CLAYTON — A Palestinian dance troupe says it was asked to perform at one of the region’s premier art shows, set for this weekend — and was then “canceled.â€
The ºüÀêÊÓƵ Art Fair, which closes down the streets of Clayton for a weekend each year, had reached out to the group, Canaan Wellspring Dabke Dance Troupe. The troupe then applied, picked a day to perform — and was then told they were too late to get in.
“I think we were canceled,†said Lea Koesterer, director of ºüÀêÊÓƵ Friends of Bethlehem, a Pro-Palestinian nonprofit partner of the troupe.
“When they first reached out to us, I thought, ‘This is fantastic,’†Koesterer continued. “I was so hopeful. When they canceled it, it was like a kick in the teeth.â€
ºüÀêÊÓƵ Art Fair Executive Director Sarah Umlauf defended the decision. She said Canaan had not sent in an application, that there was a “miscommunication†and that the group missed a fair guide printing deadline.
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But she also acknowledged the troupe worried her: “I did express concerns (at work) that the performance could be viewed as a political stance and that we need to represent everyone and be a comfortable and welcoming space for all. If we are not a comfortable and welcoming space for all, it could negatively impact sponsor relations.â€
This isn’t the first time Palestinian artists have run into trouble at ºüÀêÊÓƵ art events in the shadow of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which has killed tens of thousands and created a rift in communities across ºüÀêÊÓƵ and the country. In June, two visual artists had a long-planned show canceled at Craft Alliance, which said some of the pieces’ titles were antisemitic. The two women, who had been artists-in-residence at Craft Alliance, found another gallery for their show.
The 30-year-old ºüÀêÊÓƵ Art Fair is one of the most popular art-sale festivals in the region. It erects booths and stages for artists, restaurants, bars and performers in the streets of downtown Clayton for a weekend each year. This year, it’s set for the evening of Friday, Sept. 6, through Sunday, Sept. 8.
The art fair approached Canaan Wellspring in late June, Koesterer said. An art fair intern contacted the new troupe — it had just formed earlier that month — after seeing a video on social media.
The troupe’s dancers wear colorful, traditional costumes for dabke, a folk dance popular in many Levantine countries, including modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan.
The dance troupe’s director, Hanan Hamed, was born in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, and learned the dancing while living with her grandparents on the West Bank. She now lives in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, where most of her family lives, she said.
Hamed says the dancing is a way to show people that Palestinians “love life.â€
“Our music and songs are all about love, joy, community and agriculture life,†Hamed said.
In mid-July, Koesterer sent in an application for the troupe to perform at the fair. She still has a copy.
At the end of July, emails show that the dancers chose a Sept. 8 time slot to perform.
But on Aug. 9, Umlauf emailed Koesterer to say it was past the printing deadline for the fair guide.
The troupe could no longer take part.
Last week, Hamed, the dance troupe’s director, posted on Instagram that the fair intern told her that concern over sponsors led to the decision.
Suzanne Dalton Kearins, chair of the fair’s board, said she could not imagine Umlauf discriminating against the dancers. She described Umlauf as fair and transparent.
“We take our diversity, equity and inclusion statement seriously,†Dalton Kearins said.
But the intern who initially contacted Canaan Wellspring has since quit over the decision.
She declined to comment publicly but corroborated the troupe’s story.
In her resignation letter, obtained by the Post-Dispatch, she called the decision hypocritical.
“My assigned task was to find culturally diverse groups that represented ºüÀêÊÓƵ,†she wrote. “Upon completion of that task, I was told that would cause the organization to lose a very specific subset of sponsors and spark controversy.
“While I understand that a charitable organization needs financial backers to run, it is incredibly hypocritical to espouse creating a ‘culturally diverse’ stage and simultaneously exclude specific cultural groups due to fear of financial losses.â€