How does a body react when its movement is forced or it is prevented from moving? Which physical and cultural knowledge do people internalize in a country that is characterized by revolution, ideologies, war and only brief moments of stability? With “Displacement”, the Syrian choreographer Mithkal Alzghair tackles the thematic field of rootedness versus displacement. The work is characterized by conflicting movements and feelings – staying or fleeing; the hope of escaping; the uneasiness of knowing that a return is impossible. As well as being a highly topical choreography about the civil war in Syria, “Displacement” is also Alzghair’s investigation into his own body, which is shaped by Syrian culture, and into the folklore of his homeland. The dancer and choreographer, who was trained in Damascus and Montpellier, looks into the influence of social and political reality on traditional dances: do these reflect the military and dictatorial heritage of Syria? Do the experiences of war, misery and emigration have an effect on them? The Syrian choreographer and dancer Mithkal Alzghair provides a striking reflection upon the experience of fleeing and the uncertainty of life in exile.

Mithkal Alzghair is a 35-year-old Syrian choreographer and dancer. He studied between the East (Higher Institute of Dramatic Art in Damascus, Syria, with a specialization in classical and modern dance) and the West (master of choreographic studies ex.er.ce at the Centre Chorégraphique National de Montpellier, France). His works have been shown in Syria (National Theatre, Damascus), Lebanon (D-CAF 2016 Syrian focus in Beirut, International Platform of Contemporary Dance, Beirut), Denmark (Godsbanen, Aarhus), France (Théâtre de la Cité Internationale, CCNMLR, CND, klap maison pour la danse, Regard du Cygne a.o.) and Italy (Bologna). Mithkal Alzghair has also performed as a dancer with different choreographers in Sweden (Marie Brolin-Tani), Denmark (May Svalholm) and France (Xavier Le Roy and Christophe Wavelet). He recently collaborated with the Italian theater company InOccula, for the European project CrAcK.