During the month of April, 2015, BDC engaged in a cultural diplomacy project in Amman, Jordan entitled Dance Across the Divides. The project draws together performing artists and dance students of Jordanian, Iraqi, Libyan, and American backgrounds, underlining their common values, creativity and aspirations.

Key elements of the program include a performance at the Amman Contemporary Dance Festival, A performance of the Amman Jazz Festival, a collaborative workshop with BDC member Sean Scantlebury and Iraqi dancer Adil Q, as well as outreach activities including master classes taught by BDC teaching artist, Mira Cook.

Over the past 6 months, Battery Dance Company has mentored Adil Q. Adil, an extremely talented Iraqi dance artist via Skype. Because of the conditions in Baghdad, no formalized dance training is available and even practice outside of his home is considered a security risk. We arranged for Adil to secure a temporary Jordanian visa, with the help of the Embassy of Jordan in Washington D.C, and received a grant from the Prince Claus Fund of the Netherlands to cover his flights between Baghdad and Amman.

Adil, who went by the stage name Adel Euro, was tragically killed in a suicide bombing in Baghdad a year after this program took place, days after graduating from University. https://www.dancemagazine.com/dancer-among-dead-baghdad/ https://www.newsweek.com/iraqis-mourn-talented-dancer-killed-isis-claimed-baghdad-attack-477454