How Do You Translate Arabic into Dance?

Leila Awadallah is an emerging Palestinian-American dancer and choreographer based in the Twin Cities. Her work merges dance with social justice and Arabic studies to address the occupation of Palestine. Through collecting and arranging fragments of movement, sound and film, she explores the tension and beauty of embodying both Palestinian and American identities. She is a performer, teacher and cultural activist with Ananya Dance Theatre and has been a company member for 5 years. This space nurtures and guides her in the art of intersecting dance and social justice. She is also a co-creator of the dance trio Kelvin Wailey. Her work in film received a SAGE Award, while her choreography has been presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and at the BIPOD Dance Festival in Beirut, Lebanon.

Leila Awadallah was part of the March 2018 event Art Is…Awakening curated by Hend Al-Mansour.

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