Djam NYC Arabic Night with Live Music + Belly Dance

It is with great pleasure that we invite you to join us for a feast for the senses, as we showcase the artistry of talented musicians and dancers who will take you on a journey through the music and dance traditions of the Middle East. You will have the opportunity to be transported to Cairo without the need to get on a plane.

FEATURED MUSICIANS

• Maurice Chedid - Oud + Vocals
• Nabil Bekkali - Keyboard
• Zafer Tawil - Tabla
• Said Fahmy - Riq

FEATURED DANCERS

• Amaria Selene
• Kaeshi Chai
• Layla Isis
• Soumaya MaRose

SOLOISTS

• Angelica Almeida
• Chantal Mariani
• And more

STUDENT GROUPS

• Layla's Students
• Laura's Students
• Soumaya's Students

WHERE

Secret Room New York, 707 8th Ave, downstairs, New York, NY 10036(between 44th and 45th Streets)

SCHEDULE

6:30-7:00pm Doors Open7:00-9:30pm Show

SHOW COST

$25 / $30 at the Door / $35 VIP Seat at a Front Row Table

Plus 1 drink or food item if seated at the bar, or 2 drinks or food items if seated at a table* Drinks and food are NOT included in the ticket price

Tickets are non-refundable

TABLE RESERVATIONS

If your group purchases tickets separately but wants to sit together, please email Jenny at jenn.topolski @ gmail.com with the ticket names of everyone you want seated at your table. (i.e. Jane Doe purchased 3 tickets, and Jon Smith purchased 1.)

Please be aware the seating is long, communal tables, with the first two seats closest to the stage counting as VIP.

Check out the SECRET ROOM MENU

Check out other upcoming Djam NYC events!https://bellyqueen.com/djam-nyc/

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DETAILED BIOGRAPHIES (Listed Alphabetically)

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Amaria is an American dancer who has been living in Cairo, Egypt for eight years. She currently performs all over Egypt and is the resident dancer on The Nile Pharoahs Cruising Restaurant since 2021. As a baby dancer, Amaria regularly attended Djam to learn and grow, and is honored return as a featured dancer in an event that has been essential to growing the dance community in NYC and beyond.

Kaeshi Chai is an artist, educator, and environmental advocate whose work bridges dance, science, and social change. She is a co-founder of PURE Globe, an international community dedicated to healing, creativity, and planetary awareness. With a multidisciplinary background in dance, choreography, design, and event production, Kaeshi has left a distinct artistic imprint on stages and communities around the world.

For over 20 years, she has directed the professional Bellyqueen Company and Bellyqueen School. As a performer with internationally renowned productions including Bellydance Superstars, Bellydance Evolution, and Bella Gaia, Kaeshi has toured extensively, performing in 48 U.S. states and 39 countries.

Her current projects include Nature Stories, which weaves art and science to foster environmental awareness. In 2007, she founded Djam NYC to bring together the New York City dance and music community, and beyond, for connection and celebration.

Her interdisciplinary work includes performing in Wildfires, a contemporary dance piece by Spector Dance, as well as creating original science-informed performances on forest root systems and the December Solstice for the Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco.

Kaeshi is a proud member of Evolutionary Leaders, a global circle of artists, thinkers, and innovators committed to human, social, and planetary transformation.

Layla Isis is a renowned performer and instructor of Middle Eastern Dance. Established as one of the most highly sought after professional bellydancers in the NYC area, she has performed countless shows in the region and around the world across a wide array of platforms. Her vivacious and elegant performance style is rooted in East Coast American Cabaret training and also draws upon her formal acting and musical training.Layla started out in the early 2000s and quickly became a popular dancer in the NYC restaurant and nightclub circuit, often performing up to 10 shows a week. During this time she also toured with The Bellydance Superstars and starred in the DVD "Temptation of Bellydance". She went on to collaborate with many esteemed dance and music ensembles in NYC including Zikrayat, Souren Baronian's Taksim, and The Dalia Carella Dance Collective. She also co-produced a series of successful theatrical and live music events as the co-director of Entelechy Dance and The New York Oryantal Parti. Film and television appearances include Sex and the City 2, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Dr. Oz, and Martin Scorsese’s HBO series "Vinyl"Performing with live music is her favorite way to share her gift with the world. She currently performs full time for private events and offers private lessons, performance coaching, workshops and mentorship programs. You can find her on Instagram at @laylaisis

A native of Beirut, Lebanon, Mr Chedid studied at the Lebanese Conservatory of Middle Eastern Music, where he received a Diploma in the traditional Mouashahat, Oud Playing and Folk Singing. As a member of the Lebanese Folkloric Group, he toured internationally for four years as lead singer and oud player with the ensemble, and was a popular entertainer in nightclubs throughout Lebanon. Emigrating to the United States in 1988, he soon became a popular singer/musician at weddings, festivals, and cultural events all over the US. He has been a headliner in Arabic nightclubs, and has performed in many prestigious venues, including the United Nations, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. As a member of Atzilut, a ten-piece band which features Arabic and Jewish music, he travels to Europe every year to play in distinguished theaters such as the Royal Opera Theater in Denmark, and in many famous music and cultural festivals throughout Europe in the Concerts for Peace program. A prolific composer, he has composed and recorded many songs and dance compositions as well as the original musical score for the story-theater production of Banat el Emir or The Dancing Princesses. Mr. Chedid’s theatrical credits as a musician also include Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves for Lincoln Center. He is also the musical director and featured musician for Mosaic Dance Theater Company.

Nabil Bekkali is a professional Middle Eastern musician based in New York City, renowned for his masterful keyboard performances that blend traditional Arabic melodies with contemporary flair. Originally from Morocco, Nabil has performed with leading Middle Eastern and world music artists across the United States, bringing depth, rhythm, and emotion to every collaboration. His versatile style bridges classical Arabic, North African, and fusion genres, making him a sought-after accompanist for dancers and ensembles alike.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Said has been playing percussion for more than thirty-five years. He has played with dancer Aida Nour and with singers such as Mohamed El Helwa, Ali Haggar, and Iman Darwish, the grandson of the great composer Said Darwish. He has toured with Kazem El Saher, and plays in clubs and on stages from Cairo to New York City. In addition to Tabla, Said is an expert at the Riq, Tabl Baladi, Dof and Sagat. You can find him playing at New York hot spots for Arabic music such as Layaly, the Nile restaurant in NJ and now at the Secret Room in midtown.

Soumaya MaRose is an award-winning performer, teacher and cultural ambassador based between New York City and Boston.
A member of the International Dance Council o UNESCO. Soumaya is the only dance artist to have been repeatedly invited to perform at the Boston Global Music Festival "CrashFest" and has been honored to collaborate with Atlas Soul (North African music), Club Mediteranee (Arabic and Balkan music), Salma Dance Company, Walid Zairi and Talween, Boston Camerata, Moroccan Festival in Revere, and The Dance Complex. Formerly a member of Belgium music ensemble "El Housna," Soumaya is more recently the creator, producer and director of several productions in collaboration with renowned organizations, such as:

• "Morocco Nights" in collaboration with the institute for Global Arab Media, Democracy and Culture of Chicago
• "Ya Msafer" in collaboration with Center of Arabic Culture (CAC)
• "Madarej El Naghem" featuring the music compositions of George Maalouf
• "Attai Sharq- The a l'Oriental", a cultural exchange forum

As a teacher, Soumaya has taught master dance classes of Moroccan Culture, domestic and international, as well as several universities around New England. Combining her academic training in Geography, her personal heritage , and self reflection to deepen her students' understanding of dances from both the Arabic - speaking world and the Amazigh world.

Jerusalem-born Zafer Tawil is an accomplished Palestinian musician whose areas of expertise include the oud, violin, qanun, and Arab percussion. Zafer performs across the US and in the Middle East and holds workshops in oud technique and Arabic music theory. He was part of the Spirit of Fez U.S. Tour 2006 and has performed with some of the most celebrated world music artists, including violinist and oud master Simon Shaheen and Rai singer Cheb Mami. Zafer is continuously exploring the boundaries of Arab music, and has worked collaboratively on many concerts involving classical Indian and Persian music, as well as Jazz fusion. You can catch Zafer playing one of his many instruments at extravagant private celebrations near his Brooklyn neighborhood, and at cultural centers such as Alwan for the Arts in Manhattan.

Event Venue

Secret Room NYC, West 45th Street, New York, United States

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