Synergy Rhythm and Dance Drum Circle

Join us at Underwood Park for an All Ages Drum Circle! Sahira Zedare will begin by teaching two classes on hand drumming for beginner through intermediate drummers. Then all drummers and dancers are welcome as we make our own music and dance into the evening!

Where: Main Shelter at Underwood Park in Normal, IL

When: Saturday, 14 June 2008 

Hand Drumming Basics, 5:30-6:30pm

This class is for beginners and anyone who wants to brush up on their strokes. Sahira will teach the basics for doumbeks and djembes, so each student can make the strongest sounds and differentiate between low and high tones. We'll also explore some basic Middle Eastern rhythms and practice together. Bring your doumbeks and djembes, and we will also have some to share.

Rockin' the Rhythms, 6:30-7:30pm

Now we'll take it beyond the basics, learning Middle Eastern rhythms like Maqsum, Chiftitelli, and Masmoudi. Beginners will hold the basic rhythms and more advanced students will learn some variations. We'll practice switching from one rhythm to another, layering for a great sound. We'll also discuss how to support a strong community drum circle, where each drummer is valued and we all contribute to the overall experience. A handout will be provided.

All Ages Open Drum Circle, 7:30 - ?

All drummers and dancers are welcome! Bring your drums, your shakers, your zills, your hips scarves, your bodies, your poi! Let's celebrate summer and the joy of drumming and dancing!

More Information: Email synergy@synergyrad.com

The group of women warming up in yoga poses with hands pressed to the wooden floor could have been part of any dance class, except for the melody of sweet Middle Eastern pipes and drums emanating from the speakers, and the scarves adorned with coins draped over nearby exercise bikes.

“Grab your hip scarves,” said instructor Sahira Zedare, and in response, the room fills with the sound of the soft jingles of coin belts being wrapped around women’s waists. The women begin to move, and stiff shoulders melt into smooth rolls with an unselfconscious sway of hips, all to the rhythm and voice of a French singer that floats over the room.

SOUTHAMPTON - Rose Champagne-Superneau, 30, of 30 Wolcott Road , Southampton died peacefully at her home surrounded and supported by her loving family.

Born in Northampton, MA on June 30, 1977, Rose's life was defined by her devotion to family, dedication to finding meaning through dance and the arts, and determination to prevail in the face of illness and other life challenges.  Rose attended schools in Easthampton and was a 1996 graduate of Holyoke Community College . As a high school student, Rose developed an interest in and a passion for Middle Eastern music and dance. Finding deep spiritual meaning and profound personal expression in this art form, Rose dedicated herself to studying with area professional dancers, and later became a professional performer and instructor.

Rose was an alumna of the Crescent Dancers and Ahmet Luleci's Turkish Folk Troupe Collage International. She emerged as a professional performer in 1996 and later as an inspiring choreographer and instructor of Middle Eastern dance. For more than 10 years, Rose was the artistic director and coordinator of the widely attended and popular Jewel of the Valley Middle Eastern Dance Show and the Anjum&Sahibat dance troupes.

Known as a leading performer and teacher in New England, Rose performed and conducted workshops throughout New England and New Jersey , California and Canada . In addition to teaching the dance, Rose's objective was to help her students gain self-confidence, spiritual strength, and the appreciation of life that dancing provided her, as well as educate audiences about this beautiful art form. In 2003 Rose was nominated for Zaghareet Magazine's Best Kept Secret Award. Later that summer, she was diagnosed with brain cancer. While in remission, she continued to teach and perform, using her dancing to raise money for cancer research.

The CDC said 23.6 percent of women and 11.5 percent of men reported being a victim of what it called "intimate partner violence" at some time in their lives.

The CDC defined this as threatened, attempted or completed physical or sexual violence or emotional abuse by a spouse, former spouse, current or former boyfriend or girlfriend or a dating partner. The CDC estimates that 1,200 women are killed and 2 million injured in domestic violence annually.

found at Feministing.

Saudi Arabia is to lift its ban on women drivers in an attempt to stem a rising suffragette-style movement in the deeply conservative state.

Government officials have confirmed the landmark decision and plan to issue a decree by the end of the year.

The move is designed to forestall campaigns for greater freedom by women, which have recently included protesters driving cars through the Islamic state in defiance of a threat of detention and loss of livelihoods.