GUEDRA interweaves filming of the mysterious, entrancing Guedra dance with interpretative footage and documentary footage of daily Moroccan life. An ancient Moroccan dance, the Guedra is performed by a woman whose enigmatic hand and finger gestures complement the polyrhythmic movements of her body. The meanings of the intricately cadenced fingerwork have long been lost.
In the film, the Guedra dance is performed by Jajouka, a soloist and company member of Ibrahim Farrah's Near Eastern Dance Group. Glimpses of Moroccan life - people, colors, textures, the countryside - entwine Mr. Farrah's choreography, ultimately imparting my interpretation of the essence of the Guedra's long lost meanings.
1991, 16mm, color/so, 19m, $60