Sephardi/Mizrahi Kabbalat Shabbat services (Friday night)
Galeet Dardashti leads a dynamic and participatory Sephardi/Mizrahi Kabbalat Shabbat service. Each new melody introduced is taught in nigun form first. This service involves prayers with beautiful melodies from a range of Middle Eastern/North African Jewish communities.
Brief Drash before Sephardi/Mizrahi Torah Service (Saturday morning)
Dr. Dardashti will highlight some of the notable differences between Sephardi/Mizrahi Torah services and those done in Ashkenazi traditions.
Integrating Sephardi/Mizrahi Repertoire
Dr. Galeet Dardashti will share a few Sephardi/Mizrahi melodies/texts, discuss why it is important to represent these traditions, and underscore how can this be done with the utmost respect.
Persian Jewish Music
(this session involves music audio and video samples)
Dr. Galeet Dardashti will explore the Judeo-Persian musical tradition through both recorded and live music examples (some of which you will learn!). Galeet's grandfather, Younes Dardashti, was one of the most famous singers of Persian classical music; Galeet's family history and her own artistic work are central to this session.
Middle Eastern/North African Jewish Poetic Songs (Piyutim) - From Pulpit to Pop Chart
Join prominent performer and cultural anthropologist, Galeet Dardashti, for this interactive and participatory program on Jewish Middle Eastern and North African piyyut traditions. Come hear, study, and learn to sing several of these artistic and beautiful religious songs, and gain an understanding of their shifting cultural significance throughout Jewish history including Dr. Dardashti’s research on the Mizrahi piyyut movement in contemporary Israeli pop and rock music today.
Israeli Music Goes Mizrahi
(this session involves music audio and video samples)
The changes in Israeli music over the country’s short history illuminate significant historical and social developments. While during Israel’s first few decades its music represented the European tastes of its founders who defined “ Israeliness,” by the 1970s this cultural legacy began to be challenged. We will explore, in particular, the ways in which Israeli music has gradually shifted significantly to allow a space for Mizrahim to feel that the nation’s music represents them as well.
Please contact booking@galeetdardashti.com to book Galeet for your community!