Hordes of clubbers in Damascus, Syria seek out their favorite city hot spots, despite the bloody civil war just outside their doors.
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Loud music helps mask explosions and artillery fire going off just a few miles away in the suburbs.
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“I come here for a change of atmosphere…There is joy here,” a club-goer told AFP.
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Dancers happily shimmy to songs popular among President Bashar al-Assad supporters. “Don’t ask me how or why, it’s the army that protects us,” say lyrics. “You and I salute General Maher,” referring to Assad’s brother, head of an elite army division.
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Violent uprisings against Assad first sprung in March 2011, after he aggressively stamped out peaceful protest.
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More than 100,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting as of August, reports the United Nations.
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State officials have aggressively clamped down on public gatherings, making it difficult for the not-well-connected to get necessary permits.
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Despite the restrictions and violence, Damascus dance-lovers make it to their lessons.
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Some Syrians swing the night away in a class at the Bulgarian cultural center in Damascus.
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Those in the capital can learn anything from salsa and merengue, to cha-cha-cha and tango.
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Locals also love shaking their stuff at karaoke bars.
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The Baik Bash hotel in old Damascus hosts weekly karaoke nights for fans of traditional Arabic music.
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One housewife told AFP: “The situation is bad and we come here to get a change of mood. I love singing, and I think I have a good voice.”
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