A poetic call to move closer
Sharifi’s performance is an exploration in throwing himself in front of an audience, or creating while being watched; continuously exposing himself to spontaneous criticism. The music, which is created on stage by the Iranian musicians Arash Moradi and Mehdi Bagheri, is a further development of the basic principles in his movement material: fall, fall out, fall down, fall up, fall away.
The music is an element of the scenography. It influences the physical space, the imagination and the choices he makes. And in turn, the movement offers the music resistance. In this way, the music is in the body while acting as a wall against which to throw the body. The Persian music represents and creates a place, which we inhabit for the duration of the performance.
The Dead Live On in Our Dreams is inspired by Persian storytelling, in which the constructed narrative moves between the past, the present and the imagination. The aim is for the audience to perceive the work as an arena, to experience what it means to remember. Hooman Sharifi is not a regular dancer. And this is not a regular performance.
“I have always worked biographically (…). However, I never put my personal stories at the center of my works. I use the personal element to engage in dialogue with our era (…). Time changes, and so do my priorities about what to emphasize from my own background as a choreographer and dancer ” (Hooman Sharifi)
choreography, lighting design & performance Hooman Sharifi musicians Arash Moradi & Mehdi Bagheri sound design Terje Wessel Overland light Martin Myrvold co-production Montpellier Dance & DanceHus Oslo
Dutch Premiere duration 70 min language English
Moderator Melih Gencboyaci
photo © Arash a Nejad
