
The Gilded Serpent presents...
Morocco
Morocco (Carolina Varga Dinicu) is considered the leading performer & authority in her field in the U.S., Canada and abroad, evidenced by frequent invitations to teach master seminars and perform in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Australia, Israel, Egypt, England, Morocco, Brazil and Italy.
She was awarded two grants by the State Council on the Arts for her choreography in 1972 and 1981 - first in her field to be so honored and the only two-time recipient - 3 New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Community Service Grants, 3 Summer Program Grants, a Materials for the Arts Grant and an Arts Exposure Grant. She was one of the first inducted into the AAMED Mideastern Dance Hall of Fame as "World Class" for "International proliferation of her art, her myriad of talent and for her untiring pioneering in this, her chosen field of ethnic dance", was named 1997 Instructor of the Year by IAMED, was voted Best Dancer & Best Instructor + Casbah Dance Experience was named Best Troupe of the Year 2 years in a row by Mideastern Dancer Magazine. Morocco was also voted Ethnic Dancer of the Year in '97, Instructor of the Year in '98 & given the Lifetime Achievement award in 2002 by Zaghareet Magazine.
Morocco's research video series (#s1-6) was given the Giza Award in 2000, an interview with her, describing her philosphy & some of her life's experiences, was commissioned by the Dance Division of the Lincoln Center Library of the Performing Arts in New York City to be placed its Oral History Archives for future researchers & she was nominated for the Dance Heritage Coalition's list of "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures".
For much more wonderful information see Morocco's web site
Web site: www.casbahdance.org
Articles on Gilded Serpent by or about Morocco
- 7-30-10 Morocco’s Four-Day Folk Fest Schikhatt, Tunisian, Zar and Guedra
Schikhatt (a Moroccan word meaning "wise woman") is a dance performed before weddings at bridal parties as a way to "educate" the bride in the movements she would be expected to mimic on the wedding night. - 10-26-05 Interview with Mahmoud Reda Part 3: Film & Future
If you know about photography, then it will help performing for the movies or for television because usually the choreographer stands beside the director of the movie. - 8-19-05 Interview with Mahmoud Reda Part 2: The Troupe
So what I call my choreography is not folkloric. It’s inspired by the folkloric. - 7-19-05 Interview with Mahmoud Reda Part 1: The Beginning
The Ministry of Culture should be of help, not a source of problems. But anyway, they had control of all the theaters, so to find a theater we must go to them, but they gave us problems. I don’t know why; maybe they were jealous! - 4-13-04 Loving Remembrance and Requiem: the Best “School” That Ever Was, Part 3
Truth gives us the wings that brought us where we are today. Most of my jobs now are in places that wouldn't have thought twice about slamming the door in my face in the 1960s. I know because I tried and they did, but I kept coming back with more and more proof. Haven't stopped. Won't. - 9-5-03 Loving Remembrance & Requiem: the Best “School” That Ever Was, Part 2
So much great stuff; so little time to see and learn it all. So much of it disappears down the oasis daily. - 5-20-03 Loving Remembrance & Requiem: the Best “School” That Ever Was, Part 1
I looked at her & said, “If I can’t do better than that, I’ll hand in my feet!” A case of having more guts than brains.