Courtesy the artist
Show
Dance is not for us
Omar Rajeh, Maqamat
April 1 – 2, 2025
Running time: 60'
Tickets
Full: €18
Under 30 / over 65 / groups: €12
Students: €9
Membership: included with subscription
Omar Rajeh, a leading figure on the contemporary dance scene in Lebanon and the Arab world, has made a name for himself in the most important international theaters and festivals thanks to his extraordinary physical presence and his strongly political choreographic work. With Dance is not for us he leads us into his autobiographical universe, making dance an act of aggregation and shared experience. On stage the artist goes back in time, to a past that has stopped. Feelings, people, and happy moments appear as a faded image. The individual narrative is interwoven with the complex experience of Rajeh’s home country, on a journey in which dance becomes the tool to oppose the power structures that discipline and normalize the body. Dance is thus transformed into an act of hope and freedom, capable of reconnecting ties and rediscovering lost meanings.
Omar Rajeh has had a significant impact on the creation of a contemporary dance scene in Lebanon. Founder of Maqamat in Beirut (2002), he later established his own company in Lyon (2020) and was nominated Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. Rajeh’s twenty-plus choreographic creations, characterized by deep socio-political connections, transcend conventional boundaries. Over more than two decades, he has explored and refined a unique choreographic language, taking his performances to more than one hundred cities around the world and participating in major dance festivals globally. In addition to his artistic achievements, Rajeh’s contributions extend to the founding of the Beirut International Platform of Dance (BIPOD) in 2004, a seminal dance festival offering an international program of performances, workshops, lectures, and meetings. Co-founder of the Masahat Dance Network, which covers Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan, Rajeh’s commitment to regional connectivity has culminated in the MOULTAQA LEYMOUN platform, which promotes opportunities for emerging and established Arab artists.
...more
Info
Due to ongoing construction, access to the theater is through Viale Alemagna. To avoid the stairs, enter through the gate in the park. The entrance is also accessible to people with disabilities.
Credits
Concept, Scenography & Choreography: Omar Rajeh
Co-Creation: Mia Habis
Dramaturgy: Peggy Olislaegers
Music Composition: Joss Turnbull & Charbel Haber
Lighting design & Technical Director: Christian François
Administration: Sergio Chianca
Coordination & Production: Amina Onsy
Special thanks: CN D à Lyon, Sima Performing Arts-Alserkal Avenue, Amadeus - école de danse et de musique
With the support of the: DRAC Auvergne Rhône-Alpes
