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UID:34611@arabamerica.com
DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250824T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250824T143000
DTSTAMP:20250617T175856Z
URL:https://www.arabamerica.com/events/special-dabke-workshop-with-el-funo
 un-august-24-2025-vienna-virginia/
SUMMARY:Special Dabke Workshop with El Funoun August 24\, 2025 - Vienna\, V
 irginia
DESCRIPTION:VIENNA\, VA\n\nThe American Palestinian Women's Association (AP
 WA) is thrilled to announce a partnership with El-Funoun Dabkeh troop this
  summer. Coming all the way from Ramallah-Palestine to Virginia\, APWA and
  El-Funoun will be hosting one day workshop in August to speak about the P
 alestinian folk dance\, songs\, and do a teach-in. Join the APWA trainers 
 Rasha Abdel Latif and Fuad Saleh\, along with El-Funoun trainers Noora Bak
 er and Samer Karajah for this experience.\n\nAbout Dabkeh classes\n\nRasha
  and Fuad are leading the Dabkeh teaching to the Arab American community s
 ince summer of 2023. Through APWA\, they were able to create a community w
 ith different age groups not only to dance together but share a communal h
 eartbeat together. Dabkeh reflects the powerful social and cultural practi
 ces that fosters community bond\, sustain the Arab collective identity\, a
 nd create a supportive and resilient community reaffirming the message of 
 right to exist and belonging while being miles away from home.\n\nINFO ABO
 UT EL-FUNOUN\n\nWidely considered the lead Palestinian dance company in Pa
 lestine and the diaspora\, El-Funoun was established in 1979 by a small gr
 oup of enthusiastic\, creative and committed artists. The Troupe has devel
 oped an innovative style of dance deeply-rooted in Palestinian and Arab fo
 lklore and informed by elements of contemporary dance movement. The Troupe
 ’s repertoire includes 16 major dance productions and over 1\,500 perfor
 mances throughout historic Palestine\, regionally\, and internationally. I
 n Palestine\, El-Funoun has developed a school for contemporary Palestinia
 n dance\, training hundreds annually. It has carried out dabke workshops
  throughout the West Bank\, in the Arab world and internationally.\n\nSust
 ained almost entirely by volunteers for decades\, El-Funoun is a non-profi
 t dance company with close to 300 members. El-Funoun’s mission is to rev
 ive and innovate Palestinian music\, song and dance. Recognizing culture a
 s a tool of and for resistance\, El-Funoun challenges the complicity of in
 ternational aid agencies in the oppression of Palestinians by refusing pol
 itically conditioned funding from agencies that have failed to call for a 
 ceasefire. The dance company is working toward becoming fully self-suffici
 ent by raising funds through its dance productions and workshops.\n\nMEET 
 THE EL-FUNOUN INSTRUCTORS\n\nNoora Baker\n\nNoora Baker is a director\, ch
 oreographer\, and trainer and has been a member of El-Funoun since 1987\, 
 when she joined its youth troupe\, Barem. Noora is currently El-Funoun’s
  head of production\, choreographing and directing various projects\, and 
 she co-directed its most recent production\, Asheera. She is also an inter
 national performer and maker\, and has worked collaboratively with artists
  such as Yoshiko Chuma and André Gingras.\n\nNoora is a co-founder and me
 mber of CACTUS performance art collective and has worked on several projec
 ts regionally and internationally. She is a lecturer in the College of Art
 s\, Music and Design at Birzeit University. She received an MA in performa
 nce making from Goldsmiths University of London and a BA in business admin
 istration from Birzeit University.\n\nSamer Karajah\n\nSamer Karajah start
 ed his dance career with the Handala Dabke Troupe in the village of Saf
 fa before becoming a member of El-Funoun in 2010. Samer is one of the pri
 ncipal dancers\, instructors and choreographers in the Troupe. He has co-c
 horeographed El-Funoun’s The Rooster\, Asheera\, and its upcoming produ
 ction Zaff. He has also conducted a number of dabke workshops in Palest
 ine and internationally.\n\nSamer holds a BA in Business Administration fr
 om Birzeit University in Palestine. In addition to his work with El-Funoun
 \, he is a co-owner of a restaurant\, an entrepreneur\, and a farmer. He i
 s inspired as an artist by developing dance informed by natural movements 
 found in everyday life.\n\nhttps://www.el-funoun.org/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.arabamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2
 025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-17-at-2.00.11-PM.png
LOCATION:Shouse Village Community Center\, 1432 Towlston Road\, Vienna\, Vi
 rginia \, 22182\, United States
GEO:38.946146;-77.26736
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=1432 Towlston Road\, Vienna
 \, Virginia \, 22182\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Shouse Vil
 lage Community Center:geo:38.946146,-77.26736
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