Palestinian artists trapped in Gaza to get Irish ‘avatars’ in Culture Night show

Irish dancers will stand in as avatars for Palestinian artists stranded in Gaza as part of Culture Night.
Dancing with Strangers: From Palestine to Ireland will involve four dancers: Maryam, Khaled, Agour and Just. Their surnames have not been revealed for security reasons.
Dancing with Strangers at the Wood Quay Amphitheatre is hosting Seisiún Palaistíneach which also features a concert blending Irish and Palestinian traditional music, featuring artists including Dr Abdullah Al Bayyari and members of the Irish Trad music group Faró. There will also be opportunities to learn the Dabkeh, the traditional dance of Palestine.
The Palestinian artists have been remote working with Dublin-based dancer and tutor Rita Marcalo, director of dance company Instant Dissidence, to create dance duets. Members of the Irish dance community will act as “body avatars” for the Palestinian dancers’ role in their respective duets.
Maryam said the dance would be a “sparkle of hope and a goal for every person interested in liberating his country”.
She added: “I was looking for creative ideas to serve the cause, so my colleague proposed this idea to me through her communication with one of the active artists in Ireland. The idea attracted me, and we talked about the details of this project with the rest of the team, and I wanted to have a role in making my voice heard in order to serve the cause.
“There are many forms of resistance, including resistance through art, where art is one of the types of powerful messages that reaches all people and conveys the legitimate demand for us in liberation, and legitimate resistance to occupation and the right for us to live like the people of the whole world.”
Khaled said: “When people experience this suffering, even in a small way, through the body avatars in Ireland, they will show solidarity more because it will affect them [in their bodies] and they will not forget the person whose dance they danced, and whose voice they heard. So this project is important to me and I hope we can do it in all countries in the world.”
[ Creating ‘diverse, open and welcoming platform’ a key aim for Culture Night 2024Opens in new window ]
From 9pm on Friday, a new initiative called City Sounds, supported by Dublin City Council, will highlight Ireland’s growing soundsystem culture, transforming a number of Dublin’s streets into outdoor dance floors.
A Brazilian edition of City Sounds will see Central Plaza on Dame Street transform into a “Brazilian paradise” with introductory classes in Brazilian forró dance, along with performances by Dublin’s renowned samba group 353 Samba Club, celebrated for their electrifying rhythms and engaging stage presence.
At Wood Quay Amphitheatre, a unique Culture Night event will honour Mongolian culture, featuring traditional Mongolian throat singing, dance, and music that is distinctive to Mongolia. Additionally, a bilingual cabaret show will showcase the Irish language.
There will be more than 300 events in Dublin for Culture Night and 1,000 in total across the country.