When and how did you set up your own dance company?
I founded the company in 2012 when I was just 17 years old. At that time, there was nothing for people in East Jerusalem Palestinians like me who wanted to dance. My school became my biggest supporter; they gave me space to organize classes and hold rehearsals.
The company was open to everyone. It became a place where people could express themselves freely. From the very beginning, I wanted to create a form of contemporary dance that wasn’t simply a copy of Western contemporary dance. I wanted work that spoke about Palestine and Palestinians, dance that reflected who we are yet could still be understood and appreciated internationally. I wanted our art to connect with people outside of where I live, while remaining deeply familiar to those at home.
The company has never been only a Dabke troupe or strictly a contemporary dance company. It’s a fusion of everything Flamenco, Ballet, Contemporary, Egyptian, Armenian, Jazz, African dance, and more. Our style blends all these forms, with Palestine at its core.
Do you produce the choreography as well as teach?
Teaching is important to me because it allows me to pass dance on to younger generations. I’ll admit i haven’t always enjoyed teaching but I see its value, especially when I’m able to offer opportunities to children in need.
In Palestine, you have to do everything yourself; you can’t afford to be a specialist because this field is still developing. I choreograph, teach, organize, and perform. But at heart, I am a choreographer that’s where my real passion lies.
What I love most is creating productions, sharing them with an audience, and then hearing their questions and thoughts afterward. Those conversations are incredibly rewarding.
What key themes are contained within your work?
Every production has its own theme
“Desert Dream” explored the idea of transforming a barren desert symbolic of the difficult realities of the Arab world into a thriving, living space. We spoke about poverty, violence, humanity, women’s empowerment, equality, identity, and the importance of a shared cultural identity.
“Salal” emerged from my frustration while teaching children in 2018. A student once asked my name and immediately wanted to know whether I was Muslim or Christian as if my identity would determine how he should treat me.
The poster for the performance of Salal – Hanna Tams Facebook page
This production looked at how ancient Jerusalem brought cultures together Armenian, Coptic, Gypsy, African, and other communities coexisting and how today those same identities, religions, and ethnicities are used to divide people.
We drew inspiration from the mythology of Lilith, the woman who came before Eve. We portrayed Jerusalem and Lilith as both deeply desired yet abandoned, with no one coming to save them. It was a wake-up call: We must save Jerusalem ourselves. Unity is the only way to resist.
“Hope” used the image of an abandoned Palestinian village destroyed in 1948. We revitalized it on stage, combining photographs with live dance to show its history and imagine its possible future.
“A Story of a Tree”, created during COVID and amid the Gaza ethnic cleansing, told the story of a Palestinian woman who lived through every era of modern history the 1936 revolt, the Nakba, the Naksa, the First and Second Intifadas up until 2023. We performed it in old Palestinian houses, archiving Palestine’s story through the eyes of a woman and tracing how Dabke evolved through each period, with its gestures and movements reflecting history itself.
If you would like to see more of Hanna Tams’ work go to the links below
