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PBS News Hour

Syrian dancer escaped ISIS and found freedom through ballet

Season 2026 Episode 197 | 5m 37s

Ahmad Joudeh is a ballet dancer of unusual grace and grit. He was born stateless in a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, Syria. He has traveled far on the power of his dreams and the elegance of his dance. He survived a traumatic childhood, much of Syria's civil war and constant threats of execution by ISIS. We met Joudeh in his new home in San Diego.

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