Abdel-Halim Caracalla
Encyclopedia
Abdel-Halim Caracalla is the founder and artistic director of the Lebanese dance company Caracalla Dance Theatre
.
in 1940. Growing up in Baalbeck, he watched Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev dance, listened to the music of Miles Davis
and Ella Fitzgerald
, and finally went to London
in the 1960s to study dance with choreographer Martha Graham
.
Abdel-Halim was also Lebanon's champion pole-vaulter
.
.
, aiming to bring "a new language in dance with a style based on the amalgamation of the Western and the Oriental."
Caracalla Dance Theatre
The Caracalla Dance Theatre is an internationally renowned dance company based in Beirut, Lebanon.-History:Abdel-Halim Caracalla founded the Caracalla Dance Theatre in 1970. He envisioned creating a new language in dance that merged Western and Oriental techniques...
.
Youth
Abdel-Halim was born in Baalbeck, LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
in 1940. Growing up in Baalbeck, he watched Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev dance, listened to the music of Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
and Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, and finally went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the 1960s to study dance with choreographer Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
.
Abdel-Halim was also Lebanon's champion pole-vaulter
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
.
Family
Abdel-Halim has a daughter, Alissar, and a son, Ivan. Both children work with Abdel-Halim with the Caracalla Dance TheatreCaracalla Dance Theatre
The Caracalla Dance Theatre is an internationally renowned dance company based in Beirut, Lebanon.-History:Abdel-Halim Caracalla founded the Caracalla Dance Theatre in 1970. He envisioned creating a new language in dance that merged Western and Oriental techniques...
.
Career
In 1970, he founded the Caracalla Dance TheatreCaracalla Dance Theatre
The Caracalla Dance Theatre is an internationally renowned dance company based in Beirut, Lebanon.-History:Abdel-Halim Caracalla founded the Caracalla Dance Theatre in 1970. He envisioned creating a new language in dance that merged Western and Oriental techniques...
, aiming to bring "a new language in dance with a style based on the amalgamation of the Western and the Oriental."