In 2017 Feras the Shield (aka Feras Shaheen) and Maestro Ahil (aka Ahilan Ratnamohan) founded Klapping on the suburban basketball/football courts of Sydney.  Klapping was a new street dance and culture unlike any other in that it stemmed from a sport; football.  In the ensuing years through their crew, KlappSquad, Feras the Shield and Maestro Ahil set about developing and proliferating Klapping, traveling around the world and back, attempting to initiate new Klappers into the community.  In doing so they built up ‘squads’ in Antwerp, Zürich, Brussels, Riga, London, Sydney and Newcastle.  On the concrete, under the glow of the streetlights, between the goalposts, they gathered with footballers and began unlocking their hidden dance and movement potential.  Slowly the Klapping movement vocabulary grew and expanded, with commonly known football moves such as ‘pull & push’, ‘croqueta’ becoming dance moves in their own right. New Klappers defined their dance form inspired by the football legends like Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, but also more obscure players like Garrincha, Robin van Persie. The Klapping culture continued to grow, incorporating all elements of football; terminology, fashion, smoke bombs and flares, vanishing spray.
In Danse Elargie 2022 KlappSquad presents Klapping to the world.

Feras Shaheen’s art practice spans across performance, semiotics, street dance, readymade art and digital media. Born in Dubai to Palestinian parents, he moved to Sydney at the age of 11. Drawing from his street dance background as well as Palestinian cultural dance traditions, Feras traverses different roles within the arts, working as a performer, teacher, choreographer and digital artist. He has a Bachelor in Design from Western Sydney University (2014) and in addition to his artistic practice, Feras works as a freelance graphic designer, photographer and filmmaker .
They call people like Feras multipotentialites—those whose interests and talents span multiple areas. Working at the fulcrum of beauty and culture, Feras strives for logic rather than decoration, creating meaningful experiences for all involved.
Feras is also a member of Encounter, Marrugeku, Buggy Bumpers Crew, Groove Therapy Agency, Cultural Renegades and KlappSquad.