Ali Chahrour

The Love Behind My Eyes

Lebanon

Can one die of a broken heart? The Lebanese cho­reographer Ali Chahrour asks this question in the last part of his trilogy on love, which he concluded in 2021 despite the pan­demic and other crises in Beirut. The first part, «Layl (Night)», was presented at the festival in 2019. In the moving dance piece «The Love Behind My Eyes», Chahrour tells the tragic story of a for­bidden love between two men in the Arabic world. Mohamed Ben Daoud, a theologist and scholar of the Islamic right and Arabic language, fell in love with Mohamed Ben Jamea, a young man from Is­fahan. Daoud’s love was unfulfilled. Eventually, they say, he died of a broken heart.

«The Love Behind My Eyes» is inspired by love stories from the Arabic world and by the ghaz­al, an Arabic-­Persian form of lyric poetry from pre-­Islamic times. Many ancient stories remain untold, such as the one of Ben Daoud and his lov­er, who lived in difficult social and religious con­texts. Shrouded by the voice of a mourning wom­an, the intimate choreography pays homage to for­bidden love. The dance embodies sensuality and the art of love but also conveys the frailty of the protagonists, their pain and silent protest against the oppression of (love) stories deemed to be ille­gitimate. (pg)

Simple words

This dance piece is about unfulfilled love. An older man falls in love with a young man who does not respond to his love. The piece is inspired by an old Arabic story which is not very well known.

Artistic direction and cast

Regie & ChoreografieAli Chahrour
PerformanceLeila Chahrour, Chadi Aoun, Ali Chahrour
MusikAbed Kobeissy
Lichtdesign & SzenografieGuillaume Tesson
TypografieAli Assi
GrafikdesignChadi Aoun
TextIsabelle Aoun
FotosChristian Altorfer

Production

ProduktionAli Chahrour
KoproduktionKunstfest Weimar, Culture Resource, Les Rencontres à l’échelle Festival (Marseille), Hammana Artist House, Houna Center, Art Jameel, Zürcher Theater Spektakel
Premiere23. Juli 2021, Al Madina Theatre (Beirut, Libanon)

Rote Fabrik, Aktionshalle

Site map

Dance, Forbidden Love and Poetic Singing

Swiss Premiere, Co-production, Nominated for the ZKB Patronage Prize

Duration

50 mins.

Language

without language

Age

14 years plus

An inclusive event

accessible with wheelchair

Post-performance talk

Fri 19.8.

Cooperation

An event in collaboration with IG Rote Fabrik

More

Shows

shows from today
  • Fr 19.08. 21:00 - 21:50 CHF 35.–/20.– 
  • Sa 20.08. 21:00 - 21:50 CHF 35.–/20.– 
  • Su 21.08. 19:00 - 19:50 CHF 35.–/20.– 

Schedule