Stereo 48: The Palestinian Hip-Hop Crew Driving Change Through Dance
Stereo 48 are a Palestinian dance and performance crew who are encouraging freedom of expression wherever they go. Founded in 2013 by four friends living in the West Bank, Stereo 48 built there career from the streets of Nablus, leading hip hop classes in refugee camps and encouraging more young people living in Palestinian to express their voice through dance. Over the course of five years, Stereo 48 has blossomed into a 9 member Contemporary Hip Hop Dance Company, flying to Canada, Europe and areas of the Middle East to work with a multitude of festivals and theatres, all interconnecting different tribes of talent. Alongside touring productions, the founding members hold a huge importance on delivering workshops to an array of marginalised communities both on their home turf and further afield, building confidence and hope through the act of dance. I talked with the Co-founder of Stereo 48, Abdallah Damra, about the company's desire to inspire change and why this is so important within the context of their own lives.
““It was a shock for people to see us dance, they were boxed into an idea that what we were doing was wrong. Today, there is less resistance.””
Based in Nablus, a city in the North of Palestine, Stereo 48’s founders were part of the original wave of young men learning hip hop and going against the grain of what was expected of them within their conservative homes. As Damra tells me, “Dancing was something you saw in Egyptian movies, connected to women belly dancing rather than men. It was a shock for people to see us dance, they were boxed into an idea that what we were doing was wrong.” As time passed, people became more accepting of the male dance troupes Stereo 48 was encouraging. “Slowly with the effects of social media and talent programmes presented on Arab TV, it became more popular and usual for people to perform. Today there's less obvious resistance.”
Accompanying this gradual change was an evolution in Stereo 48 identity, to establish themselves as a company with more financial autonomy; “We wanted to create a new dance team with a new vision and a new way of working. Prior to us, there were the dance groups who performed on the streets and then there were international initiatives who ran projects in Palestinian institutes but they would keep so much of the funding money. We wanted to change this, and we wanted to include more young boys and men.” With Israeli politics and governing rules making movement of travel increasingly restrictive for anyone living within the West Bank, this avenue of work has provided these dancers a chance to visit new countries and pursue their own paths. ”We started to work with companies abroad and little by little our style and direction formed. In 2015 we changed from Street Hip Hop to Contemporary Hip Hop; this was an amazing turning point inspired by working with Belgium Dance Company 'Les Ballets C de la B". We saw this new way of moving and thought why not produce our own dance pieces and tell the stories that we want to tell.”
““Many artists are investing in their professional careers by performing in theatres, but I think we should show people who don’t have access how they can engage with art””
The opportunity to move between countries and continents gave Stereo 48 freedom to interconnect with global experiences of people living as refugees, whilst continually spreading their message of liberation and expression through dance. “As the founders of Stereo 48, we are all Refugees. So when we go to camps, our story is easy to relate to and be believed in because we are all similar. We show them that Refugees can make something of their lives.” A strong memory for Damra was when he helped facilitate a workshop for Syrian Refugees at a school in Germany. “A year later we heard from one of the Headmasters that we had a huge impact on the Syrian Refugees and how they could now say ‘We are human, we should be appreciated and be part of this community.’ It was very emotional and it was from this point that I realised this is why I should dance, invest my time and work in this field. Even when there are difficulties.” Asking Damra more about the challenges they have faced as a company leads our conversation to discussing the origin of Hip Hop, “Hip Hop started in the 70s and 80s by Black people who were, and still are, having racism issues; needing to express themselves through dance is very relevant to the way we live now.
““As Palestinians we are experiencing racism from the lsraeli soldiers everyday. It is what pushes us to continue what we are doing.””
Feeling these restrictions is a continual drive for the team to work on spreading more messages through the safety net of the stage. It is with their bodies and their vision that Stereo 48 plays an active role in facilitating change, conscious of how “many artists are investing in their professional careers by performing in theatres, but I think we should show people who don't have access how they can engage with art.” Stereo 48’s resilience has been tested in a number of ways including more conservative members of the Palestinian community threatening to burn down rehearsal spaces due to the level of noise “We are from this society; my family is still conservative, we know what's not acceptable because we are living inside of it, but we believe in the change. Before, they never accepted us as male dancers, and now they come to our performances. So it will happen, but it takes time”
““There are thousands of kids who do not have freedom of speech. But in dance, you can say and talk freely. It’s an emotional expression.””
The oppressive restrictions put on women prevents many female dancers from being involved in Stereo 48’s classes and performances. Damra tells me a story about a friend who was performing in a University show in Nablus, “Her performance was stopped by the Ambassador of the University because he said she wasn't wearing appropriate clothes; this event was meant to be about supporting women!” Stereo 48 uses their productions to confront these limitations, and encourage conversations around women's rights, religion, and political themes. “We talk about the relationship between men and women, how the social life is pressuring the female and putting her in the corner, not letting her do what she wants or needs to do”. By doing this, Stereo 48 hopes to drive change through creativity, “There are thousands of kids who are limited by the government, the culture, the habits, the traditions; they do not have freedom of speech and they cannot do whatever they want. But in dance, you can say and talk freely. It's an emotional expression. Even if it's physical, it goes out emotionally. We have felt the positive impact of this and it’s what inspires the programme”.
The opportunities Stereo 48 provides for youngsters to express themselves, both at home and abroad, is not to be undervalued, and it is with a continual sense of responsibility that the team drive this change forward. When asking about the future of Stereo 48, Damra confirms “We want to have our own company, established physically in Palestine or abroad, with the hope to reach more kids and more artists; encouraging people to invest their work into society. For me it's not about the location but about the activities themselves, the productions, the workshops, making sure the ideas will always be delivered to the audience.” Acting as a daily reminder that creative expression can help grow empathy and communication between ever changing communities, we look forward to seeing Stereo 48’s ever strengthening programme of workshops and productions evolve.
Follow Stereo48 on Instagram here.
Interview and words: Bethany Burgoyne
