Beytna Dance Performance Over a Banquet at the NYUAD Arts Center | Omar Rajeh

In this episode of the NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center Podcast, we delve into the intrinsic philosophy of dance with dancer and choreographer Omar Rajeh. The conversation spans his journey from founding dance company Maqamat in Beirut in 2002, to developing contemporary dance awareness in Lebanon and organizing the influential BIPOD festival. Omar discusses the transformative power of dance, its societal impact, and the innovative production "Beytna" set to be showcased at The Arts Center's Red Theater on January 30th. He gives his testament to the inclusivity and philosophical depth dance can achieve in our world today.
00:00 Introduction
00:49 Omar's Journey & Philosophy of Dance
02:01 Challenges & Growth of Contemporary Dance in Lebanon
12:23 The Impact of BIPOD Festival
21:16 Regional Dance Scenes & Collaborations
32:41 Exploring the Beytna Performance
44:30 Future Projects & Digital Platforms
52:24 Conclusion & Upcoming Performance
Omar Rajeh is a choreographer, dancer, and founder and artistic director of Maqamat. Initially based in Lebanon since 2002, he moved and set up his company in Lyon in 2020 to continue to create and develop his projects in France and internationally. He has developed more than 20 choreographic creations and is widely recognized in Lebanon and around the world. His work - inspired by the socio-political concerns that surround it - is always carried with strong compositions and an invested and vigorous physical presence. He also also the founder of BIPOD (Beirut International Platform of Dance), Takween (an intensive training program), Moultaqa Leymoun (a platform that showcases and develops the work of artists and choreographers from the Arab countries), and the co-founder of Masahat network. In 2017, he designed and established Citerne Beirut, a choreographic and cultural center in Lebanon which - following its forced dismantling in 2019 - gave birth in France to Citerne.live in 2020.
Connect with Omar 👉 / o.rajeh
Get tickets to the performance in Abu Dhabi on January 30th 👉 publicprograms...
Hosted by:
Mikey Muhanna 👉 www.instagram....
FOLLOW & RATE THE NYUAD ARTS CENTER PODCAST:
» Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple...
» Spotify: open.spotify.c...
» Anghami: open.anghami.c...
THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
Explore all episodes in this series: • The Arts Center at NYU...
ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region - past, present and future - through conversations driven by curiosity.
📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide afikra.com/chap...
🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly afikra.com/podc...
⚡ Become a member: www.afikra.com...
🔗 Instagram: / afikra_
🔗 Facebook: / afikra.official
🔗 Twitter: / afikra

[@lllllliiiiillllll]

I agree with all of that, only if u CAN actually DANCE 😂😂😂