Yallah™: A Salimpour Platform for Community and Learning Experiences
Exploring SWANA and Global Cultures through Movement, Knowledge, and Collaboration
About
Yallah™ is a cultural platform founded by Suhaila Salimpour to celebrate the richness of dance, music, and movement traditions from the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region, while also embracing artistic expressions from cultures around the world.
Rooted in research, embodied practice, and performance, Yallah™ provides a space for artists, scholars, and audiences to engage deeply with cultural expression. Through its flagship Yallah™ Arts Festival, lecture series, demonstrations, workshops, and cultural events — each designed to promote learning, dialogue, and appreciation for diverse traditions.
By integrating scholarship, community engagement, and performance, Yallah™ highlights both the enduring legacies and contemporary innovations of global dance traditions. Participants have the opportunity to witness, learn from, and be inspired by movement that bridges cultures, nurtures understanding, and cultivates artistic excellence.
Explore Yallah™ events to engage with cultural artistry, attend performances, participate in workshops, or join lectures and demonstrations.
Iranian Dance at Yallah Arts Festival 2025.
Experience Yallah™ Cultural Programs
Yallah™ brings together a spectrum of cultural events designed to engage, educate, and inspire. Starting with the flagship Yallah™ Arts Festival, each program highlights the artistry, heritage, and contemporary evolution of dance and movement traditions — with a special focus on the SWANA region.
Explore events to attend performances, engage in dialogue, or participate in immersive workshops that blend scholarship, artistry, and community.
Guest instructor, Fadi Islamboui, teaching Arabic rhythms and drum technique, Belly Dance by the Bay 2024.
Upcoming & Current Programs
- Salimpour Dance Immersion 2026
- Yallah Arts Festival 2025 Merchandise
Previous Programs
- Yallah Arts Festival 2025
Engage with Yallah™ Programs
Yallah™ offers multiple pathways to engage, learn, and contribute to the platform:
Attend
Purchase tickets for performances, register for workshops, or join lectures and panels.
Participate as an Artist
Apply to perform, present, or lead workshops at Yallah™ events.
Host a Yallah™ Event
Apply to perform, present, or lead workshops at Yallah™ events.
YALLAH™, a cultural platform of the Salimpour Center for Embodied Dance and Cultural Studies, advances artistic, educational, and cultural exchange through collaborative programs and events. If your university, institution, or organization is interested in sponsoring a YALLAH™ event, integrating a YALLAH™ program, or commissioning a custom YALLAH™ event, please contact us to explore partnership opportunities.
More About Yallah™ Programs
YALLAH™ Arts Festival
The YALLAH™ Arts Festival is the premier public program within the YALLAH™ platform, presenting performances, workshops, and cultural showcases. Artists and ensembles from the SWANA region and beyond gather to present both traditional and contemporary dance forms, demonstrating the living vitality of cultural expression.
The festival combines performance, scholarship, and community engagement, offering attendees opportunities to witness, study, and immerse themselves in diverse movement traditions. YALLAH™ Arts Festival programming highlights the research, methodology, and aesthetic principles that underpin Suhaila’s approach, promoting cultural insight alongside embodied experience.
👉Host or Sponsor: Institutions and organizations may collaborate to bring the festival to new audiences or support artists through sponsorship opportunities.
The Salimpour Dance Week Immersion
The Salimpour Dance Week Immersion, part of the YALLAH™ platform, is an intensive in-person program designed for dancers at all levels to deepen their practice through the Suhaila Salimpour Method. Participants explore movement, musicality, and embodiment, guided by Suhaila and senior instructors. The immersion integrates Core Dimension™ principles, advancing technical skill, expressive artistry, and a profound connection to cultural context.
Sessions may include technique classes, choreography, and personal development exercises, culminating in community performance and reflection. The program emphasizes both practical movement experience and the scholarly understanding of dance traditions, making it suitable for dancers, educators, and cultural practitioners.
👉Attend: Registration and scheduling information are available for individuals and groups.
YALLAH™ Workshops and Demonstrations (Online & In-Person)
YALLAH™ Workshops and Demonstrations bring dance, music, and performance directly to communities, educational institutions, and public spaces (including social media). Offering both online and in-person formats, these interactive sessions showcase traditional and contemporary practices from the SWANA region and beyond, highlighting the technical, aesthetic, and cultural layers that define each form.
Participants engage with Core Dimension™ methodologies, exploring movement, musicality, and expressive storytelling while gaining insight into the scholarly and cultural context of each practice. These sessions provide a hands-on learning experience, making cultural arts accessible to diverse audiences and supporting research-based principles of YALLAH™ programming.
👉Book a Workshop or Demonstration: Schools, cultural centers, and organizations can schedule sessions for audiences of any size.
2023 Salimpour Dance Immersion five-day program on SWANA dance and culture.
Lectures, Discussions, Podcasts & Interviews (Online & In-Person)
The YALLAH™ Educational Series offers a platform for exploring dance, music, and cultural studies through a variety of formats: research-informed lectures, interactive panel discussions, podcasts, interviews, and live conversations. Available both online and in-person, these programs examine the history, methodology, and cultural significance of SWANA and global movement traditions, bridging academic inquiry with practical performance insights.
Sessions encourage engagement, critical thinking, and dialogue among students, educators, artists, and cultural enthusiasts.
Institutions, universities, or organizations may arrange custom lectures, series, or panel discussions tailored to their communities.
Learning through Short-Form Media
YALLAH™ Social Media and Educational content brings accessible, research-informed dance, movement, and cultural content to a global audience. These short-form videos and multimedia posts are designed to teach technique, musicality, cultural context, and expressive principles in a concise, engaging format.
By providing online audiences with quick, educational insights, these clips support continued learning and encourage exploration of SWANA and global movement traditions. Clips are available across YALLAH™ social media platforms and within the Center’s subscription-based library and may include tutorials, behind-the-scenes demonstrations, artist interviews, and movement highlights.
Follow YALLAH™ on the Salimpour Center’s social media
Relationship to Core Dimension™
YALLAH™ draws on the foundational principles of Core Dimension™, the movement methodology created by Suhaila Salimpour. While YALLAH™ provides a platform for community engagement, performances, workshops, and cultural exploration of SWANA and global movement traditions, Core Dimension™ supplies the somatic framework and movement vocabulary that inform the pedagogy and embodied practice underlying YALLAH™ programs. Together, they reflect the mission of the Salimpour Center for Embodied Dance and Cultural Studies to connect embodied movement, cultural scholarship, and community participation.
Yallah™ is a registered trademark of Suhaila International, representing programs, events, and materials in dance, music, and performance arts. All associated intellectual property is protected under copyright and trademark law. Any use of the Yallah™ name, mark, or materials for commercial, promotional, or public purposes requires prior written authorization from Suhaila International. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
