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AL-ARZ FOUNDER

In 1976, Mr. Yazbek left his native country and his own dance company at the peak of his career as one of Lebanon's top dancers and choreographers. After brief visits to France and Egypt where he produced and performed his own productions, Mr. Yazbek made a brief stopover in Montreal before settling in Ottawa. With 4 trunks filled with hand-made costumes, original music scores, scripts and a reel-to-reel machine, he was prepared to make the best of his short stay in a land of many nations.

He searched for representatives of Ottawa's Lebanese community and was soon introduced to members of what used to be the Lebanese Club. A week later 15 founding members of the Al-Arz Lebanese Art Group had been recruited. With much excitement and anticipation, Ottawa saw its first full-length Lebanese theatre production come to life. A cast of 15 actors, singers and dancers, staged the Rahbani Brothers' Natourat Al-Mafateeh (The Guardian of Keys) that was presented in Glebe Collegiate's 1,200-seat theatre in September of 1976. A legacy was born...

As the father of Canada's leading Lebanese performing arts organization, Mr. Yazbek's passion for the stage and attachment to his heritage have made him a pioneer of Lebanese artistic expression within a kaleidoscope of cultures. His extensive knowledge and experience in the arts have allowed him to transcend the boundaries of Lebanese traditions and transform the face of Lebanese performing arts in Canada.

With over 25 years of social dance, jazz and dabké teaching experience, Tony Yazbek's innate creativity and profound appreciation of movement have given birth to original works enjoyed by millions across the country and abroad. His list of achievements includes nine multidisciplinary stage productions, 19 full-length musicals and operettas, and over 100 choreographies performed in Canadian cities such as Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Banff, Brockville, Kingston,Toronto, Hamilton, Leamington, Windsor, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Lachine, Baie Comeau, Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, St. John, Dieppe, Halifax, and Charlottetown. American cities and distant countries include Sackets Harbour, Boston, Detroit, Massachusetts, Mexico, Lebanon and Brazil.

In addition to his enviable artistic career, Mr.Yazbek has also enjoyed many administrative successes. He was the Founder and Program Director of the Lebanese and Arabic Radio Programs that aired weekly between 1978 and 1984; Founder of the Lebanese Variety Program that has aired monthly on Rogers Television since 1979; Founder and Director of St-Charbel's Church choir from 1979 to 1985 and Founder and Director of the Al-Arz Lebanese Language School that welcomed more than 500 students between 1980 and 1990. Mr. Yazbek was also President of the Ottawa Folk Arts Council from 1984 to 1990, Director of the Homelands/Les Patries multicultural festival from 1981 to 1992, Chairman of the Programming Committee of the Ontario Folk Arts Council from 1985 to 1989 and Co-Chair of the City of Ottawa's Leadership Committee from 1997 to 1999. He is Co-Founder and Co-Director of Carnival of Cultures - Ottawa's international festival of cultures, and Founder of Lebanorama B Ottawa's festival of Lebanese performing arts and artists.