Badke(remix), a geopolitical problem child
When we decided, sometime in December 2023, to remake Badke with Palestinians at the helm, we could never have imagined that this war would still be raging today. At the time, this seemed utterly unthinkable. The decision was made in a pub in Ghent, with Koen Augustijnen, Amir Sabra, and myself around the table. Amir had come over from Ireland for a dabke workshop, invited by laGeste. After his workshop, the three of us watched a recording of Badke, the performance that had brought us together ten years earlier. Amir as one of the dancers; Koen and I as co-creators (Rosalba Torres, also co-creator, was not present in Ghent).
In the context of Israel’s relentless punitive campaign in Gaza, the performance took on a new and pressing urgency. Could we remake it? With whom? How? From the very beginning, it was clear that neither Koen, Rosalba, nor I could play a significant role in this remake. If there was to be a new version in these circumstances, it had to be in Palestinian hands. laGeste could take on the production.
Amir was raised in Askar, a refugee camp near Nablus, the second-largest city in the West Bank. He and his peers, Aboud, Hamza, and others, learned dabke at weddings. A man named Abu Musleh inspired them to start experimenting with hip-hop moves as well. When we were looking for replacements for the original Badke cast in 2015 (which included Abu Musleh), this crew of young twenty-somethings stepped forward. Amir performed his first Badke show in New York in 2016, and afterward, he vomited backstage from nerves and exhaustion.Later, he and his campmates founded Stereo48 and Amir went on to study dance in Ireland.
July 2024. I set off with a heavy heart. I’m afraid of what I’ll find in the West Bank. Will I even make it to Ramallah?
Stereo48 is organizing the auditions, linked to a summer camp for dancers. Around forty dancers show up at the Ramallah Cultural Palace, the only stage large enough to host that many people. The mood is jubilant. There hasn’t been any dancing or celebrating for months; dancers haven’t seen each other in ages cause every trip is dangerous due to settler violence. Three days after I return, Ismail Haniyeh is assassinated in Tehran. Brussels Airlines suspends its flights to Tel Aviv.
Ata Khatab was part of the creation of Badke, but during the third performance he had to leave the stage with a torn meniscus. Ata is a living embodiment of the dabke tradition. His father co-founded the renowned dance company El Funoun, with which Ata remains closely involved as both a teacher and choreographer. During the COVID period (2021–22), Ata was arrested and disappeared for 14 months in an Israeli prison. For no reason whatsoever. Simply to ensure that no alternative emerges to the current problematic Palestinian leadership. It was Amir’s explicit wish to recreate the performance with Ata.
Ata and Amir knew each other but had never worked together before. You wouldn't have guessed that during the audition weekend — it seemed as if they were perfectly in sync. They were a dream team for Badke(remix): the memory of the original creation combined with the experience of the tour. They selected 12 dancers for an initial rehearsal period. The boys are from the West Bank, the girls are mostly Israeli passport holders. After all, 20% of all Israelis are Palestinians, descendants of families who were not displaced in '48. Badke(remix) forms a connection between groups of Palestinians who are deliberately kept apart: Jerusalem, Israel, the West Bank. No one from Gaza — they can’t cover the 80 km to attend the audition in Ramallah.
The first three weeks of rehearsals were planned to take place in the West Bank. By autumn 2024, it became clear that the situation there was visibly deteriorating. We switched to Plan B: rehearsals in Studio LaGeste in Ghent from March 1 to 21, 2025. That meant applying for work permits and visas. Welcome to a bureaucratic nightmare ! Amir was waiting for a new Irish residence card. In the meantime, he can’t leave the country, as he would be denied re-entry if he tried to return. After months of waiting, the residence card finally arrives the day before his scheduled departure. And then he still must pick up his visa in Dublin. He arrives in Belgium three days late.
Ata’s visa is denied, with the explanation that he is not a renowned artist. But we didn’t apply on that basis. We applied based on a short-term work permit. After much back-and-forth with the Consulate in Jerusalem, Ata receives a Belgian visa for the exact work period. He arrives in Ghent one week after rehearsals have begun.
Also not budgeted at the start: accommodation in Ghent, which has become unaffordable since COVID. We reached out to our audience and volunteers: does anyone have an extra room for a Palestinian dancer? Dozens of host families came forward, allowing us even to be selective. Later, we made a similar call in Brussels for the final rehearsals at KVS. Thanks to all the host families for their generous gesture.
The final part of rehearsals was scheduled to begin on May 19. Most Airlines started avoiding Tel Aviv airport after a rocket from the Houthis landed nearby. This meant a massive reshuffling of flights. By now, we had the visa situation under control, we felt confident. Then, suddenly and without warning, came a devastating blow: Ata was barred from traveling. He received a travel ban from the Israeli government, a consequence of his imprisonment that he no longer expected. We wrote letters to COGAT* and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot; our partners KVS and VIERNULVIER did their part as well. But when even the strongest condemnations from human rights organizations and UN resolutions leave this Israel unmoved, what power could our letters have? Ata did not come, despite his Schengen visa and work permit, because Israel controls and monitors every entry and exit point in the West Bank. Amir went on alone, supported by his friends from Stereo48 and all the dancers. And with the mental and digital support of Ata.
That we made the premiere in these circumstances is a minor miracle. But we are under no illusions. This is far from over. With Palestinians, it is never over.
Hildegard De Vuyst, artistic director laGeste
*Coordination of Goverment Activities in the Territories