Sariyyet Ramallah dance group
One of he few Palestinian dance groups that attempts to
combine folkloric material with contemporary expressionistic movement,the
Sariyyet Ramallah dance group has been performing since 1986 to audiences
all over Palestine and abroad.Consisting of 30 +amateur dancers the group
has managed to present itself as an aspiring artistic experience in performing
arts in Palestine.Its cooperation with professionals in the field of dance,music,
and theatre has helped the group develop a vision of its own in dealing
with folkloric themes in a contemporary style. The Sariyyet Ramallah dance
and music group is a strong upholder of experimentalism in dance and movement
in both content and style,constantly trying to bring together two seemingly
contradictory elements:the traditional and the modern.The evident struggle
between the two in heir performances creates the contemporary identity
of the group.
The group's latest production,Al Birjawi,which premiered
on July 20th in Ramallah,is a clear representation of this struggle for
identity.Al Birjawi tells he clandestine love story between Musallam Al-Birjawi,a
peddler,and Zarqa,'a local girl.This story unveils through Musallam's wanderings
to meet his people's needs.However,in reality,his trip is a quest for experience,knowledge
and identity.The techniques used are that of the storyteller and the expressionistic
dance where the events of he story and the various struggles and conflicts
are expressed in the dances.A fusion of folkloric,religious and contemporary
dance techniques are used to represent the multiplicity of influences in
the story and the contemporary group,a pluralism of existence and expression.A
joint effort between writer Mahmoud Abu Hashhash,composers Said Murad,Omar
Farouk,Munir Bashir,Costume Designer Ghasoub Serhan,Dance Consultant Nicholas
Rowe,Dance Choreographer Khaled Elayyan,and Director
Mohammad Khomais,this production is a landmark in the
contemporary Palestinian performing arts movement.