Palestinian folklore dance marries with modern dance elements to highlight the story of the 51 days of war on Gaza back in 2014.

Project 51 is written and directed by Ahmed Najar, which is conveying a controversial message of media coverage in conflicts and terrorism through traditional dabke, modern dance, creative moves and even anarchic theatre. Dabke is typically inclusive, infectious and widely popular amongst Palestinians and across the region. Project 51 has an added twist to Dabke that turned it into a critical tool of media, Satire and yet thrilling, an eruption of joy and an affirmation of individuality and belonging.

Dabke is an inclusive, infectious and widely popular dance form amongst Palestinians and other people in Middle East. Project 51 has an added twist to dabke that turned it into a critical tool of media and satire at this time.

The dance is thrilling, induces an eruption of joy and is an affirmation of individuality and belonging. So, expect your audio-visual senses to be fully stimulated by the highly energetic performance.

There will be Q & A after the play.

Al Zaytouna

Al Zaytouna is a UK-based Palestinian dance theatre troupe aiming to provide diverse audiences with the opportunity to experience Palestinian culture through performances and workshops of Palestinian folk dance “Dabka”. Al Zaytouna has a distinctive approach, fusing traditional Palestinian folk dance (dabke) with contemporary dance, theatre, poetry, music, and digital media to create inspiring pieces of dance theatre to tell powerful stories about Palestine, often focusing on identity and cultural resistance.

Hava Dabke Troupe /Slovenia Hava Dance Group

This dance troupe has been active for a number of years under the wing of the Oriental Dance Studio Hava, lead by dancer, choreographer and teacher Eva Stramšek. Embracing the culture, tradition and art of Egypt and Levant, it orients towards connecting their traditional form with contemporary dance. In addition to oriental dance in its traditional and modern form, the group also focuses on the Arab folk dance dabke, consisting of a range of synchronised steps, stomps, jumps and kicks in the spirit of Arab-Palestinian folklore and contemporary culture of dance and music. Hava Dabke Troupe creates its own choreographies and performances, paying tribute to the dance heritage and the powerful Palestinian tradition, as well as instilling its own contemporary expression and style into it.

Suitable for all ages
This event is wheelchair accessible.