Circus Celebrates Identity
The Palestinian Circus School performed in London on Saturday, using circus and traditional dance to celebrate Palestinian identity.
Footage shows performers presenting circus acts and Dabke to Palestinian music while wearing traditional embroidered clothing.
Director Mohamed is later seen becoming emotional as he describes the production as a celebration of hope despite the hardships facing Palestinians.
“The main aspect is that [Israel] wants to deprive us of the meaning of life, the meaning of hope, the meaning of having fun and joy, playing, and laughing. All these things. If you take them away from us, we will not be human beings. We will not be a society or a culture,” Mohamed said.
“We will have more joy, we will have more dance, we’ll have more fun, we’ll have more play, and we will play with our children. We will keep doing that, and that’s the way we resist,” he added.
Art As Resistance
One of the show’s performers, Layan, described the circus as an avenue for Palestinians to express themselves, and keep the spotlight on the crisis in Gaza.
“I do circus because of this idea. One of my motivations is to change the way people see Palestine. It is not occupation. Again, we are not defined by the occupation. We’re Palestinian, we are human, we have rights. We exist, and we’re here performing, dancing, laughing and everything,” she said.
The performances are part of the Palestinian Circus School’s UK tour, which continues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in partnership with Medical Aid for Palestinians.
The production, Step and a Half, combines contemporary circus with traditional Palestinian Dabke to celebrate Palestinian heritage.
Keeping Culture Alive
The Palestinian Circus School is a non-profit organisation based in Birzeit in the occupied West Bank.
Founded in 2006, it uses circus arts to provide marginalised young Palestinians with creative opportunities and psychosocial support.
It comes as Palestinians continue to face one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. UN agencies say most of Gaza’s population remains displaced, essential infrastructure has been devastated, and humanitarian needs remain immense despite ongoing aid efforts.
Article by Viory
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