25 € / 12 €
LOCATION:
Hall 1
LANGUAGE:
Amharic, Arabic, English
with GER and EN surtitles
11.11. followed by Meet the Artists
When I Saw the Sea
Ali Chahrour
Tanzfestival RM
LOCATION:
Hall 1
LANGUAGE:
Amharic, Arabic, English
with GER and EN surtitles
“When I Saw the Sea” is a moving performance about pain, resistance and hope. Using dance, music and first-hand stories, the performers and activists Rania Jamal, Zena Moussa and Tenei Ahmad provide a stage for the experiences of migrant workers in Lebanon who are subject to the repressive kafala system. Similar to serfdom, the kafala system ties mostly female migrant workers to their employers, creating conditions of extreme exploitation that repeatedly lead to domestic violence and suicide. In times of crisis this injustice is not only exacerbated, but it also becomes more visible: the employees, frequently women who have fled from Cameroon, Ghana or Sudan, are abandoned on the streets – homeless, unpaid and without papers. Despite their precarious legal status, a few survivors have managed to remain and offer resistance. For them, Beirut’s coastline is a refuge: a horizon that symbolises freedom.
The Lebanese choreographer Ali Chahrour is one of the most distinctive voices of contemporary dance in the Arab region. His works often combine Arabic myths with the social and political realities of his homeland. On a reduced stage, accompanied by the music of Abed Kobeissy and the emotive voice of the singer Lynn Adib, the three performers and Chahrour create a resolute celebration of life that rises above the pain of past struggles.
Notes on Content and Sensory Stimuly
Information on potentially triggering content
The piece engages with stories of war, sexual assault and racism that are not represented visually on stage.
Information on potential sensory triggers
– A large, bright spotlight is shone directly at the audience during admission and for the first 15 minutes of the piece.
– The stage is dimly lit throughout.
– At the end of the piece there is a brief period of total darkness.
– Some fog on stage.
– Phases of loud music and strong bass.
Credits
Direction & Choreography: Ali Chahrour
Performers: Zena Moussa, Tenei Ahmad, Rania Jamal
Music composed and performed by: Lynn Adib, Abed Kobeissy
Assistant to the direction & choreography: Chadi Aoun
Light design & Technical director: Guillaume Tesson
Assistant to the technical director: Pol Seif
Sound designer: Benoît Rave
Scenography : Guillaume Tesson, Ali Chahrour
International relation & Communication : Chadi Aoun
Photography: Lea Skayem
Graphic design: Christina Atik
Text editing: Hala Omran
Text translation to french: Marianne Noujeim
PRODUCTION
Produced by: Ali Chahrour
Production managers: Christel Salem, Chadi Aoun
CO-PRODUCED BY
Le Festival d’Avignon / Ibsen Scope / HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin / Arab fund for arts and culture (AFAC) / Al Mawred al Thaqafi / DeSingel Antwerp / Domino Zagreb, Perforations Festival / Holland Festival / Zürcher Theater Spektakel / Al Madina Theater
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Beryte Theater / L’Institut Français de Beyrouth / Wicked Solutions / WASL Productions / Beit el Laffé / Raseef, Beirut / Houna center / Orient 499
Das Tanzfestival Rhein-Main, ein Projekt von Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm und dem Hessischen Staatsballett im Rahmen der WDC 2026, wird ermöglicht durch den Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain und gefördert durch das Dezernat für Kultur und Wissenschaft der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, das Hessische Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Forschung, Kunst und Kultur, die Aventis Foundation und die Dr. Marschner Stiftung. Gesponsort von Energieversorgung Offenbach AG (EVO).
Cooperation partners
