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The Chaâb Lab,"The Peoples' Lab" is a New York-based, artist-run collective that foregrounds the musical and dance lineages of North Africa (also known as the Maghreb - Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya). Through a constellation of workshops, concerts, and educational gatherings facilitated by artists of the region, it brings the sounds and movements of the Maghreb into the New York city cultural ecosytem.
.From Raï to Chaâbi, from traditional percussion to dance, The Chaâb Lab seeks to preserve the region’s cultural vocabularies.
The Chaâb Lab is committed to mentoring the next generation of North African diasporic artists and sustaining intergenerational transmission of traditional forms—ensuring these practices remain alive and evolving across borders.
We use the use the word "lab" not to represent an institution—but a communal experiment in remembering and remaking home.
Programs
Maghreb Movement Lab/ Workshops
Monthly workshops teaching North African dances & traditional drumming. Sessions are held at Mark Morris Dance Center, Alpha Omega Studios, and Prospect Park.
Cultural Lectures
Lectures both online and in person with varying subjects about the socio-cultural histories of North African dance and musical styles
Special Guest Artists
Open to new guest and visiting artists, to offer information not typically accessible in New York
Performances
2 performances a year highlighting a local artist in live music and dance concert
Mentorship
Students of programs have oppourtunities to learn in informal apprenticeships in dance and drumming.
Artists:
Esraa Warda - Director, Dance Artist
Nizar Dahmani - Drummer, Percussionist
Zafer Tawil - Percussionist
Nassim Zeriffi - Percussionist
Youcef Grim - Percussionist
Hayet Amar - Dance Artist
Fella Oudane - Singer , Percussionist
The Chaab Lab programming is made possible by the generous support of the New York State Council on the Arts and fisically sponsored by the Center for Traditional Music and Dance
