18th Annual Live Music Summer Intensive

When dancers ask me what my Live Music intensives are about and why I have created my intensives ….

My dance background is deeply rooted in the world of live Arabic music from my many years performing in Arabic nightclubs and events with a full band several times a week. This environment was my stomping ground, my norm, a space where live music and dance thrived in their purest form.

Over the years, I’ve witness significant changes in the industry with the closing of most Sydney nightclubs and wedding bands being replaced by zaffet or DJ’s. While times have changed, the artistry and magic of dancing to live music remain.

It’s the connection where dancers and musicians share a symbiotic relationship on stage that inspires my work today.

My mission is to provide dancers with this rare and invaluable experience—working alongside exceptionally talented musicians, learning about their instruments, hearing their stories, and discovering the dynamic relationship between dancers and musicians both in the studio and on stage.

Now in its 18th year, this passion project continues to thrive, offering a space for dancers to elevate and deepen their craft. It’s heartening to see so many artists eager to embrace this unique program and connect with the essence of live performance.

This is not merely a workshop—it is a true intensive. Together, we take a concept and, through a collaborative creative process, shape it into a fully realized piece for a public performance. From studio to stage, this journey is about more than technique; it’s about artistry, collaboration, and bringing dance to life in its most authentic form.

This is a snippet of the 2024 Live Music Intensive, where participants from across Australia came together for two short days and had the pleasure to work closely with these truly brilliant musicians under the guidance and mentorship of Virginia Rizkallah ElMasri and I.

Our 2025 edition features a special tribute to Oum Kalthoum held at the iconic Amera’s Palace in Sydney.
January 25-26, 2025
Early Bird Bookings now open
https://forms.gle/e8xoHzZd2VpsMTh68

Bahlam Beek

Music by The Sydney Arabic Music Ensemble

Directed/Staged by me

Choreography by Virginia Masri

Performed by participants of the 2024 Live Music Summer Intensive