| Guedra is a trance ceremony from the Southwest of Morocco. It belongs to the Blue People of the Tuareg Berber. The word Guedra means cauldron/cooking pot in Arabic. It is a blessing ritual rather than a placating of spirits or exorcism like the Zar or the Hadra. It is done in a circle with the group chanting and providing percussive clapping, with one drum - the Guedra - a clay cooking pot covered with skin. Usually one women dances, sometimes two, or a women and a child, or a women and a man. |
| Katarina teaches a number of chants in Moroccan Arabic along with the percussive clapping in several rhythms, as well as dance movements. Men are involved in a supportive role. The larger the group the easier and the more fun it is. |
| Just a word about trance. We are entranced frequently without knowing and certainly without using it beneficially: watching tv, driving on the freeway, etc. Moroccan music is very trance-oriented and trance is used competently and frequently for healing and blessing; it is not an extraordinary or strange thing to Moroccans. Whether done in an ethnic dance class setting or as a spiritual practice I find it is always appropriate and wise to focus and ground the energy the group generates. You'll find that doing Guedra is fun and incredibly invigorating, and can be deep and moving. |
