Koen Augustijnen & Hildegard De Vuyst & Rosalba Torres Guerrero

In 2007 Les ballets C de la B and KVS joined forces with the Palestinian AM Qattan Foundation to mark out a course. Every summer they gave workshops in Ramallah to aspiring young Palestinian performers. The result is presented to you in a fully-fledged performance. ‘Badke’, a reversal of the word ‘dabke’, is all about survival and the infectious joy of dancing. The dabke is a Palestinian folk dance which is performed at parties and weddings; it is a line dance, rhythmic and exuberant, accompanied by stirring music. ‘Badke’ opts for an entirely contemporary version. The festive surface is penetrated by another reality, like gusts of cold wind blowing through the cracks of a poorly insulated house. Among the performers there is also an imposed solidarity, crippling social control and violence. Ten performers with diverse dance backgrounds – from hip hop through capoeira to circus – express the desire to belong, but at the same time to be part of a world beyond this. Optimism prevails. "We present what nobody expects: Palestinians who can laugh and make you laugh and have fun on stage." An explosion of joy!