Launching Popular Dabke Training Initiatives Worldwide

In line with the expanding global interest in the Palestinian tangible and intangible heritage, Palestinian narrative that establishes the existence of Palestinians in Palestine for centuries, keeping the Palestinian cause and the story of its people alive under these Unjust circumstances, and in harmony with this effective Arab and global variable related to the political events taking place in Palestine since the 7^th  of October 2023,the Troupe has been working in a deliberate, slow and far-reaching manner to innovate and organize various initiatives that contribute to the definition of Palestinian culture and art in its diverse fields, with focus on folklore arts.  The work also focuses on instilling a permanent artistic presence of the troupe with its methodology, values and goals in Palestine and abroad. To achieve this goal, the troupe directed its human resources, including trainers and dancers, towards dabke training programs for Palestinian dancers, and for dance and dabke groups in Arab and foreign countries alike.  In this regard, several training and performance initiatives have been coordinated for this year, including:

1. Workshops in the United States of America

The troupe organized a series of dabke workshops that began in October 2024. These workshops are for adults and children, artists, and interested members of the general public in the United States, whether Americans or Arabs-and Palestinians who live in the States. The cities where the workshops are planned to be conducted are New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Los Angeles. The workshops are held in several theaters and various performance and Art centers.

** A special page (Friends of El-Funoun) has been created on Instagram for promoting the workshops and on-line registration.

2. Inauguration of Al-Balad School for Dabke Arts in partnership with Al-Balad Theater in Amman, Jordan
   
   

The El-Funoun Popular Troupe, in partnership with Al-Balad Theater in Amman, announced the establishment of a dabke school in Jordan to be managed by the Al-Balad Theater administratively, while the artistic supervision is under El-Funoun Troupe. Work on mentioned school began on September 17, 2024. Trainers were selected from those who went through the last training of trainers’ workshop to teach dabke where the training sessions began with two groups, one for children and another for adults.