story in a fusion of Middle Eastern dance movements, classical dance and ballet. There are incredible feats of balance that will astonish everyone including yoga adepts and professional dancers and choreographers. The costumes are lavish and the music is a fusion of traditional Middle Eastern instrumentation with a modern beat.

It's inspiring to see the performance of these remarkable women. Bashar B. Barazi the Executive Producer for A Dream of Arabia has created a multi-layered piece of theatre that can be enjoyed by the youngest of children who will marvel at what they see as the dance. The stories of ancient festivals and the message underlying the dance remind us as adults that we all share things in common with our neighbors and all of humanity for which we can all be thankful. It may seem like a dream, but at one time it was a reality. Here's hoping that we can all live our dreams or at least The Dream of Bashar Barazi.   

A Dream of Arabia can be seen this weekend at Lund Auditorium at the Dominican University Performing Arts Center • 7900 West Division Street, River Forest, Illinois, 60305. For tickets by phone call (708) 488-5000 or online at www.adreamofarabia.com/tickets.

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