Performing arts

Tarab FR

Eric Minh Cuong Castaing

Dance without bordersExhilarating immersionRevolution in motionSwiss premiere

2 performances

26-28.02

26.02 - 21:30 |

28.02 - 15:00 |

Genève

Comédie de Genève

Tickets

CHF 10 to CHF 40

CHF 12 with the festival pass

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Orchestrated by Eric Minh Cuong Castaing, this celebration, performed by six dancers from Egypt, Palestine, and Lebanon, together with Lebanese-Palestinian musician Rayess Bek, turns “dancing together” into a pacifist political manifesto.

Powerful antidotes to the brutality unfolding around us, traditional and contemporary Middle Eastern dances such as Dabkeh and Taa’kib become journeys through collective memory, forging bonds among those who still believe in our shared humanity. Tonight, the dancefloor belongs to everyone, transformed into a festive space to be claimed and shared. The raw emotion stirred by the melodies and rhythms of taarab spreads freely, building towards a kind of secular trance. In keeping with the principle of choreographic mimicry, workshops are offered to dance enthusiasts to learn the movements they will later pass on to the audience during the performances.

In collaboration with Comédie de Genève

Choreographer and visual artist Éric Minh Cuong Castaing founded the Sh?nen company in 2007, where he develops work combining dance, image and contemporary technologies. An associate artist with Montpellier Danse, he and his company are also associated with the CNCA in Morlaix, Bourges European Capital of Culture 2028, and in partnership with the Comédie de Genève and the Collection Lambert. His research explores relationships, aesthetic plurality and the political diversity of bodies, bringing together professional and amateur dancers, some of whom have disabilities, in long-term ‘in socius’ processes. He has created some fifteen works, including several with Marine Relinger and Aloun Marchal, as well as Hiku (2023) with Anne-Sophie Turion.

Choreography in collaboration with the dancers performers

Mohamed Fouad, Marah Haj, Aly Khamees, Ashtar Muallem, Nancy Naser Al Deen, Mohand Qader, Mohanad Smama. With the participation of dancers from French-speaking Switzerland.

Concept, choreographic device

Eric Minh Cuong Castaing

Distribution

Festival de Marseille (2025), Festival DreamCity, Tunis (2025), Charleroi Danse (2025), Genève (2026)

Music creation and live-act performance

Rayess Bek

Choreographic vision and vocal work

Aloun Marchal

Lighting design

Sébastien Lefèvre

Poetry research

Mumen Khalifa, Mahmoud Al Haj, Myuz Gaza Crew