Jawaahir Dance Company

Dear Friends, 

I can’t believe another year has flown by! So much has happened in this first year as Artistic Director. As the saying goes, “It takes a village!” And this year, it certainly did!! Through all of the changes - new leadership, moving to a new location - we have emerged as a collective unit, and I couldn’t be more proud of these dancers. I am thrilled with the hard work, dedication, and evolution this group of artists has achieved. 

As we tackled this year of transitions, we found a silver lining by discovering new ways to refocus our attention to provide education and accessibility throughout the Twin Cities and beyond. Jawaahir embraced performing throughout the community this past summer. We joyfully danced our way through free public events at Open Streets, Stone Arch Bridge Festival, and Twin Cities Pride among others. Our dancers brought Arabic dance and music to thousands of people who may not have experienced them before. We were enthusiastically received and were thrilled to be asked to return to Pride in 2024.

In addition to serving as Artistic Director, I have continued to travel internationally to teach workshops and continue my education. My travels to Cairo both allowed me to submerse myself in current Egyptian cultural trends and select costumes for our show at Elision Theater in November. I was also grateful to be able to support Egyptian craftspeople by purchasing their work.

If you attended our recent show ALWAN MASR (Colors of Egypt), you saw these costumes help bring the show to life! ALWAN MASR played to full houses. Creating this show was near and dear to my heart—it took legacy pieces from Jawaahir’s archives and meshed them with new creations from this past year, honoring the past while moving forward. 

Staying true to Jawaahir’s mission to support artists of origin, we were honored to have Egyptian Guest Artist Karim Nagi join us as a musician, folklore dancer, and choreographer. In addition to his performances, Karim taught four workshops. It was an honor not only to learn from Karim, but to share the stage with him in ALWAN MASR’s collection of Egyptian music, culture, and dance. 

This year has been so great on so many levels. It is a joy and an honor to work with the company! 

However, there have been some challenges. Many grantmaking organizations have changed what they fund. Like many other arts organizations, Jawaahir is still bringing our art to you and the community despite this loss of major funding. We are grateful for your past support and your continued support will give us a bright future. 

With appreciation for your time and support,

 Vanessa of Cairo, Artistic Director

 Jawaahir Dance Company