Omar Mohamad invites you to the Bülbül Club: this is where Dabke and Syrtos come together – with their rhythms, stories and moves. Give it a go, join in, let yourself go: no prior experience is needed, just a desire to move and celebrate together.

Bouboulines Dance Group:

In our course, which was launched in 2022, we provide a safe space for anyone who wants to learn Greek folk dances. Here, we give participants the opportunity to engage with Greek culture and tradition in a progressive way, whilst also offering them the chance to showcase dances from their own or other cultural backgrounds. The focus here is on having fun, building a sense of community and strengthening intercultural understanding.

As well as our rehearsals, we regularly take part in festivals (such as DortBUNT, House of Namus and Ruhr International), run workshops and organise trips and exchanges.

The Bouboulines dance group is a Greek dance group run by the non-profit association Train of Hope Dortmund e.V.

The Bülbül Club was launched in 2024 by tanzhaus nrw and curated by Omar Mohamad. The event invites people to dance together and brings together dances from different cultural contexts across West Asia and North Africa.

Young people in Dortmund set out in search of justice and peace. Where else in Dortmund can one find peace, if not in the square named after it? And what do the characters Cat Noir, Ladybug, Ismene and Antigone have in common?

Inspired by the series *Miraculous*, in which heroes and heroines defend their city against evil, and the story of Antigone, who raises her voice against the questionable laws of the ruler Creon, a performance has been created which will be staged during the FAVORITEN Fest.

Artistic Director: Leonie Ute Maria Adam

Pedagogical Directors: Sabera Khademi and Abdul Khalek Shikh Suliman

A project by the FAVORITEN Festival in collaboration with Train of Hope e.V. and the Quartiersmanagement Nordstadt. ‘Wir sind das Stadtbild’ is funded by the ‘tanz + theater machen stark’ programme of the Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V.

With their lively walking acts, artists from the Physical Theatre Network bring public spaces to life in a wide variety of ways. They interact with visitors and passers-by, engage in dialogue with the architecture, and playfully engage with objects in public spaces.

Physical Theatre is an integral part of the independent performing arts scene in the Ruhr region and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, enriching the scene with dynamic, sensory and political productions, events and festivals.

Your favourite queer solidarity bar is back and, as always, will be serving up delicious Squirts (also known as ‘Spritz’ in the German bar scene) in exchange for a donation!

What’s more, you can look forward to a short performance followed by a discussion on cultural policy, anti-fascism and why Germany is keeping us awake at night.

Because as an association for queer nightlife, as a queer bar, as a place for community and collective resistance against a worsening status quo, we won’t let even German Unity Day stop us from voicing our criticism of this country and its politics. Just as we won’t let anything spoil our fun in celebrating a wonderful party with you, complete with glitter and a bit of a noise!

POMPOM PEOPLE is at once a choreography, a group activity and a small-scale spectacle: an invitation to everyone to join in – no dance experience or prior knowledge required.

Imagine this: Friedensplatz in Dortmund. People are walking from here to there, each on their own, at their own pace, with their own destination. Everything is as usual.

Suddenly, however, over 100 people put on headphones and start to move. They walk, turn, stop, change direction and react to one another. Their movements come together to form formations, patterns and ever-changing collective images.

The astonishing thing is this: what looks from the outside like a rehearsed choreography is created in the moment – by people who, just a few minutes earlier, may never have met before.

POMPOM PEOPLE by TOBOSO in collaboration with Maschinenhaus Essen / Theatre of the Coming Generations

‘Vertigo’ is an innovative performance by the Flyguys, combining elements of parkour, the Chinese pole and aerial straps. Drawing on the natural curiosity inherent in parkour – the creative use of a wide variety of elements and obstacles, exploring movement techniques and integrating them into one’s own style – the Flyguys investigate how the momentum, planes and movement dynamics of these three artistic disciplines can be linked and combined.

Omar Mohamad invites you to the Bülbül Club: this is where Dabke and Syrtos come together – with their rhythms, stories and moves. Give it a go, join in, let yourself go: no prior experience is needed, just a desire to move and celebrate together.

Dance Group Haneen:

The Haneen dance group presents a vibrant expression of Palestinian culture. Its name means ‘longing’ – longing for home. The group was founded in 2022 as part of the association ‘Deutsch-Palästinensische Brücke e.V.’ in Herten; it brings together dancers aged between 4 and 24 and is supported by the association’s leadership, comprising the first chairperson, Talal El Hussein, and the second chairperson, Husni Salameh. Together with artistic director Ramez Mahmoud, Haneen explores the full spectrum of Palestinian experiences – from joy and celebration to grief, loss and the unshakeable hope for a better future.

The Haneen dance group is organised by Deutsch-Palästinensische Brücke e.V.

The Bülbül Club was launched in 2024 by tanzhaus nrw and curated by Omar Mohamad. The event invites people to dance together and brings together dances from different cultural contexts across West Asia and North Africa.

Sparkling fabrics, powerful moves, pulsating beats: Couture on Fire brings the spirit of Sapologie and Coupé Décalé to life on stage. Somewhere between a fashion show and a dance performance, the transnational ensemble Labsa celebrates style, self-determination and aesthetic flow. Extravagant, energetic and full of attitude – a show that showcases identity in flux and celebrates community.

The couture is created in the ensemble’s own workshop. Sewing, gathering, pleating – a long-standing theatrical practice of the ensemble, used to reveal hidden seams in fabrics, objects and society. The designs emerge through a collective process: each creation tells a story of origin, migration and encounter – couture that grows through exchange and carries stories forward.