Ahmad Joudeh’s phenomenal path is the subject of a new Documentary “The Dancer”, which premiere’s at San Francisco Dance Film Festival on November 8th.

Born in a refugee camp in Syria, Joudeh literally risked his life to study dance in secret and eventually became a dancer with Dutch National Ballet. He’s now a member of Golden State Ballet in California alongside being an international activist for refugee rights and the arts. Joudeh’s path is truly miraculous and a reminder that with dance (and the internet) all things are possible.

Below are a few excerpts from the conversation. Watch and listen to the full interview above.

Cynthia: In your situation, because of your experiences, your work is inherently political. Even if you’re doing Sleeping Beauty or The Nutcracker or whatever—it becomes a statement.

Ahmad: Yes.

Cynthia: For artists in general, even if they don’t have that kind of background, what do you think their role is in times of conflict or collective difficulty?

Ahmad: We fight for culture and art because culture and art are very important. I always say that artists have the same duty as soldiers—we fight for culture, for art, and for our countries. Because a country without culture and art is a country not worth fighting for. I think that explains what I do and what I wish every artist would do. We are the window—people look through us as artists. Our platforms are not only ours; we represent a lot more than we think.

I was born in a refugee camp for stateless refugees in Syria. My father is a musician and artist—he taught me, my brother, and my sister music. Singing was my part. At the end of each school year, the best performances from different schools were chosen for a big celebration in the city center of Damascus. From our camp, they selected our school’s performance, and they liked our song.

Then the next performance was from the girls’ school—they did a small piece from Swan Lake. There were about six little girls dancing, and I was fascinated. It was the first time I heard classical music, and when I saw how they moved with it, I thought: why am I playing music with an instrument when they’re playing music with their bodies? So I started moving like them. I thought ballet was only for girls, so I practiced secretly in my room until my mom found out.

My mother’s uncles are from Palmyra, and when we visited them, I used to watch the dervishes—their rituals with the drums and whirling. I was fascinated, but I thought it was something purely religious. Later, I realized I was drawn to that same sense of movement. When my grandmother saw my Eurovision performance years later, she said, “When you were a little kid, you used to do that with the sheets—so what’s new about it?”

I was sixteen when I joined Enana Dance Theatre in Syria. The company’s training was based on the Vaganova method, taught by our ballet master Albina Belova from Russia. So yes, I was trained in the Vaganova method in Damascus—which surprises people. They say, “Really? You had a ballet company in Syria?” And I say, “Yes, we had an opera house and an amazing ballet company.”

Cynthia: What’s going on with the dance company and the dancers in Syria now? Are they still able to work or train?

Ahmad: Yes. The Opera House is still there, and we still have the Higher Institute for Theatrical Arts. It has several departments — it’s kind of like our version of Juilliard. But right now, people there are very scared. They don’t know what’s allowed and what’s not allowed.

In Syria, there are many different religions — some that people outside the region may never have heard of — and for a long time, we all lived together peacefully. But now, things are becoming more extreme, and that’s very concerning.

Personally, I can’t go visit my family, even though technically Syria is “free” now. But the dancers there are still training. I try to support them however I can. Sometimes the teachers call me to ask about specific movements — for example, how to teach the flic-flac or other ballet steps — and of course, I explain everything.

When I studied at the Dutch National Ballet Academy I wrote all my notes in Arabic because I wanted to create a resource — something like a ballet manual in Arabic — so that dancers and teachers there could read it and really understand the technique.

FULL INTERVIEW ABOVE (VIDEO & AUDIO)

AHMAD JOUDEH WEBSITE

Ahmad Joudeh

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Ahmad Joudeh in front of the ancient theater in Palmyra

PSA: Thanks so much for your patience while we get organized for the live talks and interviews. There were a couple of delays but we are getting ready to restart!

NEW YORK CITY BALLET NEGOTIATIONS SET TO RESTART NOV 11. Stay tuned for more updates and a deeper dive on what’s really going on.

MORE SOON!

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