The Darvish

The Darvish is a self taught dancer, and has been working in the European independent performance art scene for the past 8 years. After immigrating from Syria to Berlin, Germany in 2016, they began exploring gender identities through artistic expression, and further questioning the relationship between social boundaries and performance art. They have been contributing to the recent queer history of migrants and refugees by challenging the boundaries and obstacles set by colonial European ideologies, thereby paving the way to wider visibility for the SWANA (South West Asia & North Africa) and Middle Eastern diasporas.

The Darvish is an avid queer activist, taking part in panels, giving speeches and using their performance of belly dance to decolonise the western view on Arabic culture and belly dance itself. Their performances draw inspiration from their childhood and heritage to display a new narrative, aimed in leading towards a wider movement of acceptance and authenticity in both fashion and presentation within the Arabic community, as well as in German culture. This important activism led to international recognition and features in the BBC series Planet Sex, Arte’s series I Dance My Story, Grindr's series Host or travel , and documentary films such as Berlin is Burning, and most recently Queer Exile Berlin in April 2024 plus soon to be released : We Are Family Series , Salty Tongues Short Film

The Darvish organizes and performs as part of multiple organizations, both Berlin and Germany-wide. They are the creative director and organizer of Queens Against Borders, Berlin's first solidarity performance party exclusively platforming trans/queer performers with a refugee and/or migrant background. Queens Against Borders helps to build a bridge between the LGBT SWANA community and established Berlin artists. The Darvish regularly performs in partnership with Kanaan Berlin, a Palestinian Israeli Co-op restaurant fighting racism, homophobia and transphobia, they are the co-founder of Yalla Hafla Berlin (“Let's Party”), a monthly show that celebrates the rich cultures and sounds of the Mediterranean. The show immerses the audience in dance and musical performances in Arabic, Hebrew, English and many other SWANA languages and dialects, giving the visibility and space for their heritage to shine.

The Darvish and their work has been featured in local and international publications such as: Reuters, DW World, Arte, BBC World, The Berliner, Playful Mag, Tagesspiegel, raseef22, SLEEK Mag, Kaltblut Mag, amongst others as well as contributing to Anthology Books such as Zugzwänge : Flucht und Verlangen by Vojin Sasa Vukadinovic , This is Europe by Ben Judah
They have established themselves as a cultural curator through these productions, offering immersive and politically charged artistic experiences that are central to Berlin’s queer and multicultural community.