All begins with a blackout, with the sound of voices moving, feet stomping the ground. An energetic round appears in full light before being interrupted by a power failure. Curfew time? The piece resumes, performed with ten Palestinian dancers, swayed by the irresistible music by Naser Al-Faris, taking the audience along.
Badke, anagram for Dabke, a traditional dance in the fertile Crescent, is like an explosion exalting the future that the performers are expecting, confronting the tradition to their wish to be full-fledged citizens of the world. Yet, every time they try to escape, this round brings them back to their encircled present.
« Yes, they’re dancing, but the point, really, is how they refuse to give in. » Gia Kourlas - New York Times