Djam NYC Near East Night with Souren Baronian + 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 Near East. You will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the sounds and movements of ancient cultures that have been passed down through generations.

FEATURED MUSICIANS

• Souren Baronian - Clarinet
• Mal Stein - Percussion
• Paul Brown - Bass
• Robert Boghosian - Oud

FEATURED DANCERS

• Debbie Despina
• Kaeshi Chai
• Mariyah
• Zenaide

SOLOISTS

• Dez Cruz
• Brenna
• Farah
• Luana
• ViviMar

TROUPES

• Patricia's Students
• Mariyah's Students
• Salimpour Collective

WHERE

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

SCHEDULE:

6:30-7:00pm: Doors Open

7:00-9:30pm: Show

9:30-10pm: Dance Party

SHOW COST

$20 / $25 at the Door / $30 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

Email Jenny jenn.topolski @ gmail.comwith your name, ticket tier and number of people you want seated at your table

MENU

https://www.secretroomnyc.com/Menu

Check out other upcoming Djam NYC events!

https://bellyqueen.com/djam-nyc

DETAILED BIOGRAPHIES (Listed Alphabetically)

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Kaeshi Chai is a bi-coastal (CA+NYC) dancer, choreographer, designer, producer and director. Her life mission is to serve our precious planet and empower others through the vehicle of art. She co-founded PURE Globe, an international community focused on healing and social change, the Bellyqueen company and school, as well as Djam NYC shows featuring live music and dance. She has taught / performed in 48 states and 39 countries and is an alumni member of the Bellydance Superstars, Bellydance Evolution, Bella Gaia (Beautiful Earth) and Spector Dance. As a producer, Kaeshi has organized over 600 events (shows, tours, conferences). Kaeshi holds multiple certifications in movement (dance, fitness, pilates, yoga), created the Bellyqueen Teacher Training program and graduated with honors in a degree in Design from the University of Technology, Sydney. She meditates daily and practices NVC (Non Violent Communication). www.kaeshi.com | www.pureglobe.org | www.bellyqueen.com

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Many of You know of Mal Stein through his Mid East drumming and darbuka playing. Did you know there is another side to Mal's musical journey? He also plays and composes music for some of the top modern dance companies & chorographers such as Paul Taylor, Doug Varone, Ori Flomin, Hope Boykin and so on. Mal Just returned from Agropoli Italy where he was commissioned to write 5 original pieces of music for the Wade Dance Festival. Last Sept 9-12 he played and composed music for the Amelia Island Dance Festival.

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Paul Brown has been playing music for 48 years, studying bass and improvisation at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and oud and makam with Haig Manoukian and Necati Çelik. Comfortable in all styles of music from Eastern Europe, he has been house bassist for the EEFC Workshops since 1996. Paul plays electric and acoustic bass with Souren Baronian’s Taksim, Edessa, Pontic Firebird and Kavala, among many other bands.

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Robert Boghosian began studying violin at age 5. In his teens, he was concertmaster of the All City Orchestra in Chicago for two years. But it was the oud that captured his heart, mind and soul. Robert has performed on oud with many exceptional musicians and ensembles with genres ranging from Near Eastern world music to jazz and reggae. Before law school, he travelled with an ensemble playing in Texas, Nevada and California, and was offered a three-month gig in Aspen, Colorado with the Bedouin Bandits which he accepted. Robert continues to play with Souren Baronian, Mal Stein and other musicians in and around greater NYC. When not making music, Robert takes advantage of the cultural richness of NYC.

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Born in Spanish Harlem in 1930, Souren Baronian grew up surrounded by music – the Latin sounds of his neighborhood, the ethnic Armenian music his parents played on a windup Victrola, and the fact of being geographically embedded in what he recalls as “the jazz center of the world.” In his early teens he was deeply devoted to Lester Young and Charlie Parker. He hung photos of them on his wall and, along with his friend and fellow Armenian-American jazz enthusiast Paul Motian (later a world-class and widely-recorded drummer) got himself into their gigs as well as performances by Coleman Hawkins, Billie Holiday, and many others of the jazz elite of the time and place. At the same time, Baronian was also enamored with the recordings of the Turkish clarinetist Sukru Tunar. At the age of 16 he sought out and studied with Turkish clarinet player Safet Gundeger, a performer in the 8th Avenue “oriental” clubs that catered to speakers of Turkish, Greek and Armenian. Through his journey, Souren Baronian became a trailblazer in Armenian-American jazz and folk music. A master of the saxophone, clarinet, and dumbek, he added duduk and kaval to his repertoire after a trip to Armenia. Currently, 93 years young, Souren can be heard performing in New York City and the surrounding areas with his band Taksim as well as his friends.

Host or Publisher Djam NYC