In this phase of the "Home" project we are working with Bassam Abou Diab from Lebanon. Unlike any process I have been a part of, I feel like I am truly being educated on a culture and subject matter that is so foreign to me. I am learning about the common Islamic rituals of Wudu (a washing/ cleansing/ purification), Ashura (self punishment for feelings of guilt) and Sufi whirling meditation (turning).
It has been challenging for me. Although he is explaining everything in English, the language barrier of not understanding the intricacies of what he wants is difficult for a perfectionist like myself. While I struggled at first to know what to create and how to structure my ideas into phrases, after a few days of intensive structured improvs I realized the language of movement is universal. Similarly to other creative processes, where I have used pedestrian gestures to influence movement, we are using these ideas and the literal actions of these rituals as our inspiration to create the movement for this piece. I am becoming more comfortable in this process and seeing the piece take shape, as we repetitively work through our creative versions of these rituals and seamlessly and cohesively string them together.
We still have a few more days of rehearsal and I know the piece will continue to evolve. This process has been an enlightening journey for me to grow as an individual human being as well as a dancer. I hope I am able to transform what I have learned and created in these last two weeks of this “Home” journey into an expressive performance where I can share my newfound knowledge with the audience.
Join us on September 24 & 25 at 8pm for the “HOME” project with visiting choreographer Bassam Abou Diab from Lebanon which will feature Diab's solo work "Eternal," and a post performance Q/A. In addition to the performance, the evening will include live Lebanese Music with Richard Khuzami on Percussion and Maurice Chedid on Oud, Pre & Post Show.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please click HERE.
