Palestinian dance as a form of resistance: ‘My dance is a political statement’

In 2013 the renowned Belgian dance company Les Ballets C de la B, led by Alain Platel — and together with the choreographers Hildegard De Vuyst, Koen Augustijnen and Rosalba Torres Guerrero — premiered Badke, a piece performed by Palestinian dancers based on the dabke, a traditional Levantine Arab folk dance. Twelve years later, under the name Badke (remix), the piece has been revisited and choreographed by Amir Sabra and Ata Khatab, who danced in the original production. The choreography, which takes on new meaning in light of Israel’s massacre in Gaza, is the closing act of the 10 Sentidos Festival in the Spanish city of Valencia on Tuesday, May 26. Imprisoned for 11 months by Israel between 2021 and 2022, Khatab was not granted permission to travel to Spain and remains in Ramallah.

The dabke, whose presence is growing in Western dance schools and on social media as a platform for protest, is a traditional dance in which the feet—striking the ground forcefully—take center stage. In this new choreography, that traditional style coexists with contemporary dance, breakdance and capoeira.

“As a Palestinian creator and dancer, my dance is a political statement because the dabke is part of our cultural identity,” Khatab says by video call to EL PAÍS. “Choreographing Badke (remix) with Amir [Sabra] is a way of teaching it. It is not a manifesto, but it is a dance of resistance and a portrait of a country marked by genocide. At the same time, it seeks to show the beauty of a people.”

His collaborator Sabra joins the video call from Ireland, where he lives. “It is very hard that Ata cannot travel with us,” he laments. “Logistics are complicated, but at the same time it is very special to bring 10 Palestinian dancers together on one stage, in one place, and to share our reality with the world from there. Having this voice is truly important for us.”

Alain Platel, who led the first version of Badke, is one of the most significant choreographers in international contemporary dance. He is a free and committed creator whose work engages with the stage and with life. His productions at the now-defunct Les Ballets C de la B, a collective that has transformed into the dance platform La Geste, give a voice to clear positions on issues of our time. Works such as VSPRS (2006), Pitié! (2008), Out Of Context – for Pina (2010) and C(h)oeurs (2011) reflect a humanist and socially engaged concern that positions dance as an art form that also takes a stand.

“I attended rehearsals of the new version of Badke and I quickly understood that it is not only a powerful and beautiful dance performance, but also a unique and important (political) statement, given what is happening in the occupied territories. A clear display of resilience and hope!” Platel himself tells this newspaper, speaking from Ghent.

Platel noted that it was in 2000 when he began traveling to the “occupied territories,” invited by IETM (International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts), to enable collaboration with Palestinian dancers and choreographers sidelined by history. Since then, his public support for Palestine and his condemnation of Israel’s massacres have become increasingly visible on and off the stage.

Since 2005 he has been a member of the international BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement, which exerts cultural, economic and political pressure on Israel and its allies to enforce international law. He has also banned his works, in any format, from being shown in Israel; since 1999 neither he nor his creations have set foot in the country. “When our documentary Why We Fight? (2021) was selected for the Tel Aviv Film Festival a few years ago, we prohibited its screening. At the same time, we continue dialogue and collaboration with Jewish artists in Ghent,” says Platel, who co-directed the film.

Meritxell Barberá, co-director of the 10 Sentidos Festival, says the event sees “art as a social transformational force and a generator of critical thinking, and we do not see how creators and citizens could remain publicly uncommitted in the face of this and other massacres.” Barberá says they hope audiences will attend with a dual awareness: “that they are witnessing a formidable artistic and protest performance, and that they are being confronted with what Palestine endures.”

That artistic and social awareness runs through Platel’s entire discourse. Asked whether he is concerned about being placed on blacklists, Platel replies: “I have been censored and canceled. I have been humiliated and received many threats (one of them a death threat). This has never stopped me from remaining committed to this issue, and I have always defended the importance of a global cultural boycott. I am very glad that Jewish organizations have also joined our struggle.”

The choreographer denounces the hypocrisy with which many denunciations are often made. “It’s shameful! The world of dance and culture in general proclaims its (political) commitment with great fanfare, with grandiose words in luxury magazines, but in the end reacts with cowardice when it must make firm decisions. A clear, worldwide cultural boycott—and acting accordingly—is the least we could do. But we in the industry are so clever that they invent countless excuses not to do it.”

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