Dancing on the Edge – Theatre and Dance from the Middle East

The first edition of the Dancing on the Edge Festival took place in 2007, and in the short time since then a remarkable amount of intercultural exchange between artists and institutions in the Netherlands and in the Middle East (or preferably called the Eastern Mediterranean) region has taken place. Dutch groups were invited to perform in various countries, and residences, trainings, workshops, master classes and co-productions have been organized in Cairo, Ramallah, Damascus, Beirut, Amman and Amsterdam. These activities will be intensified in the future thanks to partnerships that we have been able to build, and a number of grants from Dutch and European organizations.

This year a host of new performances will be shown in the festival, made and/or performed by artists from 10 countries – including one from Morocco, just ‘across the edge’. I have been impressed, surprised, awakened, touched, annoyed, and sometimes offended by these pieces, and have again been shaken out of what I thought were at least somewhat accurate perceptions that I had about ‘the region’. The artists invited to the festival have created contemporary, personal, courageous, and politically engaged performances – ones that are
influenced by and reflect upon issues at play in their lives. While there is an extremely diverse range in their styles, there is a common urgency in their work that make the pieces exciting and relevant to audiences there and here. These artists’ talent is paired with an incredible level of entrepreneurship, creativity, versatility, and yes, tolerance.

I invite you to take a look at the world through their eyes during the festival!

Gary Feingold – Artistic Director