In Pictures

Palestine dances to an international beat

The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival drew criticism for failing to connect with Palestinian daily realities.

1 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival drew an audience of Palestinians and non-Palestinians, including many representatives of foreign consulates and NGOs. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

Dabke, the traditional Arabic dance form, has long been viewed as a king of cultural resistance in Palestine, through its reaffirmation of identity and its ability to tell stories of Palestinian life and struggle. Lesser known in Palestine is the art of contemporary dance, and for the past decade, the Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival has been working to address this.

Organised annually by Sareyyet Ramallah, the festival attracts a range of international dance companies. This year’s event, which ran during the latter half of April, featured a variety of performances and workshops in Ramallah and Jerusalem.

Despite a roster of renowned international performers, audience numbers were lower than anticipated, and at most events a relatively high percentage of those in attendance were non-Palestinians. One visiting European performer described the festival to Al Jazeera as “a bit like a festival for ‘internationals’ in Palestine”.

2 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — Malta's first national dance troupe, ZinMalta Dance Ensemble, headlined the opening night show. Over the 10 years the festival has been running, 1,169 dancers from 37 countries have participated. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

3 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — The al-Kasaba Theatre in Ramallah was among the main festival venues. Throughout the festival, a high percentage of audience members were non-Palestinians based in Palestine. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

4 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — One of the festival's highlights was a stunning performance by Belgium's Kabinet-K dance company. Kabinet-K's show explored childhood struggles and featured dancers whose ages ranged from young children to a 65-year-old. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

5 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — The festival faced some criticism on Palestinian streets when official brochures were published mainly in English rather than Arabic, a move viewed by some as an appeal for non-Palestinian audiences. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

6 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — The French Kubilai Khan Investigations dance company was invited to the festival after performances in southeast Asia. According to Sara Tan, who performed for the company during the festival: 'Palestinians are the most hospitable and kindest people I have met anywhere, although performing for [largely] 'international' audiences has been a bit disappointing'. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

7 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — Canada's Interlope dance company took their performance to the streets of Ramallah, grabbing the attention of many people who did not attend the festival's formal shows. Interlope's performance explored issues of freedom and oppression, and included Palestinian graffiti artists. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

8 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — Children as young as four were invited onstage to participate in the work of Norwegian dancers Ostwald/Uvaas. The show was designed as an interactive audio-visual presentation. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

10 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — Previous festivals have included shows in various Palestinian cities, but due to a lack of funding this year, only Ramallah and Jerusalem were included. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

9 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — Guiomar Campos of the Colectivo Lisarco dance company from Spain takes a short break from rehearsals. The group's show in Jerusalem was cancelled when a national strike was declared by Palestinians across the city following the killing of a 17-year-old by Israeli forces. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

11 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — Mozambican dancer Idio Chichara, pictured at right, believes his work has relevance to life in Palestine. 'The company artistically is a place for exchange between cultures and people. We explore relationships between people and the need to support the people around you,' Chichara said. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

12 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — Sareyyet Ramallah prepared for the closing night show with rehearsals at the Ramallah Cultural Palace. Although this was the 10th year of the festival, audience numbers were lower than in previous years, with a reported drop in the number of Palestinian attendees. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

13 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — Palestinian children aged between 12 and 17 participated in the 'Dance is a Weapon' workshop with French choreographer Christine Fricker, in which participants were invited to choreograph their own movements, based on their experiences of childhood in Palestine. 'The children are so committed and unified,' Fricker said. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

14 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — The festival faced criticism from some Palestinians who perceived its focus to be largely international, with a lack of connection to Palestinian daily realities. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]

15 The 10th Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival / DO NOT USE / RESTRICTED — The well-attended closing night performance at the Ramallah Cultural Palace featured the Sareyyet Ramallah Dance Company. Following the last minute withdrawal of a Tunisian dance company, Sareyyet was the only Arabic dance company featured in the main theatre-based performances. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]