Palestinian dance group keeps folk art alive
El-Funoun is a dance troupe whose performances underscore the importance of Palestinian folk art while combining cultural authenticity and modernity — with the idea that art is a part of the revolutionary and popular movement against the occupation.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Under the name El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe, Mohammad Yaacoub and friends Mohammed Atta and Wassim al-Kurdi embarked on a journey of interpreting Palestinian folk songs accompanied by dance and dabke (Levantine Arab folk dance) shows with the objective of preserving Palestinian heritage and folklore.
El-Funoun, whose members have volunteered their work since its inception and continue to do so, was the first troupe for mixed folk arts in the West Bank after the 1967 occupation. It has performed nearly 1,000 shows locally, regionally and internationally, and produced 15 performances that combine cultural authenticity and modernity.
![Ordinary Madness Dance Performance by Sareyyet Ramallah – First Ramallah Group (FRG), at the National Theatre - Jerusalem (Photography by: Nabil Darwish [ndproductions::digital imaging::] Copyright © 2013)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/04/ordinary-madness070312-lr-10.jpg/ordinary-madness070312-lr-10.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=W39068V2)
