BENDIR FRAME DRUMMING, SINGING AND MOVEMENT WORKSHOP with AMEL TAFSOUT
When: FRIDAY, JULY 11 from 3:30-4:30pm
Where: The Oregon Country Fair's Caravan Stage (included with price of entry to the Fair).
What to bring: A frame drum, if you have one. There will be several to lend. Participants can also learn to clap the rhythm.
ABOUT THE CLASS:
Frame drums are one of the most ancient types of musical instruments. They have a simple structure with strong spiritual and entertaining qualities.
The Bendir (pl. banadir) is a frame drum used as a traditional instrument through North Africa by men and women, which has been around since prehistoric times. The Bendir has a wooden frame and a membrane. It creates different tones according to the spreading of the shockwave moving across the skins itself. The drum is played vertical by inserting the thumb of the left hand in a special hole in the frame. It has a snare stretched across its head which when the drum is struck with the fingers or palm gives the tone a buzzing quality.
The bender is used in special Sufi ceremonies. The Sufi tradition is strongly characterized by the use of music rhythm and dance to reach particular states of consciousness.
After introducing the Bendir and other frame drums, Amel Tafsout will show how to develop your frame drum technique and understand the richness and the diversity of the Bendir sound. She will also teach not only how to practice traditional North African rhythms, but also how to sing them while playing. The students will then learn a song with its pronunciation and phrasing as well as its rhythm and dance.
Amel developed this traditional experience in her teaching, which combines Drumming , Singing, and Movement. This creativity has enhanced the spontaneous fusion of Dance and Music.
RAHHABA - The welcoming line dance. Amel Tafsout will be starting the workshop with the Rahabba–the welcoming line dance. It is a line dance inviting every guest, both men and women, to join the line and dance together in various formations.
ABOUT AMEL TAFSOUT:
Born in Algeria, Amel Tafsout is a renowned artist and scholar of North African Maghreb dance. Her work is a powerful fusion of movement, memory, activism, and cultural depth.
A true cultural ambassador, Amel has devoted her life to building bridges between North Africa and the West through dance, workshops, scholarship, and storytelling. With a magnetic presence and profound knowledge, she honors ancestral traditions while inspiring personal and collective transformation.
In June 2018, the Inanna Iraqi Dance Festival in Estonia honored Amel with an award in recognition of her enduring contributions to Arab dance and its rich heritage.
In January 2025, she was invited to perform at the opening of the 45th African Film Festival in Portland, Oregon, an event celebrating artistic voices from across the African diaspora.
www.ameltafsout.com
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