By Katie Posey
UC Santa Barbara’s Middle East Ensemble, directed by ethnomusicology professor Scott Marcus, brought the Santa Barbara community together for a lively performance earlier this month at Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall.
UCSB’s Middle East Ensemble Dance Company performing an Arab-Latin fusion dance to “Habibi Ya Nur al-Ayn.”
The ensemble has been performing together for 33 years, and has received invitations to perform in Egypt on multiple occasions. The concert marked a return to live performances for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic required social distancing.
Throughout the concert, Marcus explained the cultural significance of each number and encouraged the audience to sing along. Musical selections ranged from classical compositions, such as “Sihtu Wajdan,” composed by Sayyid Darwish, to popular folk songs such as “Habibi Ya ‘Ayni,” showcasing the ensemble’s musical diversity. Both are Arab pieces, but in addition, the ensemble performed songs from Armenian, Greek, Turkish, and Jewish cultures.
Steven Thomson, a UCSB graduate student studying choral conducting, joined the ensemble for the evening for multiple powerhouse vocal performances. He sang a song by Egyptian legend Umm Kulthum called "Aghadan Alqak?" (Will I Meet You Tomorrow?), written in 1971. The other Umm Kulthum song on the program was from 1946, called "al-Amal" (Had It Not Been for Hope).
The UCSB Middle East Ensemble Dance Company performed four dynamic dance routines led by Cris! Basimah, an award-winning belly dancer and the company’s artistic director. The dance ensemble performed a riveting dance routine to “Habibi Ya Nur al-Ayn,” an Arab popular piece with Latin influence.
UCSB’s Middle East Ensemble Dance Company performing an Armenian dance to “Krunker.”
“This piece fuses Latin and Arab dance technique, incorporating skirt moves inspired by the Gitano ‘Gypsies’ from the Andalusian area of Spain,” Basimah said.
“Krunkner,” a favorite among Armenians to this day, was performed by the ensemble and coupled with an elegant, Armenian dance. “Krunkner,” Crane Dance, tells the story of two lovers, one of whom leaves as cranes fly away for the winter. To embody the essence of the song, the dance featured soft, graceful movements, while the dancers wore white veils.
The Middle East Ensemble will be holding its next performance on March 5th in Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall.
The UCSB Middle East Ensemble in concert Nov. 20th at Lotte Lehmann Hall. The evening began with graduate student Steven Thomson singing “Aghadan Alqak?” (Will I Meet You Tomorrow?), by Egyptian legend Umm Kulthum.
Katie Posey is a third year UC Santa Barbara student majoring in Communication. She is a Web and Social Media Intern for the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.