Last week we traveled about thirty minutes from our office to witness the first day of Fellow Seham Ibrahim’s dance program, sponsored by Nike’s program focusing on sports for Gender Equality.
It was marked by elbows banging and bodies crashing into each other as children learned to spin around and move to the music blaring out of the speakers in the hall. Fellow Seham Ibrahim worked with Nike to bring a professional hip-hop dancer to Helwan from London, England to train street children in the fluid movements of hip-hop. This dance style, one that does not enjoy a wide-spread base in the Middle East, will allow children of both genders to express themselves in a non-violent way while also giving them something to do, something to practice and something that will provide an escape from difficult circumstances. As we walked out of the hall following the lunch break, we could hear the music starting up again with the children and the instructor counting the beat of the music, “5-6-7-8.”
Good job and congratulations to Seham Ibrahim and Nike on their successful dance program for the children!
