Dance People

WORLD PREMIERE at the Edinburgh International Festival, August 7–10, 2025

Dance People received the award of Fondation E.C.Art POMARET, and was Nominated for the FEDORA VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize 2025

Dance People, is a title that speaks for itself. It highlights the values of community at the heart of creativity, claiming its presence through sharing the space with citizens and allowing new formats of ‘being together’ to emerge.

In a world moving towards intelligent algorithms, data-driven minds, and AI, It seems that some of the most urgent questions today are those related to meetings, gatherings and living together. What is the space of a democracy? A dictatorship? The space of culture? Identity? Sharing space, opening the space, protecting the space, and occupying space, is what this performance explores with the artists and citizens. How to belong to the space of the other and how to allow the other to belong to your space?

Omar Rajeh and Mia Habis, invite several artists, coming from different cultural and artistic backgrounds, to join them in a collective creative process. The aim is to create an interactive performance evening that open the possibilities of sharing the space with an audience.

Dance People is a festive, joyful artistic event that is also critical of structures of power and supremacy.

Co-produced by

Edinburgh International Festival, LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura and Festival Aperto / Fondazione I Teatri – Reggio Emilia, International Dance festival München, Kunstfest Weimar & Euro-Scene Leipzig

Creative residency at CND Lyon, CND Pantin, Festival de Liège / Manège Fonck, Fabbrica Europa, Mufatthalle - The Venue for International art and culture in Munich, Les Subs-Lyon, Montpellier Danse.

Supported by Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée (CNC) & DRAC Auvergne Rhône-Alpes

Artistic Concept, Direction & Choreography Omar Rajeh Co-Artistic Direction Mia Habis Dramaturgy Peggy Olislaegers Performed by Elise Bruyère , David Cahier, Clara Cafiero, Jihun Choi, Cristian Cucco, Kinda Gozo, Mia Habis, Peggy Olislaegers, Nunzio Perricone & Omar Rajeh Music Composition & Live Interpretation Mathias Delplanque and Ziad El Ahmadie (based on the Album of L’Ombre de la Bête) Voice Abdul Karim Chaar Researcher Tom Helmer Scenographic Concept & Architecture L.E.F.T. Architects (Makram Kadi & Ziad Jamaleddine) Visual Artist Estelle Piatoni Scenographic Construction Christian François Interactive Experience Tamanoir Immersive Studio ( Creative Director - Sam Lecoeur / Producer - Rémi Large) Light Design Guy Hoare Video Graphics & Animation Jimmy Elias Technical Direction Christian François Technical Assistant Julien Laurent Production & Coordination Amina Onsy Guest Citizens & Artists to be announced for each performance

Space, is the central artistic concept of this creation. The distribution of space defines the nature of relationships and it equally defines its purpose. The performance reflects on its own gathering in order to comment on what it conveys or proposes as a value.