Projects
emBLADy: embodying the blad {homeland}
Exhibit @ City Lore Gallery
April 17- June 07, 2026
In the exhibit emBLADy: embodying the blad {homeland}, Algerian-American dance artist Esraa Warda examines the questions: What can we learn about a person’s story and their people, culture, and history from observing their dance and movements? Can the knowledge stored in the body be preserved as an artifact as meaningfully as a written record?
In collaboration with multidisciplinary artist Muyassar Kurdi, they film and photograph six Algerian women dancing in their homes, revealing intimate embodied stories presented as an installation in CityLore gallery. Viewers will also have the opportunity to learn Algerian traditional dance forms through Warda’s video tutorials within the space.
You are invited to observe the power of muscle memory as a practice of cultural remembrance in New York City.
Opening event: April 17, 2026 - 6 - 8pm
On view: April 17- June 07, 2026 - Every weekend from 12-6pm
Logo & Exhibit Design by Hidouche Abdel Ghani a.k.a Bold
Cheikha Rabia & Esraa Warda
Cheikha Rabia and Esraa Warda both hail from Algeria, but today, they live in opposite corners of the world. Rabia, a renowned singer with over five decades of experience in keeping Bedouin vocal tradition alive, is based in Paris; Warda, a prolific dancer expert in traditional North African dance
forms, lives in New York. When they come together, the diaspora divas provide a glimpse into the disappearing culture of Cheikhat’ and Rai dancers - foregrounding Algerian tradition through a powerful dance and song
performance in which the ancestral and the contemporary find common ground.
CLICK HERE FOR EPK - CHEIKHA RABIA & ESRAA WARDA ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT
RAI'NA Dance Intensive (2 or 3 day)
"Rai'na," which translates to "Our Rai," is a dance empowerment weekend that beautifully combines the pedagogy of Algerian Raï dance and the power of interpersonal connection and storytelling. In Arabic, "Rai" signifies "opinion," but in the musical genre, it embodies the singer's blues, carrying a rebellious spirit that pushes societal boundaries around gender, sexuality, and public expression.
Led by Esraa Warda, the Raï'na dance program immerses participants in the foundational movement vocabulary and rhythms of Raï dance, complemented by creative activities that foster joy and storytelling within the community. Throughout the weekend, we passionately express "Rai'na" or "Our Rai" through movement and art, culminating in the creation of a captivating choreography over the three-day experience.
Maghreb Movement Lab /The Châab Lab(oratory)
The Chaâb Lab, meaning "The People's Lab," is a NYC-based music and dance ensemble dedicated to preserving the rich musical traditions of North African peoples. Founded by Algerian dancer Esraa Warda, the collective serves as a bridge, using North African music to connect with the NYC music scene and create connections with other African-rooted musical traditions.
The collective has a reoccurring series "Maghreb Movement Lab" a monthly dance intensive series of Algerian dance and drum workshops and cultural lectures at Mark Morris Dance Company in Downtown Brooklyn.
Kaièn
Algerian Heritage Music & Dance, Revived
Kaièn is a musical and dance group with members based both in Algeria and New York who revives long-lost musical traditions and breathes into them a new life.
Esraa Warda & Fella Oudane
Experience the union of 2 Algerian divas: Fella Oudane, powerhouse singer and darbouka virtuoso, and Esraa Warda, spirited dance artist, in an electrifying performance presenting Algerian music in feminine force. Fella Oudane, hailing from Bab-El-Oued, Algiers, gained fame through duos with Cheb Nasro and upholds traditional Algerian music, including Kabyle, Assimi, and Rai, even from her base in Los Angeles.
Rhythmology: Learn North African Rhythms!
Rhythmology is a CD jam packed with North African rhythms designed as an educational tool for musicians, dancers, and rhythm learners interested in enriching their knowledge about North African music. This CD can be used to develop a rhythmically conscious ear and practice your dance footwork, clapping, and drumming, as well as learn names of rhythms and specify the countries of origin. As producers of this project, Esraa Warda and Salim Beltitane felt the need to create an honest, original, and historical North African music tool due to the lack of resources created, especially by North African people.
For info email :Rhythmology.cd@gmail.com
Percussionist: Salim Beltitane
Design by Studio AKAKIR
Un Seul Héros, Le Peuple (Only One Hero, The People)
Produced by Esraa Warda during the COVID-19 Pandemic, "Un Seul Hero, Le Peuple" is a virtual festival of Algerian dance/drum workshops, live concerts, and panel discussions by renowned women artists around the Algerian diaspora who embrace people power, revolution in arts, and cultural work as resistance.
The 1st edition in 2021 hosted powerful Algerian women artists around the world, such as Amel Zen, Souad Asla, Amel Tafsout, Dr. Melyssa Haffaf, Sarah el Hamed, and Hayat Amar.
For details on the programmation of the past edition: click here
