كما روتها أمي – Du temps où ma mère racontait d’Ali Chahrour

To exorcise unhappiness. Lebanese artist Ali Chahrour summons song, music, and dance to exalt the power of maternal love in two stories experienced by his own family. Fatmeh lost her son in Syria, and she died as a result. Leila saves her son, Abbas, from the fate of martyrdom. The two performers embody these poignant narratives with utmost sincerity. The undulating and swirling dance of the choreographer soothes the vertigo of loss. The gesture, minimal, extends to immobility. The intensity of their gazes makes the silence vibrate and time stand still.

Following “May He Rise and Smell the Fragrance” (FTA, 2019), Ali Chahrour and his team return to the FTA with a work of memory rooted in reality to free grief and nourish hope. Love and death are one and the same. They touch us deeply.

Photo credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage