Alexandre Paulikevitch performed to a sold-out crowd at a popular Beirut venue this week after receiving threats from fundamentalist groups that opposed his appearance, the dancer and venue managers said.
Paulikevitch, 43, took the stage in a white dress and wig, wearing lipstick and eye makeup, and moved to live traditional percussion and flute accompaniment as the audience cheered, filmed and applauded. Organizers said police were stationed outside after the venue received calls warning of possible disruption; venue management arranged extra security but said no protesters showed up beyond the paying audience.
Organizers and attendees described the show as defiant in the face of criticism from groups ranging from the right-wing Christian Soldiers of God to Sunni Islamist movements, which accused Paulikevitch of "promoting homosexuality" because he wears dresses and performs movements many in the region now associate with women. Paulikevitch rejected that characterization, saying he was reviving male forms of dance common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and that his intent was artistic, not proselytizing.
"I’m not promoting anything, I am just dancing. If you want to come watch me, come," Paulikevitch told reporters and audience members in his dressing room. He later addressed the crowd onstage, saying, "We dance because we have no other option. We dance because whatever happened and whatever is happening to us, this is our resistance."
Lebanon has long been viewed in the Middle East as relatively tolerant on LGBTQ+ issues compared with neighbors, a reputation shaped by decades of activism and groups such as Helem, a Lebanese organization that has worked on queer rights for more than two decades. Yet activists and performers say tolerance has limits and that conservatives and extremist groups have increasingly targeted queer people and venues, sometimes turning to harassment and violence.
Last year, right-wing groups attempted to interfere with cultural events that they said promoted LGBTQ+ themes, and Lebanon's culture minister in 2023 sought a ban on the film "Barbie," calling it objectionable to public morality. Extremist actions have included attacks on nightlife venues; members of the Soldiers of God group entered a Beirut bar hosting a drag show, injuring several people and forcing others to hide.
Paulikevitch has been a public activist on multiple causes, from labor rights to anti-corruption protests, and has previously been detained under Lebanon’s broadly written law that criminalizes sexual acts described as "against nature," a statute some legal observers say is used to target same-sex relationships. He and other activists were beaten and arrested at protests in 2019 and 2020. He said those experiences inform his decision to continue performing in public.
His supporters and venue owners say places such as Metro al-Madina in Beirut have become important, if precarious, spaces for queer culture, hosting drag shows and opening their doors to diverse crowds. Metro staff and management backed Paulikevitch’s show and coordinated with security forces ahead of the performance.
Observers said the recent show came amid a broader national crisis that has increased social tensions. Lebanon’s economy has collapsed since 2019, with a major banking crisis, runaway inflation and the majority of the population now living in poverty after decades of corruption and mismanagement. A recent war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group that devastated parts of southern and eastern Lebanon compounded the country’s hardships and sharpened political and social fault lines.
Against that backdrop, the dancer said he did not understand the intensity of attacks directed at his art and presentation. "Who’s paying attention to me? I don’t understand where this gravity is coming from, which is why I refused to stop my show," he said, adding that his choice to wear makeup and dresses is inherently political whether he intends it to be or not.
Paulikevitch described his performances as a means of keeping alive regional dance traditions and creating a visible space for those who feel marginalized. He said he hoped continuing to perform might inspire others and that artistic expression could serve as a bridge in Lebanon’s fractured sectarian political system.
Security officials and venue managers who spoke about the event said the performance concluded without incident. Attendees praised the show and described it as moving and provocative in different ways, with many recording parts of the performance on their phones.
The concert highlighted ongoing tensions in Lebanon between artistic expression and conservative social forces, at a time when many residents are preoccupied with economic instability and the political fallout of recent conflicts. Paulikevitch and his supporters say the decision to carry on with shows in public spaces is part of a continued push by Lebanon’s queer and artistic communities to claim visibility and resist attempts to suppress expression.
"Me putting this makeup and putting (on) my dresses is a political act, (whether) I want it or not," Paulikevitch said. "Doing what I do is resisting, is giving the possibility for others to be inspired, to say it is possible. I’m paying a high price, but ... maybe, maybe I can inspire someone."
Authorities, venue representatives and Paulikevitch’s supporters said they would continue to monitor security concerns around public performances, while activists warned that similar shows could face renewed pressure from conservative groups as social and political strains deepen across the country.