Stepping Up to Dance
As a new educational offering, the Chaldean Community Foundation held traditional dance classes on June 7 and 14. Those in attendance were able to learn four different styles of dance from instructors Vinos Kassab and Raquel Orow. The diverse group included everyone from young Chaldeans trying to learn and maintain their own culture to a couple seeking to become competent at traditional dances before their wedding celebration later this year.
Participants engaged in step-by-step and group instruction as they learned about bagyie/peda, khigga yaqoora, chobi, and gushiani traditional dances. Learning as a group was not only fun but also helped to create confidence amongst the group and led to the group picking up the steps very quickly. The goal of the pilot program, supported by the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, is to preserve the cultural dances performed during various celebrations within the Chaldean, Assyrian, and Syriac communities.