Mithkal Alzghair
Syria | Dance

Déplacement

What is the influence of social and political reality on dance and movement? Which physical and cultural knowledge do people internalise in a country characterised by war, turmoil and migration? In «Déplacement», the dancer and choreographer Mithkal Alzghair, who was trained in Damascus and Montpellier, examines the Syrian body in the context of war, migration and revolution.

The choreography starts as a solo and then becomes a trio. The migration from an isolated figure to a group of three male dancers is defined by conflicting emotions: The hope of escaping the war zone versus the pain of knowing that returning home is impossible. The process of constant construction and deconstruction draws on the language of movement of traditional Syrian folk dances. «Déplacement» highlights the paradox of a deeply-rooted culture forced to migrate and live a life in exile. A touching, powerful work, caught between the desire to stay and the desire to flee.

«This isn’t a documentary on the Syrian war. It touches on the fundamental question of what it is to be human.»

(Mouvement)