Dance Freedom / El-Funoun Dance Troupe
Since its inception, El-Funoun has aimed at expressing the spirit of Arab-Palestinian folklore and contemporary culture through unique combinations of traditional and stylized dance and music. The Troupe’s repertoire comprises folkloric dance forms, called “dabke”, in addition to more elaborate choreographed forms that embody El-Funoun’s own unique vision of Palestinian dance.
Production
El-Funoun is composed of one hundred and twenty dancers, singers, musicians and support personnel. It is an independent, non-profit organization that is virtually entirely volunteer-based.
Expériences
In Palestine, the Troupe holds an impressive track record of over one thousand performances since 1979, including its very well attended performances in Palestine International Festivals of 1992 through 1999, 2005,2007 through 2010. Moreover, El-Funoun has participated in the following:
US Tour (15 cities) in 1986 - US Tour (20 cities) in 1991 - Jerash International Festival, Jordan in 1994
Jerusalem Festival, United Arab Emirates in 1995 - Raatvick International Folklore Festival, Sweden in 1996
Babylon International Festival, Iraq in 1996 - Expo 98 Lisbon in Portugal 98 - US Tour (5 cities) in 1999
France Tour (5 festivals) in 1999 - Egyptian Opera House, Cairo in 1999 - Lebanon Tour (5 performances) in 2000
Expo 2000 Hannover in Germany in 2000 - United Arab Emirates in 2001 - Egyptian Opera House, Cairo in 2003
Rabat Festival, Morocco in 2004 - Rhythm Diversity, Malta in 2004 - Corpi Sensibili Festival, Italy in 2005
Busra International Festival, Syria in 2005 - Bahrain International Music Festival, Bahrain in 2005
US Tour (3 cities) in 2005 - US Tour (4 cities) in 2006 - UK, London in 2007 - Austria, St. Pölten in 2007
Germany, Berlin in 2008 - Holland, Vlaardingen in 2008 - Syria, Damascus in 2008 - The 15th Al Qurain Cultural Festival, Kuwait in 2008 - Bahrain Spring of Culture, Bahrain 2009 - Hakaya Festival, Amman 2009
Egypt (Alexandria, Cairo) 2009 - Morocco (Rabat, Casablanca) 2010 - China, Expo Shanghai 2010 - Qatar 2010