On 29 August, Zurich saw the premier opening of the Belgian-Palestinian dance production Badke, an artistic collaboration between Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg [Royal Flemish Theater - KVS] (Brussels), Les Ballets C de la B (Ghent) and the A. M. Qattan Foundation . Badke was also performed at the KVS in Brussels from 13-21 September, and performances will be staged in Holland during the month of November 2013.
Co-produced by Theater Spektakel Zürich and Grand Théâtre Luxemburg, Badke is the output of the eighth round of the Performing Arts Summer School (PASS) run by the A. M. Qattan Foundation from 30 July to 27 August 2012. It was choreographed by Koen Augustijnen, Rosalba Torres (Les Ballets C de la B) and Hildegard De Vuyst (KVS), and is performed by ten Palestinian performers from various genres ranging from the traditional dabke, contemporary dance, hip-hop and capoeira to circus.
The title “Badke” is a play on the word “dabke”, which is a Palestinian folk dance. Badke is a contemporary version of dabke, an extremely vibrant physical expression that exudes solidarity and affirms a sense of belonging. The performers confront this locally rooted dance with elements from worldwide pop (dance) culture. Badke becomes a quest for a dabke that not only conveys the Palestinian desire to ‘belong somewhere’, but also the wish to be part of the world beyond.
Badke is the result of a collaborative working method, whereby material is contributed by the dancers and iteratively created in response to questions and suggestions.
Rehearsals began in August 2012 in the city of Beit Jala in Palestine, and continued in May 2013 in Brussels, where the Palestinian dancers stayed for 2 months. In mid-August, the dance group returned to work on the final touches in preparation for the premier in Zurich.