Omar Rajeh, choreographer, dancer, and artistic director
of Maqamat Dance Theatre, studied at the Lebanese
University (diploma in Theatre Arts), and at the
University of Surrey, England (MA Dance Studies). In
2002, he founded Maqamat Dance Theatre in Beirut
and choreographed numerous pieces for the company
that have been performed locally and internationally.
Omar is the founder of BIPOD, an annual contemporary
dance festival in Beirut, which presents the work of local
and international companies and is one of the most
important platforms for contemporary dance in the Arab
World. In 2009 he founded TAKWEEN–Beirut
Contemporary Dance School (in partnership with Sasha
Waltz and Guests), an intensive training program for
professional dancers and choreographers.
The work that Omar Rajeh has been developing in Beirut
is essential for the cultural and artistic scene in the city, in
particular the contemporary dance scene. His work,
intense and powerful, pushes the boundaries of dance in
a country that has passed through difcult times and
suffered so much.
In his new solo creation, Omar Rajeh collaborates with
sound composer Pablo Palacio to question the
presence and materialization of his own body. Creating
and performing the solo, Omar highlights and
questions the links between the artist and his work of
art, the author and the text. The body is onstage. It is
not seeking representation. It is simply being what it is.
Without associations to identity, culture, religion, politics
and other labels, would this body be able to stand on its
own? And if so, what does it mean? Is it seen in its
immediacy or always associated with a pre-conceived
idea, word, image, action? It is a journey in movement and
construction, a spontaneous play of and by the body
Performance
FACING THE BLANK PAGE' was presented at OnMarche, Marrakech,
Morocco, Attakkalari India Biennial 2011, Bangalore, India, BIPOD Beirut,
Lebanon, Exrtra 11, Bonlieu Scène Nationale Annecy-France Will be
presented at Impact 11, Kitchener-Ontario, Canada
choreographer/dancer Omar Rajeh Music Composition Pablo Palacio
costume design Mia Habis light design Alaa Minawi sound and light
operator Farah Nabulsi light crew Ziad Almalla duration 45 minutes
recorded music: Min Ed Eh Kunna Hina - Mohamed Abdul Wahab Nani -
Anonymous / interpreted by Fadia Tomb El-Hage Contralto Mahmoud Turkmani guitar.
special thanks: Pierre Abi Saab, Joe Hakim, Nathalie &
Claudine Touma
produced by Maqamat DanceHouse
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