Farrah, Ibrahim

Ibrahim Farrah (1939-1998) was a well-known performer, teacher, and scholar of Middle Eastern dance, who also became the founder and publisher of Arabesqué, a notable journal of international and ethnic dance, which became the primary vehicle he used to promote a greater public awareness and appreciation of belly dance and other traditional dance forms.

He began his early teaching and performing career in Washington, D.C., where he worked in nightclubs with his first partner, Emar Gamal. Farrah moved to New York in 1967 where he continued to teach and perform. From 1968 through 1971 he danced with Phaedra (Phyllis Saretta). Using grant money received from the Doris Duke Foundation, he embarked on several related projects by the early 1970s, including an extended research trip to Lebanon, the establishment of his own school (later the Ibrahim School of Near East Dance) in a loft on 72nd Street, and he also began developing the components of a professional troupe that would become the Ibrahim Farrah Near East Dance Group (NEDG) by 1974. Through the NEDG, Farrah brought his own choreography, which presented a theatrical conception of Middle Eastern dance styles based on a rigorous study of traditional dance forms, to the concert stage. The company performed in New York and also toured throughout North America from the mid 1970s to the early 1990s, when Farrah began to cut back on his own performing schedule. In 1975, Farrah began publication of the bi-monthly Arabesqué, the scope of which gradually grew to encompass a broader coverage of all ethnic dance forms. By the mid-1990s, Farrah was increasingly focused on giving master classes and producing educational videos before his untimely death.

From the description of Ibrahim Farrah papers, 1895-1998 (bulk 1967-1997) (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 85221646

Ibrahim Farrah (1939-1998) was a well-known performer, teacher, and scholar of Middle Eastern dance, who also became the founder and publisher of Arabesqué, a notable journal of international and ethnic dance, which became the primary vehicle he used to promote a greater public awareness and appreciation of belly dance and other traditional dance forms. Farrah, whose full name was Robert Ibrahim Farrah, was known among his colleagues as Bobby. Born in Everson, Pennsylvania to George Jacob and Alba Nassar Farrah, he was raised in a strong Lebanese-American community. It was not until his time as a student at Pennsylvania State University, however, that Farrah seriously began to explore his cultural heritage, as well as to investigate the possibilities of a career as a dancer. After graduating with a degree in history, he moved to Washington, D.C. in the autumn of 1961 and began working at the Library of Congress, as well as regularly attending the Port Said nightclub. His professional career got firmly underway in 1963, when he began appearing under the name "Abraheem," in a partnership with Emar Gamal. The team worked in area nightclubs, such as Syriana, and toured throughout the United States. Farrah started taking pupils in Washington, and, after moving to New York in 1967, he soon began teaching at the International Dance School at Carnegie Hall, and later would continue to hold performance and private classes at studios, such as Fazil's.

From 1968 through 1971, Farrah danced with Phaedra (Phyllis Saretta); this partnership became a personal as well as a professional one. Using grant money received from the Doris Duke Foundation, Farrah had embarked on several related projects by the early 1970s, including an extended research trip to Lebanon, the establishment of his own school (later the Ibrahim School of Near East Dance) in a loft on 72nd Street, and he also began developing the components of a professional troupe (Duke was a participant in this nascent group). Although Farrah would sever relations with Duke, his goal of establishing a company came to fruition with the formation of the Ibrahim Farrah Near East Dance Group (NEDG) in 1974. Through the NEDG, Farrah brought his own choreography, which presented a theatrical conception of Middle Eastern dance styles based on a rigorous study of traditional dance forms, to the concert stage. The NEDG performed in New York in venues including Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Town Hall, and appeared frequently at the Riverside Dance Festival. The company also toured throughout North America from the mid 1970s to the early 1990s, when Farrah began to cut back on his own performing schedule.

In 1975, Farrah began publication of the bi-monthly Arabesqué . As he wrote in a 1980 letter, Farrah saw the magazine as "an extension of my dance career" and its scope gradually grew to encompass a broader coverage of all ethnic dance forms. By the mid-1990s, Farrah was increasingly focused on giving master classes and producing educational videos, such as Rare Glimpses: Dances from the Middle East, before his untimely death from a heart attack.

From the guide to the Ibrahim Farrah papers, 1895-1998, 1967-1997, (The New York Public Library. Jerome Robbins Dance Division.)