To dance is to remember, to dance is to remind.
Inspired by the short film Dancing Palestine, this immersive dance workshop will delve into the rich cultural heritage of Palestinian dabke, exploring how this traditional dance form serves as a powerful expression of resistance, resilience, and the preservation of collective memories. Participants will learn the foundations of dabke through a choreography, in homage to Palestinians’ love for life and their ability to dance on.
This workshop is free to attend and includes a complimentary ticket to attend the short film screening Shorts: Body as Archive from 3:30pm at the Showroom Cinema.
This session is open to all audiences aged 18 and above, pre-registration is required.
Facilitator(s):
Zeina Zkeih started performing dabke during her time in university, both in the Middle East and the UK. In 2022, she joined London-based Hawiyya Dance Company, where she performed alongside the renowned Palestinian Dance Troupe El-Funoun in a contemporary dance production titled Curfew. She has also performed in festivals celebrating Palestinian culture, including Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, Shubbak, and PalArt, and alongside artists such as Le Trio Joubran and Dana Salah. As part of her unwavering commitment to Palestinian resistance through dabke, she participated in performances organized by Amnesty International UK and PalArt Collective. Zeina believes in dabke not just as a form of movement, but a powerful narrative of cultural resilience and expression.
Sarah Amawi is a Palestinian-Jordanian-Syrian researcher in Dance Anthropology. She is also a dabke performer and choreographer, with an interest in the discourses of politicization of dabke in the context of exile, and its effect on performers' identities. Her work has been published by Observatoire Patrimoine d’Orient (UNESCO).
Sarah was formerly a member of London-based Hawiyya Dance Company and Jafra Dance Group in Amman, Jordan. She immerses herself in both social and theatrical dabke dancing and has performed alongside established artists including Le Trio Joubran and Dana Salah.
