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Berber
& Oriental Dance Workshop
Morocco in 9 Days
Romance
and Grace of the East
Air Included from New York
The
romance and grace of the East, the Harem, the sophisticated, cultured
ladies of the Harem; the grace, the skill, the allure. "belly dancing
was only one of the cultural delights of the Harem. Come and see them
all!
While
you're here, get to know Moroccan cuisine , and even attend a belly
dancing workshop to experience the romance of the Harem firsthand."
You've seen--you've felt--the rhythms and motions of oriental dance
in the movies, or, more genuinely, during your travels in the East.
Now, Travel in Style affords you the opportunity to immerse yourself
in the sensuous art of belly dancing and other oriental rhythms during
a stay in Morocco. You'll attend daily dance workshops in the fabulous
desert fortress that is Marrakech. Of course, you'll have time to see
the palaces and souks of the city as well. And your guide will use her
network of contacts to Provide an entrée to Moroccan home life and customs
as rarely experienced by outsiders. Join us for this unique experience.
Click here for the 11-Day with
the Spa Wellness edition. Add
Egypt
DAY 1 - DEPARTURE FOR MOROCCO
Saturday
We'll take off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport,
bound for Morocco. Overnight across the Atlantic. Departure
is the first Saturday of each month
DAY 2 - MARRAKECH Sunday (BD)
Our Morocco-based personnel will greet you at the international airport
of Casablanca, and assist you with the formalities. Those arriving directly
from New York on Royal Air Maroc will be offered a complimentary tour
of the Great Mosque of Hassan II, then will join participants arriving
on British Airways on a short flight onward to Marrakech. On arrival
in Marrakech, our local staff will greet you and usher you to the superior
(four-star) Hotel Kenzi Semiramis. You'll have time to relax with a
mint tea in the local style, and to stretch your legs. In the evening,
we'll meet with our dance workshop instructor.
DAY 3 - MARRAKECH , The Flavors
of Morocco Monday (BLD)
After breakfast, it's time for our first workshop, a two-hour session
of belly dance and Berber/folk dance. But it isn't all serious study!
One of the special ways of understanding
a culture is through its cuisines--not only sampling exotic tastes,
but experiencing the preparation of dishes, how they figure in ritual
and ceremony, and how they have grown out of the earth and traditions,
we'll proceed to the Ecole Hotelière, Marrakech's own hospitality
& Culinary Academy and training school, for a demonstration of the
preparation of pastry-style doughs. We'll stay for a lunch of salads,
tagine of Maghdour kebab, and refreshing fruits.
In the afternoon, we'll see some
of the sites of this city, which Winston Churchill called "the most
beautiful place in the world at sunset"! Our stops will include the
Koutoubia, the landmark mosque of the city, with a tower that duplicates
the Giralda of Seville, in Spain; the hidden tombs of the Saadian dynasty;
the Menara pavilion and gardens; the ruins of sprawling Badi Palace;
the Bahia Palace, with room after stately oriental room of intricate
plasterwork and sedate hidden gardens; the Ben Yousef medersa; and the
Koubba (chapel) of el-Ba'adiyn. We'll return to our hotel for dinner.
DAY 4 - MARRAKECH Tuesday (BLD)
We'll have another three-hour dance workshop in the morning, covering
belly dance and other forms of oriental dance, then we'll
rendezvous at the Yacout restaurant, this time to see the detailed preparation
of bestilla. In this uniquely Moroccan dish, a squab or chicken is prepared
in a sauce of lemon, egg, almond and onion, enveloped in a thin dough
called warfa, and garnished with cinnamon and sugar. We'll stay for
lunch , on bestilla, of course.
After lunch , we'll set out to discover
the souks of Marrakech, those labyrinthine warrens of stalls and shops
where goods from near and far have changed hands over the centuries.
We'll have a chance to witness artisans at work, creating the very goods
that are on display, including crafters of fine brassware, and tanners
and dyers of skins, working over great open-air crocks that appear to
survive from another world. Of course, we'll save time for Djemaa el-Fna
square, with its circus atmosphere of itinerant dancers, jugglers, acrobats,
storytellers, soothsayers, snake charmers, medicine men, water sellers,
and public scribes. Our eventful day concludes with a fine Moroccan
dinner in a private room at Dar Haj Idder, accompanied by an oriental
band, and dancing--which we can now join in!
DAY 5 - MARRAKECH Wednesday (BD)
After our morning session of belly dance and oriental dance, we'll spend
the afternoon in a hammam, the traditional Moroccan steam bath, with
scrubbing and a ritual all its own. We'll return to our hotel for dinner.
we'll spend the afternoon in a hammam
the traditional Moroccan steam bath, with scrubbing and a ritual all
its own.
DAY 6 - MARRAKECH Thursday (BLD)
We'll have our morning dance workshop. Then it's time for an unusual
excursion into Moroccan culture, through a henna party. The painting
of hands and body and the coloring of hair with this natural red dye
are a symbol of joy at weddings and a way of enhancing one's beauty.
We'll all share in this time-honored tradition. Dinner will be in a
private room at the Douirya. Once again, we'll have a band, and the
occasion to practice our dancing.
DAY 7 - MARRAKECH Friday (BD)
This morning, we'll have our last dance workshop--and we'll reflect
on how far we've progressed in just a few days! Then we'll spend an
afternoon getting to know Moroccan culture through its food, as we visit
a local family and learn how to prepare traditional pastries. We'll
return to our hotel for dinner.
DAY 8 - MARRAKECH Saturday (BLD)
You'll have free time this morning to relax, or to explore Marrakech
on your own. Perhaps you'll take a steam bath, or explore the newer
part of town, with its wide boulevards and sidewalk cafés. We've set
aside the afternoon for a return visit to the souks, where you can shop
to your heart's content for brassware, leather, carpets, basketry, and
many other goods and crafts from near and far. Of course, every price
is individually set, depending on the quality of the wares and your
skill at bargaining. Our farewell dinner will be set in a private room
at the Diaffa, to the accompaniment of an oriental band. We'll try out
our newly acquired skills, and a jury will select the recipient of an
oriental dance costume, valued at $500. May the best dancer win!
DAY 9 - DEPARTURE FROM MARRAKECH
(B) Sunday
After breakfast, our local personnel will call for you and see you to
Marrakech Menara airport to begin your journey home, via Casablanca.
Bon Voyage.
Rates
per person in US from New York:
| In
Triple occupancy |
US$
2750.00 |
| In
Double occupancy |
US$
2800.00 |
| In
Single occupancy |
US$
3460.00 |
Rate
includes:
- Round-trip air fare from New York to Marrakech
and return, via Casablanca, including taxes. (Please inquire about
attractive add-on fares available from other cities through Travel
in Style.) . Most West Coast cities : $300 add on based on roudn trip
with tax included.
- All ground transportation in Morocco Accommodation
in first-class (four-star) hotel in Marrakech.
- Meals as indicated with preset menu (B = continental
breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
- Oriental dance workshop and classes as indicated
in private meeting room at hotel.
- Guided tours, excursions, and activities as
described, including the services of a lady guide, and all entry fees.
- Three private Moroccan dinners as described
Prize to winner of competition on last evening, as described
Not
Included:
Notes:
While there may not be a whole lot of social situations to which the
average North American woman can bring skills as a seductive belly dancer,
the rhythms of Oriental dance are fun to learn, rewarding to master,
flattering to the figure, and aid to fitness. This newest vacation adventure
from Travel In Style is based on storied dessert fortress city of Marrakech.
Henna party:
One of the "insiders" excursions into Moroccan culture, a chance to
attend a henna party, the painting of hands and body and the coloring
of hair with this natural red dye is a symbol of joy at weddings and
regarded as a way to enhance one's beauty
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