Palestinians and Swedes
rock out as Dandanat begins
Dandanat, a 3-day music, dance and art festival featuring Palestinian and
Swedish artists, kicked off on Thursday August 4, 2005, with “White Night in
Bethlehem,” an evening of international pop and rock music.
White Night in Bethlehem
Pop, and rock music.
MC’s Nicola Zreineh and Svante Zettergren led the evening’s entertainment, with
the kind of comedic chemistry which one usually expects of a pair who have been
working together for years.
Swedish group Stonecake started off the evening. Lead singer Tommy "Stommen"
Andersson and bassist Per "Måggan" Mårtensson are two skinny hipster Swedes with
a great sense of fun and confidence and a set of fast, happy, danceable rock
songs, driven by the ‘60s/surfer-rock influenced beats of drummer Marcus "Bongobrain"
Källström. Included in the set was a “protest song” inspired by the movie Rambo,
decrying the militarization of democratic nations and the sacrificing of the
young for political goals, a theme which resonates with many in these times of
conflict and political strife. The chorus of the song is a sardonic “God rest
your soul, dear Jimmy (Rambo in the last verse), the nation’s on your side.”
Singer/songwriter Miriam Svensson was a delight, with her clear, bright voice
and well-matched piano melodies. Her set only consisted of 3 songs, but she also
included a protest song in her set, titled “Mr. President,” which starts off,
“are you going to start a war today, just because you could…” It seems the
simultaneous seriousness and ridiculousness of the politico-military situation
of the world today has generated some very expressive art, in places as removed
from the immediate conflicts as Sweden.
Next up were Palestinian rock group, Khalas, who were everything the audience
had hoped for and more. The lady next to me turned and said, “Palestinian rock
music? This is going to be hilarious!” but for sure, it was serious rock with
heavy guitars and the kind of rock-n-roll posturing one can only muster when
wearing leather pants. Which they were. With plenty of stomping, strutting, and
posing, the band delivered a proper rock performance complete with an acoustic
guitar-based power ballad.
Kalas Rock Group
A slightly out-of-place but still
enjoyable dance interlude followed Khalas, featuring modern dancers Anna
Eriksson and Elin Österlund performing to rock music.
Rounding up the night were Swedish rockers Mainstreet, who, aided by their
fantastic energy and mighty Viscount D9 electronic organ, delivered what was
probably my favourite act of the night. Kudos to lead singer/guitarist Jonas
Sandwall for finishing a song with two broken guitar strings, and continuing the
set with a little help from his friends in Khalas, in the form of a loaned
electric guitar. Way to work together, lads. I wish I could say more about them,
but I was too busy dancing and smiling to write anything down.
Altogether, over 200 people attended the show, and hopefully tonight’s
outstanding performance will get people even more excited for tomorrow night’s
show, “Blue Sky in Bethlehem.”
Tonight was Jacoub Albert Sleibi’s first ever rock concert. He and his friends
really enjoyed tonight, but they are especially looking forward to tomorrow
night’s R&B and hip hop based show, which will feature Palestinian acts DAM and
Tamer Naffer.
Artist’s Perspective…
I was talking with the guys from Mainstreet after the show about their
experiences here. Previous to tonight’s show, they had played gigs in Jerusalem
and the Golan Heights, where they stayed with Druze families.
They came here through the Bilda group, who had called several groups in Sweden
and asked them if they wanted to be a part of the Dandanat festival. The group’s
members had had an interest in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict before Bilda
contacted them, so they were interested not only in the opportunity to tour
outside Sweden, but also to see for themselves what the situation is like in
Israel/Palestine. They say they have learned a lot since being here, since all
they know in Sweden is what they see in the media, which they say is more
balanced than either mainstream European news or US news.
There have been a lot of surprises. “It’s been a big wow,” seeing the Wall and
the refugee camps, they said. “Seeing how people live and how things actually
are, it’s incredible. But everyone here is so friendly, we’ve really enjoyed
getting to know people.”
Blue Sky in Bethlehem
Dance, hip hop, rap theme
MindKAOS opened Friday night’s show with a real hip hop vibe, running around the
stage, bobbing with the beat, and exuding attitude. This duo is so fun to watch,
they really got the crowd working with them, and they even brought some young
Palestinian kids up on stage to breakdance and show off. Folks were throwing
shapes in the front rows, really getting into the beat.
Swedish singer/songwriter Gila Storm was up next, with a voice edgy like Ani
DiFranco and piano stylings reminiscent of Tori Amos. Even though her set was
short, she showed the wide range of her abilities, including some jazz and scat
singing on her final tune, “The Ugly Song,” which was not even close to ugly in
performance.
Dance troupe El-Funoun Palestinian Dancecontinued the show with a trilogy of
modern dance pieces and one traditional one. They combined traditional elements
with modern dance techniques and staging, the first piece featuring shadow
dancers behind a backlit screen, with marvellous effect. Their second piece,
featuring two dancers, one male and one female, and a table, seemed to represent
the struggles (sometimes playful, sometimes not) between two sides, maybe men
and women, or maybe Israelis and Palestinians. Technically and artistically,
this troupe gets excellent marks and was definitely a crowd favourite.
Next up were JAM 7, a group of four Swedish street dancers – “street dancing” in
this case being a kind of dance routine to a montage of songs, with hip hop and
theatrical styling. It looks much cooler than I make it sound – these four hot
Swedish girls totally owned the stage, with energy, attitude, and music that
ranged from “Groove is in the Heart” to “Rapper’s Delight.”
Continuing the dance trend, Sirriyet Ramallah performed 2 traditional dance
pieces featuring scenes from daily life, and one modern one titled “At the
Checkpoint.” The interplay between the dancers was very enjoyable, and the
emotion in “At the Checkpoint” was palpable. The humiliation experienced at the
checkpoints, the feeling of being trapped, and the frustration of waiting and
waiting to be let through were well expressed.
Finishing up Saturday night were the act that so many people I had talked to
were waiting for – an authentic Palestinian rap group with skill and attitude to
spare, the 3 MC’s of DAM. Like an Arabic version of the Beastie Boys, rapping
about what they know, to people who know what they’re talking about, the crowd
could relate to the lyrics and were enthusiastic participants in the
call-and-response shouting back and forth from the stage. With big beats, big
voices, and big stage presence, DAM gave a top-drawer performance to their fans
in Bethlehem.
Saturday Night…. Festival Heights
Saturday evening’s crowd was a bit more subdued (“festival fatigue,” I think
they call it), but the quality of the acts was top-notch. Over the previous 3
days, the musicians and artists gathered in workshop groups to brainstorm and
develop new ideas and collaborations to perform for the final evening.
Mainstreet’s Jonas Sandwall could have passed for Sting or David Bowie, standing
in the spotlight and fronting a band featuring the members of his own band, plus
percussionists from the El-Mehad group, and backup vocalists Miriam Svensson and
Gila Storm. This all-star lineup performed tracks from Mainstreet’s eponymous
album, with great results. Percussion equals power.
Next up was a rock/funk supergroup featuring members from Stonecake, Khalas, and
DAM, followed by an Eminem-style, acoustic guitar-backed rap performed by
members of Khalas and DAM.
A dance set featuring members of JAM 7, El-Funoun Palestinian Dance, and Sabreen
Musicians –Ikaat blended Arabic traditional dance with hip hop street dancing,
and then Sabril, with their homemade percussion instruments (water-cooler jugs,
big blue barrels, and strategically arranged pieces of wood), jammed out while
dance troupe El-Funoun Palestinian Dance provided visual interpretation. Anna
Eriksson and Elin Österlund danced to a song performed by Mainstreet, Stonecake,
Sabril, Miriam, and Gila; then, JAM 7 backed up MindKAOS for a rap number.
To round up the night, DAM and MindKAOS headed up a rap/hip hop number with
guitar by Khalas, Miriam and Gila on backup vocals, and everyone else jamming
out on percussion instruments or dancing like crazy. It was the perfect end to a
4-day-long session of artists getting to know each other and sharing their music
and art, and I think everyone in the crowd would be with the MCs in hoping that
this festival becomes an annual event!
Written by: Faith Rowold
Volunteer at the International Center of Bethlehem