As the Batsheva Dance Company winds its way across North America, the media has clamored to laud the show on its artistic merits, glossing over the political implications of the group’s visit. Articles in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune offer timid critiques of the show but fail to mention politics altogether.

But the irony of showcasing uninhibited movement on stage as a product of a country where the every movement of the occupied Palestinians is restricted was not lost on the hundred or so protestors outside BAM on opening night of “Last Work.”

Organized by Adalah-NY: The New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel, the protest was MCed by Adalah-NY’s founder Riham Barghouti and member Hani Ghazi; featuring Dave Lippman and Alexis Stern singing about whitewashing the Israeli occupation; the Brooklyn-based Freedom Dabka Group bringing Palestinian culture to the streets outside BAM; all with accompaniment from the radical marching band Rude Mechanical Orchestra.