Meet the Artist: Ali Chahrour

After Told by My Mother, you can ask your questions and talk to dancer and choreographer Ali Chahrour under the guidance of moderator Yinske Silva. Dancer and choreographer Ali Chahrour (Beirut, 1989) explores the boundaries between dance and theater in his work. His performances often draw from the rich cultural and religious traditions of the Middle East, where he delves into themes such as mourning, love, and community.

One of the three main stories in Told by My Mother is that of Ali Chahrour's aunt Fatmeh, who lost her son in Syria in 2015. She kept searching until her death in 2018, but never discovered what happened to him. Chahrour consciously chooses to place amateur performers alongside professional actors, which gives the performance a personal and intimate character. The live music is not only used as a background but plays an active role in the story: musicians and their gestures are also considered a form of dance.

Ali Chahrour creates his own gesture that breaks away from Western codes and models. This gesture reflects his culture and the political, social, and religious context in which he finds himself. In an earlier series of performances, part of his trilogy Death – Fatmeh (2014), Leila’s Death (2015), and May He Rise and Smell the Fragrance (2017) – he brought funeral rituals to life, blending tradition with a sharp modernity.

He then began a new series of performances around the theme of "love," starting with Night (2019), followed by Told by My Mother (2021) and Iza Hawa (2023). He concluded the series with The Love Behind My Eyes, which won the ZKB Patronage Prize at the Zürcher Theater Spektakel in 2022. Ali Chahrour’s work combines lyrical poetry and intertwined bodies. His performances have been presented at the Festival d'Avignon in 2016, 2018, and 2022, as well as at numerous other festivals worldwide. He is currently working on a new trilogy, this time focused on the theme of "fear."