Workshops & Events

January 28, 2012 – Outi of Cairo in Baltimore, MD

Mariza and Shems present

Outi of Cairo in Baltimore!

January 28, 2012
1pm – Check In
1:15 – 3:15 pm – Technique & Mawal
3:30-5:30 pm – Shaabi & Baladi


MAC Harbor East
655 S. President St.
Baltimore MD

Outi of Cairo
Outi of Cairo is a Finnish dancer who lives and works in Cairo, Egypt. She is fluent in English and very generous teacher. You may be familiar with the wonderful CDs she has produced or some of the informative articles she has written during her time in Egypt.

Outi’s dance style is very soft and natural. Here is a youtube video of her dancing to the Abel Halim Hafez classic, Gana al-Hawa.

“I have learned so much”, says Outi, “about musical interpretation, the layers within Arabic music, interaction with the audience, the meaning of the dance itself. In fact, just being here among the people of Egypt has further opened my eyes and ears to this form of expression. They live from the heart. That’s how we must dance.”

We are lucky to have her come to Baltimore, MD to share her knowledge of Egyptian dance and culture with us.

Feel free to contact event sponsors Mariza and Shems for more information on the Outi workshops or for more about Baltimore belly dance classes and community events.

Workshop 1
1:15 – 3:15 pm
Internal Muscles & Mawal

Outi guides us in finding the inner muscles and how to put them in the dance: the technique of the inner goo! We will then use those techniques to explore dancing to a Mawwal. Outi will share ideas about how to listen to a Mawwal and some different things you can do with it.

Workshop 2
3:30 – 5:00 pm
Shaabi and Baladi

Technique, style and cultural background – We’ll explore what each is, where they came from, the music and what differentiates Shaabi from Baladi. Then Outi will delve deeper into teach the technique, steps and the feeling of these styles.

SOLD OUT! Thank You!

Parking and Hotel Information
The MAC validates up to 2 hours in their garage for $1.50. The entrance is on Exeter St. accross from Whole Foods. If you need to stay longer than 2 hours the prices jump in the MAC garage to a much higher fee, instead I recoomend the $3 all evening and weekend days city garage on the corner of Eden and Fleet Street or you can look for free street parking a couple blocks up towards Little Italy.

There are several hotels right in and near the Harbor East Area at a range of prices. See http://www.harboreastbaltimore.com/hotels/ for some possible options.

March 23-25, 2012 – Shems at Art of the Belly, Ocean City, MD

Shems will be teaching and performing at Art of the Belly 2012, in Ocean City, MD.

Save the Date! March 23-25, 2012. More info to come.

Recent Events

October 22nd, 2011 – Shems in Virginia Beach, VA

If you would like to host Shems for a workshop in your area, you can find a list of workshop topics under Services.