This Thursday evening sees a very special screening to raise funds for humanitarian aid in Gaza, supported by Dublin Dance Festival and Project Arts Centre.
In 2017, Catherine Young brought her company to Palestine to present her work Welcoming the Stranger in collaboration with Sareyyet Ramallah Dance Company as part of the Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival. That pivotal trip changed everything for her – in particular, her relationship with her art.
She returned in 2019 with filmmaker Luca Truffarelli intending on capturing footage to be used in a stage production. Fearing the show might never get made due to the lockdown in 2020, Catherine wanted to find a way to share this life-changing experience, and the overwhelming sense of warmth, generosity and kindness of the people despite the brutal conditions within which they live. Putting the body and movement at the heart of things, Catherine and Luca crafted this documentary from the footage.
Floating on a Dead Sea places us in the footsteps of ordinary Palestinians, giving us the chance to witness their sense of enduring injustice, listen more deeply to those whose voices are not being heard, and feel their urgency and need for action.
Thursday night’s event features an introduction by Catherine Young in a short discussion with DDF’s Artistic Director Jazmin Chiodi and Palestinian dance artist and choreographer Amir Sabra before the screening.
All funds raised will be donated to Camps Breakerz and Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund.
Floating on a Dead Sea was originally funded by the Arts Council & Kerry County Council with support from Dublin Dance Festival.
Project Arts Centre, Dublin | Thursday 25 April 7:30pm Tickets available here.
Photo credit: Alaa Aliabdallah Regash
