Created by Palestinian dance maker Amir Sabra, Within this Party is a unique improvisational solo dance performance coming to this year's First Fortnight festival, one that blends the traditional Palestinian dabke and hip-hop to explore themes of connection and resilience.
Amir introdues Within this Party below...
I created Within This Party as a graduation project in 2022. The world was not much better back then, than it is today. Although perhaps on the surface, it was brighter. But there was darkness in the heart of the world. And this is exactly what the show is about.
On the surface, we present a wedding party, with traditional Palestinian music. But between the folds of this party, there is something beyond that. Look at what is happening in the world today - did you see that video of children break-dancing on the rubble of their homes? Or the one where we see a young man playing the guitar, another reciting poetry, a girl playing the piano, and a group of children swinging on electricity wires destroyed by drones? This has always been what made me think about my artistic practice. Deep down, something always tells me that it is not a luxury, but a necessity for survival.
The creative process is able to transform something intangible, such as an idea or a feeling, into a piece of music, a dance movement, or a theatrical text, one which captures your mind, soul, and body.
When reality becomes difficult to make sense of. We create another world; harmonious, consistent, rhythmic. For my mind to remain healthy, it must be able to comprehend what my senses are experiencing. And when there is a gap between the mind and the world outside it, it begins to suffer. I then find the need to provide my mind with concepts that are more capable of comprehending the world around it. How can a mind comprehend that a massive destruction carries with it a construction, that death is a necessity of life? And hunger carries with it the pleasure of eating? I have to make a concept. And where can we make a concept from? It is not a tangible thing. We cannot find it outside; it is made by the pure mind! Can you see outside the concept of consolation? Or fate? Or karma?
But concepts alone are not enough. They might be lifeless sometimes. We need a concept that carries with it an emotional charge, one that captivates the heart, the soul, and the mind together. It is not enough for us to create mental concepts; these concepts must find a tangible, material form that communicates with the human being, with all his senses, mind, and spirit.
The creative process is able to transform something intangible, such as an idea or a feeling, into a piece of music, a dance movement, or a theatrical text, one which captures your mind, soul, and body.
For me art is a necessity for mental health, not just one of the paths to it.
Within this Party is at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin on Wednesday January 8th - find out more here, and explore this year's First Fortnight programme here.
