Cie Omar Rajeh & Maqamat: Dance is Not for Us

Alone onstage, Omar Rajeh dances and speaks of a past that no longer exists – of Lebanon, of loss, of a world that froze before it could become a future.

Raw, urgent and deeply human, the piece draws on maqam, Rajeh's practice of instant composition where the dancing body creates its own rules, logic and hope. Performance becomes a gathering, a space where artist and audience enter into a shared experience that pushes back against fear and normalisation.

Omar Rajeh is a choreographer and cultural architect whose practice spans performance, participation and moving image. He is the founder of Maqamat and the Beirut International Platform of Dance (BIPOD), and is the recipient of France's Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.








Presented by Dance Umbrella and Barbican.

A production of Cie Omar Rajeh & Maqamat.

Special thanks to CN D à Lyon, Sima Performing Arts, Al-Serkal Avenue, Amadeus école de danse et de musique With the support of the DRAC - Auvergne Rhône-Alpes.

This performance is supported by the Programme international de diffusion artistique (PIDA).





Creative team