Category Archives: Blog

Waking Up…

Posted on January 1, 2015 by admin

Daily Star

I woke up this morning in Lebanon to Israeli jets flying over Beirut at very low altitudes–and so 2015 begins!

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Happy New Year…

Posted on December 31, 2014 by admin

Whirling on (Photo: Emily O'Dell)

It’s a joy to whirl with all of you into the New Year! Here’s to a happy, healthy, & peaceful 2015!

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Calendar Flip…

Posted on December 31, 2014 by admin

At work in Giza (Photo: Emily O'Dell)

As the sun sets on 2014 here in the Middle East, wishing everyone a spirited and safe start to the New Year!

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Graffiti in Mongolia…

Posted on December 30, 2014 by admin

Exploring Ulaanbaatar (Photo: Emily O'Dell)

I took this photo in Ulaanbaatar, after giving a lecture on Mongolian history & Islamic archaeology at the National University of Mongolia…

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While I was doing research in the desert in Sudan, an older Sufi woman unexpectedly pulled me from the crowd to join her in the spirit of the dance. Here’s a short video of us making our way together around this celebratory circle…

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Awaiting Astana…

Posted on December 29, 2014 by admin

I’m delighted to have been invited to speak at the upcoming International Council for Traditional Music World Conference in Kazakhstan with a number of prominent scholars whose work I truly admire. The International Council for Traditional Music furthers the study, practice, documentation, preservation and dissemination of traditional music and dance from countries around the world. I’m looking forward to meeting the other conference speakers, and sharing my research on music in Central Asia…

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On Pointe…

Posted on December 28, 2014 by admin

Digging up the past (Photo: Emily O'Dell)

Today, while cleaning out my attic, I stumbled upon these old toe shoes signed by my ballet teachers Gelsey Kirkland and David Howard. I feel grateful to have learned from these two master teachers of movement and expression…

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Up on the Roof…

Posted on December 27, 2014 by admin

At home in Mali (Photo: Emily O'Dell)

I’ve never been so challenged by a dance class as I was when we invited these master dancers over to our home in Mali to learn some new West African dances on the roof…

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Doing My Thing…

Posted on December 27, 2014 by admin

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Spirit March…

Posted on December 26, 2014 by admin

Exploring Sudan (Photo: Emily O'Dell)

I took this photo of marching dervishes in Sudan, while whirling with some spirited Sufis in Khartoum…

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Today in Lebanon…

Posted on December 25, 2014 by admin

Christmas in the Levant (Daily Star)

Today in Lebanon, Hezbollah sheikhs visited several churches in the south to wish Christians a Merry Christmas…

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Seeking Light…

Posted on December 25, 2014 by admin

Exploring Tripoli (Photo: Emily O'Dell)

When a local sheikh in Lebanon gave me permission to enter this abandoned Turkish bath in Tripoli, I was transfixed by its dilapidated dome–which to me resembled a giant eye…

Recognize the craving of the eye of your heart,
seeking immeasurable Light…

— Rumi

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