Throughout each semester, PAS organizes a series of workshops to provide students with hands-on experience in many Palestinian cultural arts. These workshops allow students to take their knowledge one step further as an active participant in performance and craft.
Dabkah
Students are offered the opportunity to learn the traditional dance of Palestine. If language is culture in motion, then Dabkah is culture embodied. Learning the many steps and dances of Dabkah transports you back through time within an art form that has been developed over centuries.
Embroidery
This tradition has its roots in the creation of traditional costumes used in ceremonies and performances. Throughout Palestine, any traveler will find beautiful examples of hand-embroidered art, including jewelry, wallhangings and clothing.
Cooking
Students have the opportunity to explore the Palestinian culture through learning how to create its native dishes. Once you have tried maqluba, you will want to know the recipe. We believe that through cooking, students not only find a gateway into the culture, they get to take it with them and share it with their home communities.
Calligraphy
Traditional Arabic calligraphy is based in the symmetry of letters and how they relate to one another. We embrace this metaphor as a way for our students to explore language and culture through understanding the relationship between the spoken and written word and the deeper meanings behind them.
Music
Akin to the art of cooking, music is a cultural expression that can both be learned and shared. Students are not only exposed to the various forms of traditional and modern Palestinian music, they have the opportunity to meet and talk with musicians about their art and its significance within their community.