The Story of Watan Dabkeh Troupe: A Journey Born in Gaza, Now Reaching the World from Cairo (click here for the Arabic version)
In the heart of Gaza—a city under siege, yet overflowing with love—a small dream was born in the heart of a young man named Mujahid Al-Sousi. It wasn’t an institutional project, nor was it supported by any organization. It was simply the heartbeat of someone who believed that Palestine is more than a blockade—and its people deserve to dance on their land instead of counting their losses.
Mujahid Al-Sousi, a young man from Gaza raised amid bombings and loss, never saw dabkeh as “just a dance.” To him, it was a reflection of identity, a form of resistance against despair, and a raw language that speaks when words cannot. What started as a personal hobby soon turned into a national and artistic mission. Dozens of young men and women joined him—and the dream was named: Watan (Homeland).
To Be Palestinian… Is to Dance as Resistance
To be Palestinian is to plant joy in land where hope is bombed daily,
To smile as a form of defiance,
To stomp the earth and shout: “I’m still here.”
Palestinian dabkeh is not just a folk dance for weddings and celebrations—it’s a living memory of the land. Its steps tell the stories of ancestors. Its rhythm awakens longing. With each stomp of the foot, an unspoken sentence is declared: We are not leaving.
The Beginning: Barcelona Park – 2013
In a small park in central Gaza called Barcelona, nine young people aged 15 to 20 gathered for a fully volunteer-led initiative. No funding. No support. Just deep belief that Gaza deserves to be celebrated.
They trained and performed in the streets and alleys of their neighborhoods until December 25, 2013—when the park transformed into a living stage, pulsing with hope and calling for freedom.At a moment when Gaza felt like it was suffocating, they chose to dance.
Because here, dabkeh is an act of life—not just choreography.
Dabkeh in Palestine predates wars and defies borders. It began with farmers stomping the ground after harvest to level the earth. It became a community ritual at weddings and gatherings—and eventually a national symbol performed on stages and borders alike.
Each stomp is a signature of belonging. Each tightly held line of dancers redraws the shape of identity.
In Gaza, and all across Palestine, dabkeh is not just heritage…
It’s resistance set to rhythm.
Expanding to Children and Community – 2015
In summer 2015, the group took on a new experience: performing educational and fun shows for children aged 6 to 8. Later that year, they joined a major event organized by the Culture and Free Thought Association in southern Gaza, where 36 children and youth participated through the YMCA.
The shows felt like pulses of life in childhoods that had learned resistance before learning the alphabet.
Small feet stomped the ground with surprising confidence.
Hands lifted, chasing birds only they could see.
Laughter met the beat of drums. Bright eyes sparkled with pride,
not fully understanding why—but they danced,
because life was still pulsing.
One child took his first shaky step, stumbled, then smiled and kept going.
Each child was writing their story in movement, declaring:
We’re here, and we are growing—despite everything.
In that moment, dabkeh became an alternate alphabet.
The children expressed their dreams, their imagined homelands,
with tiny feet pressing into unbreakable soil.
Rising in Excellence – 2016 to 2017
Despite limited resources and a blockade that never eased, the troupe kept going. In 2016, they partnered with the Women’s Affairs Center in Gaza and trained 102 participants in one year—all without external funding, led solely by Mujahid Al-Sousi’s commitment.
In 2017 came their first official recognition:
First place across all of Gaza, out of 61 groups.
It was a moment of triumph born from sheer will—a small victory born from fierce resilience.
Dabkeh as Therapy – 2017 to 2021
Dabkeh grew beyond art—it became healing.
Watan trained hundreds of children in UNRWA schools (ages 9–14), and in preschools like The European School and Snow White.
In Gaza, dancing isn’t luxury—it’s therapy for weary souls.
Festivals and Growing Dreams – 2017 to 2024
Watan performed in the Palestine International Festival in 2017, 2019, and 2021. In 2019, they also presented a special show for children at Gaza University. By 2024, the troupe had five professional Palestinian dancers and had delivered over 200 performances in a single year, including during Eid al-Adha (July 3, 4, and 5).
Each performance pulsed with the message:
“We’re not just surviving… We’re creating, shining, and bringing joy.”
The Move to Cairo – 2024
On November 13, 2024, the troupe had its biggest milestone yet: performing at the Cairo International Arts Festival with a full team—8 young men and 8 young women.
Their performance was titled: “On My Pledge, On My Faith, My Blood Is Palestinian.”
Cairo danced—and wept.
They also participated in the Culture Exchange Festival, represented by three girls and one boy, standing for Palestine before a global audience.
When they arrived in Cairo, they carried with them the wheat of Gaza, the salt of its sea, the scent of thyme in the morning.
They carried home in their hearts—not in geography.
Professional Studio and Training – 2024
The team rented a studio in downtown Cairo where they train 9 hours a week, divided as follows:
• 1 day for children
• 1 day for the core team
• 1 day for professional dancers
The current troupe includes 28 members (excluding children). Every photo and video you see was created through individual effort—no funding, no sponsorship.
On December 23, 2024, they performed in a major event at the Cairo International Fairgrounds in New Cairo.
The Inspiring Faces: Malak, Mais, and Jude Jundiyeh—Three Sisters in Bloom
• Malak Jundiyeh started dabkeh at age 9. Her first performance was on International Women’s Day 2017.
• Mais Jundiyeh, a former footballer with Al-Mashtal Club in Gaza, joined the Palestinian national team in 2023. A powerhouse on stage, she was displaced three times during the genocide in Gaza.
• Jude Jundiyeh, a young pianist, began dabkeh in 2021 and had her first major show in summer 2023.
These girls are more than dancers.
They are the strings of hope.
Watan: A Homeland Beyond Geography
Watan Dabkeh Troupe is more than a dance group.
It is light in the darkness, laughter among the rubble, a drumbeat that awakens the land’s memory.
It is Mujahid Al-Sousi’s dream, grown into a national and artistic mission.
It is a dabkeh that declares: We are still here.
When laughter rises from an Arab stage—from Palestinian hearts—
and feet strike the ground to the rhythm of dabkeh,
a nation proclaims that occupation has not won.
Because joy… will never be defeated.
Alaa Alburai, Kufi Productions
