Ali Chahrour

Biography

Born in Beirut, the choreographer and dancer Ali Chahrour invents a gesture, freed from Western codes and models, which acts as a reflection of his culture and the political, social and religious context in which he evolves. In a previous series of shows, part of his trilogy on death – “Fatmeh” (2014), “Leila’s Death” (2015) and “May he rise and smell the Fragrance” (2017) – he summoned funeral liturgies mixing tradition with a sharp modernity.

He then undertook a second series of performances devoted to Love with “Night” (2019), followed by “Told by my Mother” (2021), “The Love behind my Eyes” that won the ZKB Patronage prize at the 2022 Zürich Theater Spektakel, and concluded with “Iza Hawa” (2023), which was presented as part of the “Love is a Verb” festival at HAU2. Combining lyrical poetry, raw emotion and tangled bodies, crafting a vivid tapestry of human connection, Ali Chahrour’s performances were presented at Avignon festival and at many other international festivals and theatres around the world.

Currently, he is working on a new trilogy around the topic of Fear.