Shoruq Debka and Hip-hop

Thursday, March 30, 2017 7:30PM

Engleman Hall, C112, Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent St, New Haven

Click/tap to purchase tickets: General admission – $15, Student admission – $5

Click/tap to purchase tickets: General admission – $15, Student admission – $5

Shoruq’s Debka touring dancing troupe are girls and boys ages 13-16, from the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem. Participants are trained in dance techniques that allow them to express their thoughts, opinions and national identity.

“I developed my personality through taking part in Shoruq’s activities. I became more open to the society and got introduced to new ways of life. Shoruq opened the door for me to take part in the several activities they establish such as Dabka, hip hop. Shoruq is my second home and my family trusts them because they fulfill our needs.” –Sireen, 15

“Debka is our heritage. I send my message to the world and resist through debka. I’ve met many good people and we’ve become like a family.” – Tamer, 16

“We at MECA hope that through their dancing, the children of Dheisheh will inspire those living in the U.S. to survive and fight for their rights. We hope Shoruq’s stories, dance, and music of resistance will inspire people in the U.S. to unleash their own creativity, to struggle together for build strong communities and a better world. We hope that Shoruq, which means “sunrise”, will help light the way.” – Zeiad Abbas Shamrouch, MECA Program Manager

Shoruq’s hip hop group is specialized for girls. There are currently 9 girls in the group. The girls write about their feelings and experiences as refugees and as girls to share them with the world.

“We write all our songs together. We want to learn and tell about children all over the world. We have a song about the dreams of children in refugee camps, another about children with special needs, and one about child soldiers that we are working on right now.” – Sophie, 13