MUSHROOM PEOPLE

Published In Beirut, Jana Al Obeidyine Co-founded A Dance Mag With Ibrahim Nehme, Formerly Of The Outpost. Each Issue Is Themed, The First One Focusing On ‘Transcendence’, In Reference To Sufi Whirling Dervishes, Who Become Like One Continuous Form, Oscillating In Unison In A Sort-of Meditative Trance.There Are Features On Spirals, Record Collecting, And How Ketamine And Techno Helped One Writer Understand Derrida, Among Many Other Pieces. “To Say ‘Dance Is Life’ May Sound A Bit Kitsch, But To Me It’s True. When People Dance, They Display Who They Are, Where They Come From, And What They Believe” Says Jana. “Dance Reflects A Cultural Context; Many Political Events, Such As National Days, Election Days, Even Protests, Include Music And Dance. It Affirms And Enacts Political Statements, It Creates A Sense Of Solidarity. But Dance Is Also A Space Where Norms Can Be Challenged And Subverted. Some Of Today’s Established Dance Forms Were Initially Born As A Reaction To Social And Economic Restrictions, An Intuitively Smart Move That Channels Anger, Sorrow And Frustration Into A Non-violent Act.”