‘A breath of life’: Away from war, Syrians find their rhythm in ballroom dancing

Couples dance at a club in Damascus, Syria (Omar Sanadik/AP)

Adnan Mohammed teaches Latin dance for an hour a week in a Damascus studio, helping his students at least briefly forget the troubles of war.

For young Syrian men and women who come to his class, ballroom dancing is a form of release, finding their rhythm in music away from their country’s many social and economic pressures.