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because we need something positive,” he says. “To jump to another level. Because when we practise it’s the same thing, the same guys, the same levels, the same moves. We need new people, we need new faces, we need psychological support from breakdancers who will come to visit us. We need that push up. That’s why we’re trying to organise a tour for our team in Europe this summer. If we do this it will be amazing. We will come back to Gaza and we’ll be fresh and have clean minds.” “If there were no siege we would be travelling and learning a lot
about dancing,” adds Mohammed, who is known as B-boy Funk. “We would be performing all year, around the world, but we can’t travel and get out of Gaza.” Limited to local shows, without access to other crews, and with
no meaningful interaction with the outside world, the crew is an is- land of hope. “Our minds think of life – surviving, money, then danc- ing,” says Mohammed. “We do not put dancing first in Gaza because we need life to dance. We fight and struggle finding life to dance.” For some that has meant leaving Gaza, Mohammed amongst
them. He is dancing, studying and teaching in the US, while another member – Belal Abu Shaweesh – has moved to Norway with his fam- ily to find a better life. Both still represent Camps Breakerz. “There is not enough
held two breakdancing competitions and they regularly tour Gaza spreading a message of peace. Energetic, fun-loving and doing the best they can in the situation in which they find themselves, their moves utilise momentum, speed, endurance, strength and control. Their individual stances and poses are frequently defiant, while their stage shows incorporate messages of resistance. Out in the camps, they freeze and power move in narrow alleyways, their skills emu- lated by young kids and teenagers. “Our situation forces people to fight back and resist the occupa-
tion,” says Mohammed. “Hip hop and breakdancing is the best way to express those feelings because it decreases the side-effects of oc- cupation and siege.” Isolation, however, comes with a price. The group is self-taught,
with Mohammed first discovering breakdance through B-boy videos on MTV. Everything the crew performs has been learnt from the in- ternet, with spins, stabs, flares and top-rocking performed well, but only interaction with the outside world will enable them to improve. Ahmed in particular is frustrated, with the ability to master more complex moves currently beyond their reach. “We have been trying to bring over breakdancers from the US
“We do not put dancing first in Gaza because we need life to dance. We fight and struggle finding life to dance”
food in Gaza for dancers to eat well and gain enough energy,” says Moham- med. “There are no jobs, so we have to take care of our students by receiving donations every now and then so we can cover their needs as dancers. We be- lieve people need peace and human rights in Gaza and that dancing is the way. We teach our students how to live in peace and to respect others’ rights and religions.” Theirs is a basic ex- istence. All the trappings
usually associated with breakdance and hip hop culture simply do not exist. Sound systems, decent venues, DJs, beatboxers and the urban clothing worn by breakdancers worldwide are conspicuous by their absence. This is breakdancing stripped to its bare essentials. Videos of them online show the crew performing on pieces of card- board stuck together with masking tape amidst the rubble of their former dance centre home. Others are minimalist and amateur in production but their skills as breakdancers are evident. “Whoever you are and whatever you believe in, we are on the
same line as you,” says Mohammed. “We are people who want to have options to live as equally as you do. We are just humans, but we love living in Gaza and fighting to make changes.”
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