Dancing Home explores themes of heritage, belonging, displacement, and resilience through the lens of dance. At the heart of this program is the world premiere of ḥawwāsh by Kareem Roustom. Inspired by the ḥawwāsh, or lead dancer of a traditional dabke dance, this piece allows any musician to lead the ensemble at any given moment, sharing fluid leadership through physical and sonic cues. This program also features Palaver’s arrangement of Bartok’s Romanian Dances, original tunes by Maya French and Jamie Oshima, and Kinan Azmeh’s Syrian Dances, commissioned by Palaver in 2022. Dancing Home celebrates social dance as a meeting place for tradition and innovation, and a vehicle for building resilience, joy, and trust. 

Repertoire: 

Dabke (2013) - Kareem Roustom (b. 1971)

Syrian Folk Dances -  Trad. arr. Kareem Roustom (b. 1971)

I. Oh, the tawny beauty 

III. Blessed are your wedding garments

ḥawwāsh (commissioned by Palaver Strings, 2024) - Kareem Roustom (b. 1971)

Syrian Dances (commissioned by Palaver Strings, 2023) - Kinan Azmeh (b. 1976)

Romanian Folk Dances (1915) - Bela Bartok (1881-1945) arr. Alexander Goodin and Lysander Jaffe

moth (commissioned by Palaver Strings, 2024) - Maya French (b 1993)/Jamie Oshima (b. 1997)

photo by titilayo ayangade