PASSION, PERSEVERANCE, NO PAY: Behind the scenes with Baghdad’s ballet dancers

By Mustafa Jamal Murad in Baghdad

The studio lights dim, casting a soft glow over the stage. Dancers’ shadows begin to move gracefully, each step a testament to years of dedication. Among them, Rand Ahmed, a 14-year-old ballet dancer who started studying dance when she was just nine.

“I was 5 when coach Zeina first saw me,” Ahmed recalls her first class at the Baghdad School of Music and Ballet. “She told me I had the potential.”

Years of hard work followed, as Ahmed’s life became a rhythm of practice, sweat and determination. She says the best moments were rehearsals before a performance, when excitement was intense.

“Those moments are magical, especially when I’m with the other girls I’ve met through ballet,” Ahmed explained. But there are also everyday benefits. “Ballet improves your fitness, your musical taste, and even your posture,” she noted. “It’s a holistic art.”

But such a pastime isn’t easy in Baghdad. Challenges include the high cost and scarcity of ballet supplies. “The shoes and costumes are so expensive and they’re not easy to find in Baghdad,” Ahmed explains. “We often have to buy them from abroad and that costs a lot of money.”

Zeina Akram, Ahmed’s teacher and head of ballet at the school, understands these struggles. “The last batch of ballet costumes we received from the Ministry of Culture was in 2013. Since then, we’ve had to rely on what we can find or order from outside the country,” she adds.

For Akram, ballet is in her blood. She was taught by “Madame Lina”, a Greek instructor who trained Akram’s mother in the 1950s, before school was even established.

The Baghdad School of Music and Ballet was opened in 1969 and over the years, it has gained a reputation as one of the country’s premier institutions for music and ballet, thanks to dedicated staff and world class facilities, including studios specially designed by Russian experts.

“I started my training at nine and my family supported me every step of the way,” Ahmed recounts. “Even when I was accepted into medical school, I chose to follow my passion for ballet instead.”

These decisions are not easy ones. Ballet isn’t widely celebrated or acknowledged in Iraq and at one stage, Akram travelled overseas for training. “Kids watch YouTube to learn ballet movements these days but it’s not the same as having a teacher by your side,” she notes.

Each year, there are many applicants for the ballet school but only a select few are chosen. “Out of 80 applicants, only ten are selected,” Akram explains. “We base the selection on fitness tests, posture and musical ear. It’s a tough process but we have to ensure that the students who join are truly committed.”

Unfortunately even for the graduates who are chosen, there are also far fewer opportunities for professional dancers in Iraq. “In the past, graduates would join the Ishtar Dance Troupe and receive decent salaries,” Akram says. “But now, even though the troupe has been revived, there are no fixed salaries. Ballet graduates often end up working in private schools or kindergartens.”

The teacher has herself been organizing performances, including one last year featuring the young students. The response from the audience on social media was overwhelmingly positive, encouraging her to prepare another show.

But it’s still tough. “Graduates can’t even get paid positions at the school. One of my sisters, Lina, has been working here since 2018 without a salary because of her love for ballet,” Ahmed explains. “She works tirelessly to spread ballet culture in schools and kindergartens, opening doors for more girls.”

Akram says she won’t leave the school to open one of her own because without her, she feels the ballet classes would stop.

Across town, at the Al Sayd Club in Baghdad’s Mansour district, another instructor is also working hard. “Many families dream of seeing their daughters perform ballet on stage,” the teacher says. “Some of my students have even received professional opportunities abroad, like in Germany, because of their training here.”

This article is part of a series supported by the “Qarib” program, an initiative funded by the French Agency for Development (AFD) and implemented by the French Agency for Media Development (CFI).