Welcome to the Troupe Joweh store!

Troupe Joweh takes their name from a chant used in the Guedra, a blessing ritual dance from Northern Morocco. The word “Joweh” refers to the scent of sacred frankincense, used to evoke spiritual ecstasy in ritual participants. <Br><BR> Joweh has been performing in the Bay Area and the Wine Country of Northern California since 1996. With a strong foundation in the Egyptian and American cabaret styles, Joweh have grown and evolved creatively over the years. Study of the various folkloric forms of Middle Eastern Dance has included Moroccan, Saudi, and Tunisian. Several troupe members have backgrounds in modern and jazz dance, which lends a lyrical, highly expressive element to choreographies. Joweh has embraced fusion of Middle Eastern Dance with other dance styles, including flamenco, classical Indian dance, and hip-hop. Today, Joweh are well-known in the dance community for their refreshing energy, eclectic choreography, and engaging stage presence that smoothly oscillates between playful and reverent.<BR><BR> Troupe Joweh’s notable appearances include many performances at the prestigious festival Rakkasah, and the Belly dancer of the Year Pageant (awarded second runner up in 2001). Joweh has also performed at various Sonoma County events, including Festival Fantasia, Tribal Fest, Health and Harmony, and Wednesday Night Market. Joweh have organized several of their own shows at the Raven Theater in Healdsburg, including benefits for Life or Meth, a youth-focused drug education campaign initiated by troupe members. The troupe has provided entertainment at the most acclaimed San Francisco restaurants and clubs, such as Byblos, Marrakech, Pasha, and El Valenciano.<Br><BR> Joweh has enjoyed working with many celebrated musicians, including Susu Pampanin, Reda Darwish, Georges Lammam, Light Rain, Jazayer, and the Shaheen Brothers. <BR><BR> TerriAnne Gutierrez, director of Joweh and a lifelong student of dance, has been studying and performing Middle Eastern Dance for over thirty years. TerriAnne is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most well-known and sought after performers and teachers. She specializes in Modern Egyptian and American Cabaret, with stylistic influences from some of the forerunners of Egyptian Dance, including the great classic performers Samia Gamal and Tahia Karioca. TerriAnne has been playing music since a young age and is accomplished on a number of instruments. She enjoys playing Deff and Riq with Susu Pampanin and has become well known for her Zill playing. She has put out a book and DVD on the subject (ZILL DRILLS, WITH SUSU PAMPANIN) and enjoys teaching workshops on Zill playing to dancers and musicians. TerriAnne has been the featured performer at many predigests San Francisco Clubs and restaurants such as, Pasha, Marrakech, Byblos, Amira, Kasbah and many others. Her television appearances include, "Bay Area Back roads". Among her solo dance achievements was being asked by the San Francisco Egyptian community to dance for the Egyptian Consulate to the United States on his visit to San Francisco. TerriAnne travels around the world teaching workshops as , "Zaina Zahesha" and just recently taught in, Guatamala, and the Dominican Republic. With a B.A in Activism and Social Change, she uses her performances as a form of expression and as a soft voice that encourages the audience to increase their consciousness in areas that may otherwise be left dormant.