Below the Skin / Aly Khamees

How do norms and stigmas take hold in our consciousness? And how can we break out of these inner prisons? With Naslah*, Aly Khamees has created a powerful and evocative dance solo to explore these questions. He was inspired by the rich tradition of Egyptian street dance with knives, which can be traced back to Pharaonic culture and is practiced both on joyous occasions such as weddings, but also during rivalries in the form of competitions. The knives are seen as additional arms, with which the dancers cut or paint in the air to express their inner voice. Fittingly, Naslah also found its beginning in conversations with people of different backgrounds from Aly Khamee's childhood neighborhood in Cairo and his adopted home in Zurich. These conversations always revolved around the topic of discrimination on the basis of origin or appearance, since the choreographer feels a strong need to tell the stories of people on the margins of society and to open up new perspectives on universal conditions. "In dance," says Aly Khamees, "we can experience our common humanity."

*In Cairo slang, "naslah" refers to a sharpened spoon used in prison for personal protection.

Sound teaser Anbaar by Ahmed Saleh from Naslah.