Facing the Blank Page, a solo by Omar Rajeh

Omar Rajeh, choreographer, dancer, and artistic director

of Maqamat Dance Theatre, studied at the Lebanese

University (diploma in Theatre Arts), and at the

University of Surrey, England (MA Dance Studies). In

2002, he founded Maqamat Dance Theatre in Beirut

and choreographed numerous pieces for the company

that have been performed locally and internationally.

Omar is the founder of BIPOD, an annual contemporary

dance festival in Beirut, which presents the work of local

and international companies and is one of the most

important platforms for contemporary dance in the Arab

World. In 2009 he founded TAKWEEN–Beirut

Contemporary Dance School (in partnership with Sasha

Waltz and Guests), an intensive training program for

professional dancers and choreographers.

The work that Omar Rajeh has been developing in Beirut

is essential for the cultural and artistic scene in the city, in

particular the contemporary dance scene. His work,

intense and powerful, pushes the boundaries of dance in

a country that has passed through difcult times and

suffered so much.

In his new solo creation, Omar Rajeh collaborates with

sound composer Pablo Palacio to question the

presence and materialization of his own body. Creating

and performing the solo, Omar highlights and

questions the links between the artist and his work of

art, the author and the text. The body is onstage. It is

not seeking representation. It is simply being what it is.

Without associations to identity, culture, religion, politics

and other labels, would this body be able to stand on its

own? And if so, what does it mean? Is it seen in its

immediacy or always associated with a pre-conceived

idea, word, image, action? It is a journey in movement and

construction, a spontaneous play of and by the body

Performance

FACING THE BLANK PAGE' was presented at OnMarche, Marrakech,

Morocco, Attakkalari India Biennial 2011, Bangalore, India, BIPOD Beirut,

Lebanon, Exrtra 11, Bonlieu Scène Nationale Annecy-France Will be

presented at Impact 11, Kitchener-Ontario, Canada

choreographer/dancer Omar Rajeh Music Composition Pablo Palacio

costume design Mia Habis light design Alaa Minawi sound and light

operator Farah Nabulsi light crew Ziad Almalla duration 45 minutes

recorded music: Min Ed Eh Kunna Hina - Mohamed Abdul Wahab Nani -

Anonymous / interpreted by Fadia Tomb El-Hage Contralto Mahmoud Turkmani guitar.

special thanks: Pierre Abi Saab, Joe Hakim, Nathalie &

Claudine Touma

produced by Maqamat DanceHouse