The Enana Dance Theatre presented it's first performance at the Damascus International Fair Theatre in 2000. The following is written by the group leader, Jihad Maflah.

Now ... as the group presents its first performance, I look with great challenge towards the future without forgetting from years ago, that what the group is performing today is my dream.

There was no academic teaching for dancing in Syria when my dream was in its early stages.

This prompted me to travel and seek different dancing institutions, to learn and choose what is homogenous with our society. Through my contractwith Carakalla group, my dreams enhanced to accomplish a Dancing Theatre that differs from the prevailing performances directed towards real drama.

I met a group of young men who showed enthusiasm for the project. The preparation went on for more than ten years, because the forming of distinguished body language neds a long time of training and cultivation. During this period, I was lucky to meet an outstanding musician in composing and dramatic distribution. He is the artists Mohammed Habbash who enjoys the best seeds of creativity. This dream culminated at long last by meeting the creative playwright, Mohammed Omar, whose obession to develop play writing in forms and contents was one of his obessions.

We worked for two years preparing for Hawajis Al Sham 880 and finally Enana group for Theatre Dancing is stepping now to acheive its dream by fulfilling its ambition in creating a high form of art to meet international standards with an oriental touch. Hawajis Al Sham 880 is not an individual expression in a dance but is a story of a nation whose inheritage is expressed by a movement and melody to reflect its desires, aspirations and personal characteristics in an era bearing and impact on the nation's historic journey.