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Master class and Palestinian dance (dabke) demonstration
September 27, 2025The activity will be taking place on Saturday, September 27, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe headquarters (at Calle Alcalá, 62).
The activity will be taking place on Saturday, September 27, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.
15 euros per person and workshop or master class (session lasting 3 hours).
Registration through ticket sales or the form provided for each activity. Activity for those aged 16 years and up.
In Spanish.
The group Watani and the dabke group at Casa Árabe created during the series of workshops titled “Steps for Palestine” will be giving a training session and a demonstration of traditional Palestinian dance in Madrid on Saturday, September 27. Don’t miss it!
One of the goals sought by holding the series of workshops hosted at Casa Árabe Madrid from May through July, “Steps for Palestine: Dabke from the Diaspora, was to promote cooperation and connect with active groups performing dabke and dancers, in order to share experiences, talk about the importance of the dabke as a symbol of identity and give a practical demonstration to inspire those attending.
In this regard, after the summer break, a series of advanced workshops will be hosted, as well as a master class for dancers led by the dabke group “Watani” (@watani.pal), then ending with the holding of a dabke show by the ensemble in the Casa Árabe garden.
The final meeting is to meant to serve as a space for participation, consolidating the connection between the different efforts and showcasing the varying levels of involvement and professionalism that exist in the practice of dabke.
Known for its lively, rhythmic movements, the dabke is so much more than just a style of choreography. It is a form of expression that connects people to their land, traditions and community. As a traditional dance from the region of the Arab Levant, it has come to symbolize resistance and freedom in Palestine, in a manner similar to the traditional dances used in South Africa to resist apartheid. More than just a form of dance, it has become a symbol of identity, community and resistance.
Structure
Aimed at dancers or people who are new to different types of dance, the workshop will last 3 hours and will be divided into two parts.
The first of them is a master class lasting two hours, in which, alongside the Watani group, a choreography will be rehearsed for the public performance to be held at the end of the program.
After a break, we will be ending with a public show by the group Watani, with the participation of Sara, Khaled, Moha and Myriam, and the Casa Árabe Dabke group, led by Francisco Montero Lahsen, in addition to the people who have taken part in the master class.
The session will end with a participatory finale, in which those attendees who wish to do so will be invited to join in the dance.
Objectives
1. To build ties between dancers and dabke groups in Madrid.
2. To learn traditional Palestinian steps and choreography.
3. To establish links between different forms of cultural expression (between dance and the embroidery that adorns the costumes of traditional dabke dancers).
4. To share the teachings learned in the course.
This program has been given support by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
In this regard, after the summer break, a series of advanced workshops will be hosted, as well as a master class for dancers led by the dabke group “Watani” (@watani.pal), then ending with the holding of a dabke show by the ensemble in the Casa Árabe garden.
The final meeting is to meant to serve as a space for participation, consolidating the connection between the different efforts and showcasing the varying levels of involvement and professionalism that exist in the practice of dabke.
Known for its lively, rhythmic movements, the dabke is so much more than just a style of choreography. It is a form of expression that connects people to their land, traditions and community. As a traditional dance from the region of the Arab Levant, it has come to symbolize resistance and freedom in Palestine, in a manner similar to the traditional dances used in South Africa to resist apartheid. More than just a form of dance, it has become a symbol of identity, community and resistance.
Structure
Aimed at dancers or people who are new to different types of dance, the workshop will last 3 hours and will be divided into two parts.
The first of them is a master class lasting two hours, in which, alongside the Watani group, a choreography will be rehearsed for the public performance to be held at the end of the program.
After a break, we will be ending with a public show by the group Watani, with the participation of Sara, Khaled, Moha and Myriam, and the Casa Árabe Dabke group, led by Francisco Montero Lahsen, in addition to the people who have taken part in the master class.
The session will end with a participatory finale, in which those attendees who wish to do so will be invited to join in the dance.
Objectives
1. To build ties between dancers and dabke groups in Madrid.
2. To learn traditional Palestinian steps and choreography.
3. To establish links between different forms of cultural expression (between dance and the embroidery that adorns the costumes of traditional dabke dancers).
4. To share the teachings learned in the course.
This program has been given support by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
The dabke group Watani.
Saturday, September 20, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Workshop on dabke II.1 (only for students of Steps for Palestine).
Sunday, September 21, 10:30-1:30 p.m.
Workshop on dabke II.2 (only for students of Steps for Palestine).
Saturday, September 27, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Master class with the group Watani – Tickets (15 euros, sold on this website)
Saturday, September 27, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Show presenting dabke - Prior registration absolutely required by filling out this form
Workshop on dabke II.1 (only for students of Steps for Palestine).
Sunday, September 21, 10:30-1:30 p.m.
Workshop on dabke II.2 (only for students of Steps for Palestine).
Saturday, September 27, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Master class with the group Watani – Tickets (15 euros, sold on this website)
Saturday, September 27, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Show presenting dabke - Prior registration absolutely required by filling out this form
Francisco Montero Lahsen
A professor of Philosophy at the Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación and in the Master’s degree in Philosophy at the University of Chile, he is currently pursuing his PhD in Social Anthropology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. His research seeks an understanding of the role of Palestinian dabke (traditional dance) in new forms of politics within the context of the Iberian- American diaspora. A dancer of dabke since 2018, he formed the Popular Dabke School project run by the General Union of Palestinian Students and the Dabke group known as “Muftah” in Santiago, Chile. He currently conducts workshops on the dabke in Andalusia and Madrid.
Watani
The group Watani is a Palestinian folk dance company based in Madrid. It was founded in 2022. Made up of dancers from diverse backgrounds, the group exemplifies solidarity between peoples. Its goal is to bring dance to a wide audience, including both children and adults. It has the purpose of increasing awareness about Palestinian culture and spreading that culture constantly in all possible spaces.
Members who will be taking part in the master class and show on September 27:
Khaled Tirawi, the director, founder, teacher and choreographer of Watani since it was founded in 2022. From 2018 to 2022, he was the director and a dancer at Yabal Alzaitun (Palestinian folk dance group in Argentina). For Khaled, the dabke is not just a dance, but also an expression of resistance, a way of representing his cause and his people, of getting across the voice of a people that has been suffering injustice and occupation for 77 years. Through the dabke they show the reality of the Palestinian people: their love, union and strength. With each step, he feels the connection to his Canaanite ancestors, and with each cry, he draws closer to his people’s desire for freedom and justice. For him, dabke is a form of resistance. And a people that resists can never be defeated.
Sara Adel is a coordinator and teacher at Watani, and has been a dancer since the group was created. She is a historian and a specialist in Arab world studies. The Palestinian cause is something she cannot leave behind: it forms an integral part of her and forces her to resist. Dancing is her way of fighting, defying silence and turning Palestinian culture into a weapon of memory and dignity. As long as there is one Palestinian still standing, the cause will continue to exist, and she dances to remind the world that Palestine will never give up.
Myriam Soler has been a teacher and choreographer at Watani since 2024. From 2007 to 2012, she was a dancer with the Fenicia Middle Eastern Dance Company. From 2017 to the present, she has been a teacher, choreographer and assistant director of the Cristiane Azem Dance Company and Studio. Since 2019, she has also been a trainer in Middle Eastern dance, Arabic rhythm study and musical features at the Al-Firdaus Middle Eastern Dance Association. Dance has formed part of her life since she was just a child. It has always been a very personal and important form of expression for her. She considers herself Palestinian by choice. An activist through dance. A lover of culture and art. Since she first connected with dabke, dancing has become so much more to her: it represents identity, tradition and community. It is a way of keeping alive a culture that others want to erase. When she dances the dabke, she feels pride, unity and an energy that only comes about when many hearts beat to the same rhythm.
Mohammed Abu Zubaida has been a dancer with Watani since 2024. He is 21 years old and comes from Gaza. He recently got to Spain and considering dancing the dabke to be not only a form of dance, but also an act of resistance and a cultural expression of his identity. Through dance, he defends the rights of his people and keeps his bond with Palestine alive.
A professor of Philosophy at the Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación and in the Master’s degree in Philosophy at the University of Chile, he is currently pursuing his PhD in Social Anthropology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. His research seeks an understanding of the role of Palestinian dabke (traditional dance) in new forms of politics within the context of the Iberian- American diaspora. A dancer of dabke since 2018, he formed the Popular Dabke School project run by the General Union of Palestinian Students and the Dabke group known as “Muftah” in Santiago, Chile. He currently conducts workshops on the dabke in Andalusia and Madrid.
Watani
The group Watani is a Palestinian folk dance company based in Madrid. It was founded in 2022. Made up of dancers from diverse backgrounds, the group exemplifies solidarity between peoples. Its goal is to bring dance to a wide audience, including both children and adults. It has the purpose of increasing awareness about Palestinian culture and spreading that culture constantly in all possible spaces.
Members who will be taking part in the master class and show on September 27:
Khaled Tirawi, the director, founder, teacher and choreographer of Watani since it was founded in 2022. From 2018 to 2022, he was the director and a dancer at Yabal Alzaitun (Palestinian folk dance group in Argentina). For Khaled, the dabke is not just a dance, but also an expression of resistance, a way of representing his cause and his people, of getting across the voice of a people that has been suffering injustice and occupation for 77 years. Through the dabke they show the reality of the Palestinian people: their love, union and strength. With each step, he feels the connection to his Canaanite ancestors, and with each cry, he draws closer to his people’s desire for freedom and justice. For him, dabke is a form of resistance. And a people that resists can never be defeated.
Sara Adel is a coordinator and teacher at Watani, and has been a dancer since the group was created. She is a historian and a specialist in Arab world studies. The Palestinian cause is something she cannot leave behind: it forms an integral part of her and forces her to resist. Dancing is her way of fighting, defying silence and turning Palestinian culture into a weapon of memory and dignity. As long as there is one Palestinian still standing, the cause will continue to exist, and she dances to remind the world that Palestine will never give up.
Myriam Soler has been a teacher and choreographer at Watani since 2024. From 2007 to 2012, she was a dancer with the Fenicia Middle Eastern Dance Company. From 2017 to the present, she has been a teacher, choreographer and assistant director of the Cristiane Azem Dance Company and Studio. Since 2019, she has also been a trainer in Middle Eastern dance, Arabic rhythm study and musical features at the Al-Firdaus Middle Eastern Dance Association. Dance has formed part of her life since she was just a child. It has always been a very personal and important form of expression for her. She considers herself Palestinian by choice. An activist through dance. A lover of culture and art. Since she first connected with dabke, dancing has become so much more to her: it represents identity, tradition and community. It is a way of keeping alive a culture that others want to erase. When she dances the dabke, she feels pride, unity and an energy that only comes about when many hearts beat to the same rhythm.
Mohammed Abu Zubaida has been a dancer with Watani since 2024. He is 21 years old and comes from Gaza. He recently got to Spain and considering dancing the dabke to be not only a form of dance, but also an act of resistance and a cultural expression of his identity. Through dance, he defends the rights of his people and keeps his bond with Palestine alive.