Check out the events I'm doing and producing!
Join BIYA BIYA as we welcome a community auntie and artist to lead us in a Persian Calligraphy Workshop! Come learn the basic strokes of nastaliq – most commonly used for Persian poetry but shared across Arabic, Dari, Pashto & Urdu letters. No experience in these alphabets or nastaliq script is required!
Join BIYA BIYA for a Block Printing Workshop! This 3-hour session will walk you through the basics of linoleum block printing – including designing, carving, and printing original prints. All skill levels are welcome and all materials will be provided for use in session!
BIYA BIYA presents Rhythm Workshop: An interactive percussion circle with Reckless Darling. This rhythm workshop is designed to help musicians develop a strong connection with their inner clock through the study of constructed rhythms and creative methods of working with the metronome.
TAYF takes the Color Club ballroom on April 23rd for SAHRIT SAFFRON, an evening of live music and bellydance! Evoking the warmth and light of saffron, this evening blooms from live music by headlining band TAYF into an open dance party hafla and bazaar. Joined by bellydancers Phaedra and Yasmeen, SAHRIT SAFRRON is an expansive cultural night steeped in SWANA roots and rhythms.
Join BIYA BIYA as we welcome a community auntie and artist to lead us in a Persian Calligraphy Workshop! Come learn the basic strokes of nastaliq – most commonly used for Persian poetry but shared across Arabic, Dari, Pashto & Urdu letters. No experience in these alphabets or nastaliq script is required!
Come come and join us for a Bellydance Workshop! This 90 minute session, led by dance artist Yasmeen, will take us through the 101 of raqs sharqi.
Meet us at Podlasie for Nowruz at Podlasie! BIYA BIYA presents SHOKOUFEH: Nowruz Edition. We are excited to bring NYC’s NICK AM and ATHENA to Chicago for their debut. Nick’s remix of Googoosh’s “Talagh” is a mainstay in global sets. As Iranians in diaspora, we hope to create a space that can hold grief and honor those we’ve lost in the midst of revolution. Join us in celebrating the new year as we dream of a free Iran, and welcome Nick and Athena to these Chicago decks.
CINEMANITA is back with BIYA BIYA bringing you a tender Nowruz collaboration! Join us for a pre-show Nowruz zine session: think a mix of collage, drawing, and manifesting more light in the face of darkness led by dramaturg, theater journalist, and oral historian Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel at 6:30 pm. Meet us at the Chicago Art Department in Pilsen.
Come meet and mingle with fellow eldest daughters and those who identify with that ambitious, care-centered, big love ethos we all crave. Join BIYA BIYA for a night of sapphic sounds and connections, on February 22 at Dorothy!
Ripped your favorite top? Thick thighs wearing out your jeans? Bring your clothes that need a little love to learn how to mend them together! Extending the life of our clothes keeps them out of the 92 million tons of annual textile waste produced globally.
Join BIYA BIYA for a Block Printing Workshop! This 3-hour session will walk you through the basics of linoleum block printing – including designing, carving, and printing original prints. All skill levels are welcome and all materials will be provided for use in session!
Come celebrate the longest night of the year! BIYA BIYA Productions and Shokoufeh present YALDA NIGHT LIFE, a winter solstice celebration ft. live music, dance, and djs at the California Clipper.
Join BIYA BIYA as we welcome a community auntie and artist to lead us in a Persian Calligraphy Workshop! Come learn the basic strokes of nastaliq – most commonly used for Persian poetry but shared across Arabic, Dari, Pashto & Urdu letters. No experience in these alphabets or nastaliqscript is required!
Come come and join us for a Raqs Sharki Workshop! This 90 minute session, led by dance artist Yasmeen, will take us through the 101 of raqs sharqi.
Join BIYA BIYA for a Block Printing Workshop! This 3-hour session will walk you through the basics of linoleum block printing – including designing, carving, and printing original prints. All skill levels are welcome and all materials will be provided for use in session!
TAYF takes the CHOP SHOP on October 13! Join us for an anniversary concert celebrating TAYF’s continued existence and growth as an incubator of emerging maqam musicians from the margins and as a community gatherer.
Join BIYA BIYA for our second Maqam Workshop! In this interactive session, musicians will learn the language and basics of maqam. Taught by musicians Karl El Sokhn (aka Reckless Darling) and C Mikhail, you’ll learn and jam in a low-stakes environment.
Join BIYA BIYA for a secret outdoor show of GLOBAL SOUNDS featuring three bands and a jam! We're curating sets across the diaspora to bring you a sweet close to a hot hot summer.
Ripped your favorite top? Thick thighs wearing out your jeans? Bring your clothes that need a little love to learn how to mend them together! Extending the life of our clothes keeps them out of the 92 million tons of annual textile waste produced globally.
Join BIYA BIYA for our “Diaspora Duos” series where we commission artists from different cultures to collaborate together! Steeped in diverse traditions, each duo will present a set that showcases a fusion of the two performers’ cultural backgrounds. Immerse yourself in global sounds from Ireland, Mexico, West Africa, and South Asia!
Join BIYA BIYA at Eli Tea Bar Chicago for a queer Muslim mixer! Find new friends amongst crafts, games, and convo. As Queer Muslims, it is rare to find spaces that cater to the nuances of our lived experiences. Come join us in creating a community space for us together!
Join BIYA BIYA for an interactive Tatreez Workshop with Lulu Jamal! This open session is great for beginners and beyond as we gather together in a low-stakes, hands-on learning environment. Bring a current project or use our pre-made kits with a suggested pattern.
Join BIYA BIYA for a Dabke and Kathak dance workshop! What could the traditional Arabic dance DABKE and South Asian dance KATHAK have in common? Both dabke and kathak emphasize specificity in footwork!
Join BIYA BIYA for our inaugural Maqam Workshop! In this interactive session, musicians will learn the language and basics of maqam. Taught by musicians Karl El Sokhn (aka Reckless Darling) and C Mikhail, you’ll learn and jam in a low-stakes environment.
Join BIYA BIYA as we welcome a community auntie and artist to lead us in a Persian Calligraphy Workshop! Come learn the basic strokes of nastaliq – most commonly used for Persian poetry but shared across Arabic, Dari, Pashto & Urdu letters. No experience in these alphabets or nastaliqscript is required!
🌹 Join BIYA BIYA for an Open Music Mic & Jam! All are welcome to take space on the Solidarity Studios stage for their 5 minutes of fame. Perform something new or old in front of an intimate crowd and then join in a group jam led by local musician Pat Williams.
🌹 Join BIYA BIYA for a Zine-Making Workshop with designer and illustrator Jasjyot Singh Hans and arts journalist Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel! In this interactive session on DIY publishing, you’ll be guided through the process of crafting your own mini-magazine using collage, illustration, and writing. This is a beginner-friendly session where you’ll learn the art of the zine and experiment in a low-stakes environment.
It’s a BIYA BIYA Birthday! Join us at Solidarity Studios for a Live Music Show & Zine Launch celebrating the beginning of BIYA BIYA Productions, a local Creative Agency and Production House for artists.
The evening features live music, dance, zine vending, and small bites. Join us for a taste of home with our sweet line-up.
Join Salon Kawakib for our annual Nowruz Performance Night at Eli Tea Bar on Saturday, March 22nd 7-9pm
The evening features curated live music, poetry, and dance! This year, we will also have a mini art market where you will find a small selection of calligraphy, zines, handmade jewelry and more!
On March 2, the Middle East Music Ensemble presents FOLLOW THE MUSIC: A Journey Across Turkish, Persian, and Arabic Musical Traditions, under the direction of Wanees Zarour.
Join us and Salon Kawakib, a cultural salon for SWANA diaspora in Chicago, for a Palestinian Poetry Night, honoring and celebrating one of Palestine’s most exquisite and revered art forms, to benefit Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. A Red Orchid company members and friends will perform works by poets including George Abraham, Hala Alyan, Mahmoud Darwish, Noor Hindi, Fady Joudah, and Naomi Shihab Nye. Tickets for this event are free but are required for admission.
Featuring Ensemble Members Sadieh Rifai and Travis A. Knight with Gloria Imseih Petrelli and Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel with music by Ronnie Malley.
