Dabke Community Dancing at Gropius Wood
With Medhat Aldaabal and Ali Hasan
As part of the exhibition Zheng Bo: Wanwu Council 萬物社, artist Zheng Bo created a platform in Gropius Wood on which his Ecosensibility Exercises 生態感悟練習 took place. After the end of the exhibition, the Berlin dance company Sasha Waltz & Guests follows his wish to use the place for “human bodies” and invites you to join the Dabke Community Dancing with Medhat Aldaabal and Ali Hasan.
Dabke Community Dancing, Sasha Waltz & Guests © Anna Limantava
- 90 min
Past Dates
For some years now, Medhat Aldaabal (dance) and Ali Hasan (live percussion) have been inviting people to take part in the Dabke Community Dancing in the radialsystem, now taking place open air in the Gropius Wood. The traditional circle dance is very popular in many variations in the Middle East. In Berlin, it combines the enthusiasm of the two Syrian artists with the openness of a cross-generational audience.
“All of the participants were smiling in the end and that was the most beautiful thing. When I see that people are happy, enthusiastic and smiling, then I feel that I am becoming a part of this country, and this country is becoming a part of me.” (Medhat Aldaabal)
Since the beginning of 2016, Sasha Waltz & Guests has been developing and presenting the format “ZUHÖREN – Dritter Raum für Kunst und Politik” as a transdisciplinary platform for artistic strategies on current social issues, such as the fourth edition on the topic of “Climate change and democracy. From complexity to action“ (2019). The Syrian artists Medhat Aldaabal and Ali Hasan have been part of the Berlin ZUHÖREN network since the beginning and have worked here in various formats.
The workshop is open to people of different ages, recommended from the age of 12. Previous knowledge is not required – but enjoyment of movement in a group. We dance outdoors and at distance, contact details are documented on site. 3G is recommended.