Music and dance offer respite from war-torn Aleppo / 暫拋敘利亞無情戰火 窺探阿勒坡夜生活　　　　　　　　　　

The civil war in Syria has killed more than a quarter million people and displaced 11 million. According to UN statistics, about half of Aleppo 275,000 inhabitants may want to leave, as food and fuel run short. However, music and dance serve as an escape for Syrians living in the war-torn city. Last month, the army backed by Shi'ite militia from Lebanon and Iraq, and by Russian jets launched a new offensive which was one of the war's heaviest bombardments. This took place over eastern Aleppo, which is held by rebels, after the week-long ceasefire collapsed. Between air strikes and shelling on eastern Aleppo, and insurgent shelling of the government-held west of the city, many hundreds of civilians have been killed since the offensive began on Sept. 19. In an Aleppo nightclub, pounding music barely muffled the sound of exploding bombs nearby, but that has not deterred young party-goers from dancing the night away. Over 600 people spent their evening at the spacious "Freedom" family club, located in the government-controlled Syrian neighborhood of the city. ==NUHA FARJ, Aleppo Resident== The party is great. We are trying to escape the pressures of war through this nice atmosphere. There is nothing else we can do, we have to make ourselves happy in these circumstances that we are living in. Young Syrians danced until the early hours of the morning, with flashing lights and dance music serving as a distraction from the ongoing war. A man at the venue said, those killed are never far from his mind. ==FARES AHMAR, Aleppo Resident== Aleppo is in a lot of pain right now. There are a lot of rockets, blood and martyrs, but life must go on. We are definitely sad for the loss of martyrs and for every drop of blood spent, but life must go on, we want to prove to people, prove to the West, which picks only on Syria, that life here continues, the people you see here are proof. The ferocity of the bombardment, which has included repeated airstrikes on hospitals in rebel-held areas, has drawn intense criticism from aid agencies. According to the UN, about half of Aleppo's 275,000 inhabitants may want to leave as food and fuel run short. But for those in the club, dancing the night away is one of the few ways to escape from the harsh realities of war. TRANSLATED BY：JESSICA OY