Exhibit “emBLADy: embodying the BLAD” by Esraa Warda

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.