Syrian War Refugee Who Defied ISIS With Dance Performs in NYC

HELL’S KITCHEN, MANHATTAN, NEW YORK -

Ahmad Joudeh, 29, a dancer and Syrian War refugee, defied ISIS by dancing on the streets of his war-torn hometown and Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk in Syria during the Syrian War. The terrorists threatened Joudeh and his family if Joudeh continued to dance. In one instance, the extremists threatened Joudeh by shooting bullets around him on the street. But, Joudeh continued to dance in public and on the rooftop of his home as an act of protest against the extremists. The Syrian War claimed five of Joudeh’s relatives and a bomb destroyed his house.

On Nov. 25 at Prime Produce in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, Joudeh performed an 8-minute performance called “Sacrifice,” a combination of contemporary and Sufi dance, to a crowd of nearly 30 guests and friends. The show was just hours before “Dance or Die” a documentary about his life won an International Emmy at the award ceremony in New York City. Now as a refugee living in the Netherlands, Joudeh travels the world to spread a message of peace through dance, to raise awareness of the plight of the Syrian people in the ongoing Syrian War and to honor refugee artists worldwide.

Joudeh was born and raised in Yarmouk where at 16 as a self-taught dancer, he auditioned and joined the main Syrian ballet company, Enana Dance Theater, in Damascus. Five years later in 2011, the Syrian War began and ISIS entered his hometown. At this time, in addition to protesting the terrorists by dancing, he got a tattoo that says “Dance or Die” on the back of his neck – the spot where he would be beheaded if the terrorists captured him.

He found a second life in Holland after a Dutch journalist, Roozbeh Kaboly, made “Dance or Die” filming Joudeh and his mother in Syria in 2016. Later that year, the Dutch National Ballet saw the film and brought Joudeh to live and dance in the Netherlands where he now lives as a refugee.

Non-profit United Voices 4 Peace Incorporated worked with the New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs and the office of US Senator for NY, Kirsten Gillibrand, to get Joudeh’s application for a US visa and travel ban waiver so that he could visit NY for his performance and International Emmy awards ceremony.

Camera: Nikon D90. Nikon 18-55 mm zoom lens. Nikon 70-300 mm telephoto zoom lens.

For more photos, please visit: jiminkim.org