"Algeria Moves!"

Programmed by and featuring guest curator Esraa Warda

A rendezvous of music, voice, and danced stories highlight the artistry and spirit of Algeria — an often underrepresented yet deeply rich cultural landscape.

Performer and educator Esraa Warda is a pioneer of traditional Algerian dance, specializing in traditional and popular forms like Raï, Chaoui, and Assimi. In performance, Warda harnesses the Algerian body and traditional feminine form to embody decoloniality and boldly subvert the cliches of the North African woman.

For Algeria Moves!, Warda is joined directly from Algeria by her band, Kaièn — five gifted musicians (Youcef Grim, percussion; Youva Bessa, bass; Rami Bekhouche, piano; Omar Bourai: violin/strings; and Toufik Aoun, lead singer)  — for an evening rooted in the revival of Algerian heritage music, celebrating the powerful intersection of heritage, performance, and social progress through the universal language of music and dance.

This performance is supported in part by a gift from Ms. Ann Goette.

Warda led an Algerian Raï Dance Workshop in February 2025. This is Kaièn's first performance at the center.