British Muslim fictions: interviews with contemporary writers

Searching for the Soul: A Training Program for Moroccan Contemporary Dancers

“…Bilal has spent the morning explaining that these young artists must navigate a creative territory in between deliberate movement choices and, as he puts it, “getting out of the way for organic movement to pour forth out of their unconscious without preconceived thought” (Bilal 2013). The goal of the present exercise is to create an improvised movement symphony based on Saïd's initial gestures that will authentically represent the students' self-awareness as Moroccans and as dancers.…”

“…It will just get us in the same place: dependent, imitative, stuck. (Bilal 2013)Throughout the workshop, Bilal calls attention to the way dancers unquestioningly reproduce movement they have seen on the Internet. In contrast, he describes the “genuine” as indexing a cultural essence evocative of Arab/African spirituality.…”

“…They need to learn to question and break free of the limitations set for them by their families and peers. (Bilal 2013)I stopped Bilal there and asked him to define “breaking free.” He responded that it means one should use the body as the main instrument of self-discovery. It's not a rejection of where they come from.…”

“…The young people are ready. (Bilal 2013)During Projet (Ré)Flexe, Bilal's instructions indexed several diverse bodily disciplines, such as Japanese martial arts, Brazilian self-defence regimens, and the ubiquitous genre of belly dance. Classes featuring these skills are widely available in urban Morocco.…”

“…They need to learn to question and break free of the limitations set for them by their families and peers. (Bilal 2013)…”