Shiraz
In the hypnotic choreography of Shiraz, bodies, rhythm and space constantly interact, slowly drawing the audience into its cadence.
Festival Julidans
Dutch premiere
Location Frascati
Venue Frascati 1
Run time 60 minutes
Genre Dance
Language no problem
Shiraz
Shiraz is inspired by the legendary Shiraz Arts Festival (1967–1977) in southern Iran, where artists from all over the world experimented with new forms of theatre, music and dance. Choreographer Armin Hokmi draws on the spirit of that festival. Not as a reconstruction, but as a living inquiry into dance, place and cultural memory. The performance, the first in a series, centres on Hokmi’s love of dance.
Six dancers move like a constantly changing organism: bodies find one another, fall apart and form ever-changing constellations. The choreography starts from a strikingly simple basis: a small swaying step, emerging from the pelvis.
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Right, left. Right, left. From this minimal movement, a rich landscape of shifting patterns slowly unfolds. Small changes take on great significance: a new formation, a different tempo, a light that suddenly changes colour. What at first appears almost imperceptible suddenly becomes intensely palpable.
That tension between the familiar and the elusive is no accident. Just as birds in a flock constantly react to one another, so, too, do these bodies move in a collective flow. Gestures seem recognisable, yet slip away each time before they can be captured. Recognisable, but just out of reach.
Armin Hokmi
Armin Hokmi is an Iranian choreographer and performer, born in Bushehr and based both in Berlin and Oslo. His work is known for its hypnotic movement patterns in which repetition, rhythm and collective energy take centre stage. From simple movements, complex structures emerge, in which bodies constantly react to one another and create new forms. Hokmi draws inspiration from history, rituals and encounters between cultures, creating performances that are both intense and sensory. From 2024 to 2026, he will be an associate artist at the renowned Montpellier Danse festival.
Credits
Concept and Choreography Armin Hokmi
Dance and Performance Daniel Sarr, Aleksandra Petrushevska, Efthimios Moschopoulos, Johanna Ryynänen, Emmi Venna, Charlott Madeleine Utzig, Luisa Fernanda Alfonso
In alternation with Xenia Koghilaki, Katherina Jitlatda Horup Solvang, Eline Vaaje
Music EHSXN, Reza R
Scenography and Light Concept Felipe Osorio Guzmán
Lighting Design Vito Walter
In conversation with Emmi Venna
Costumes Moriah Askenaizer
Consultation and archival study of the Shiraz Arts Festival (1966–1977) Vali Mahlouji
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Co-production Festival Montpellier Danse 2024, Rosendal Teater (Trondheim), Dansehallerne (Copenhagen), Black Box teater (Oslo), Tanzfabrik (Berlin)
Supported by Arts Council Norway, Nordic Culture Fund, FFUK, Nordic Culture Point, The Finnish Cultural Foundation
Touring supported by Goethe Institut, Nationales Performance Netz (NPN)
Research period supported by Dis-Tanz-Solo
Residency Montpellier Danse, Tanzfabrik (Berlin), Lake Studios (Berlin), Uferstudios (Berlin), DAVVI Center for Performing Arts Hammerfest
Thank you to Anne Cécile Sibué, Rasmus Jensen, Diletta Sperman, Ellen Söderhult, Theatre Haus Berlin
