El-Funoun 1 November 2006
The El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe performs at New York’s prestigious Lincoln Center, 30 November 2005. (Photo: nigelparry.net)
World-renowned Palestinian dance troupe El-Funoun to tour the US
BOSTON
Sunday, November 12, 2006, 8:00 pm
Kresge Auditorium
MIT 77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, Building W16
Tickets: $25, $50, $80, available online
SAN DIEGO
Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 8:00 pm
East County Performing Arts Center
210 East Main Street
El Cajo 92020
619.440.2277
Tickets: $20, $30 $60 for reserved seating; for tickets and more information contact: Elias 858-342-4526, Ibrahim 619-840-1945
CHICAGO
Sunday, November 19, 2006, 7:00 pm
Center for Performing Arts at Governors State Univ.
1 University Parkway
University Park, IL. 60466
Tickets: $25, $50 and $100
DETROIT
Monday & Tuesday, November 20 & 21, 2006, 7:00 pm
Ford Community & Performing Arts Center
15801 Michigan Av.
Dearborn, MI 48126
Tickets: $35, $45-55,
About El-Funoun
El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe was established in 1979 by a small number of enthusiastic, talented and committed artists. Since then, El-Funoun has been throned as the lead Palestinian dance company. In Palestine, as well as among Palestinians in exile, El-Funoun has achieved an unprecedented popular recognition; in fact, quite a few of the Troupe’s songs and dances have become household tunes.
Since its inception, El-Funoun has aimed at expressing the spirit of Arab-Palestinian folklore and contemporary culture through unique combinations of traditional and stylized dance and music. The Troupe’s repertoire comprises folkloric dance forms, called “dabke”, in addition to more elaborate choreographed forms that embody El-Funoun’s own unique vision of Palestinian dance.
El-Funoun is widely recognized as the cultural entity that has played the most significant role in reviving and reinvigorating Palestinian dance and music folklore. This accomplishment is particularly important, since it effectively countered the systematic attempts by the Israeli occupation to suppress the Palestinian national identity through banning or expropriating any forms of Palestinian cultural expression.
El-Funoun is composed of fifty dancers, singers, musicians and support personnel. It is an independent, non-profit organization that is virtually entirely volunteer-based. The members are therefore motivated by the vision of the Troupe more than by any other factor. This not only keeps the Troupe’s administrative cost quite low, but also ensures a strong sense of belonging to and ownership of the group. This resolve, coupled with a driving commitment to artistic excellence and an authentic Palestinian vision have all afforded El-Funoun its current leadership status.
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