Syria Today | Around Town

Swan Lake

Belarusian ballet in all its splendur

Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece Swan Lake was brought to life on April 15 and 16 in the Dar al-Assad Opera House with a dazzling performance by the Belarusian Bolshoi ballet group. The beautiful story of a prince’s undying love for a girl who is bewitched by an evil spirit and must live as a swan by day never ceases to lose its magic, but the Bolshoi ballet group’s stunning rendition lived up to all expectations and more. With barely a seat in the house left empty, director Valentin Yelizarief’s genius choreography and the ballet dancers’ breathtaking performances were received with rapturous applause. Since its first international performance in Hungary in 1974, the Belarusian Bolshoi group has earned a reputation as one of the most outstanding ballet companies of our time.

Folkwang Studio

A sparkling array of colours and moods

German dancer and choreographer, Henrietta Horn, brought the house down with three outstanding shows performed by the Folkwang Dance Studio (FTS) in the Dar al-Assad Opera House. Filled with suspense, tension and irony, Solo, Auftaucher and Artichoke took the audience on a fantastic journey, leaving them free to interpret pieces. The Folkwang Dance Studio is an international company, which currently employs 10 dancers from different cultural backgrounds. Since 1999, Horn has been the co-director of the FTS which has toured Egypt, East and Central Europe, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Indonesia and Korea.

Safwan Dahoul

The king of contemporary art

Safwan Dahoul’s exhibition at the Ayyam Gallery attracted hundreds of art lovers from all over the country. The dominant use of earthy shades in his paintings reflects a belief that emotion need not be portrayed through colours. Known for his original expressionist style and experimentations with cubism, Dahoul is one of Syria’s most celebrated contemporary artists. His unique vision has been received with great critical acclaim, leading his works to sell in Christie’s and Sotheby’s international auction houses. Even under the spotlight as one of the most talented painters on the Syrian art scene, Dahoul still names his paintings ‘Dream’, a title he has used since he first picked up a paint brush and a theme he refuses to let go of. As he writes in the introduction to his book: “I still paint because I dream of becoming an artist, it is just destiny!”

Giving Something Back

Words Ahmed Salkini

Uniting hundreds of Syrian expatriates in the US, the Syrian charity BASMA hosted a night of traditional Syrian culture and music in Washington DC to raise money for children with cancer.

In one of the largest gatherings of any Syrian community abroad, Syrian-American expatriates, congressmen and ambassadors came together on April 17 at the BASMA Gala Charity Dinner to raise money for children with cancer in Syria.

“What better time to have such an event than to have it coincide with our National Independence Day,“ Dr Rafif al-Sayed Moustapha, the gala’s chairman, said.

In the spirit of giving back to Syria and its most needy citizens, close to 650 Syrian expatriates gathered at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington DC for an evening of musical entertainment and the chance to catch up with old friends from the past. “It’s a great feeling to give back to our homeland and see friends I haven’t seen in a very long time – all in one night,” Jihad Salkini, one of the gala’s major sponsors, said.

Prior to the dinner, paintings by several of Syria’s most prominent artists were put on display and a silent auction was held with hotel breaks and airline tickets on sale. Donors to the auction included Damascus’ Ayyam Gallery, Qatar Airways and Cham Palace Hotel.

Mayya Assaad, the chairperson of Basma, Dr. Sameer Khlief, a prominent oncologist, and Dr. Naim Farhat, the chairman of the Syrian American Medical Society, gave speeches, before the popular Syrian band Hewar and their acclaimed lead singer Kinan Al-Azmeh performed before an enthusiastic audience. The evening ended with dancing to traditional maqamat music performed by Aleppan singer Safwan Al-Abed and his band.

“It was a great event for a great cause, enhanced by what Syria is all about as seen through its art and music,” Loren Jenkins, the managing editor at National Public Radio (NPR), said.
Whether it was the satisfaction of helping “put a smile back on a child’s face” – the BASMA’s motto – giving back to the homeland or simply reuniting with old friends, the BASMA Gala Charity Dinner was a night to remember.

“This is unprecedented in the history of the Syrian-American community,” Nicola Antakli, a gala sponsor, commented. “They made us proud to be Syrian tonight!”