An Attempt to Understand My Socio-Political Disposition through Artistic Research on Personal Identity in Relationship to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, Part One

Tarek Halaby's production An Attempt to Understand My Socio-Political Disposition through Artistic Research on Personal Identity in Relationship to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, Part One is a politically up-to-date and potent reflection over the Palestinian cause, theatre as an art form, his own involvement and inadequacy.

The play was initially meant to be a dance performance, but underway Halaby experienced problems translating his thoughts to a physical language. The challenge became how to integrate text and thought into the performance. Humour became a tool to awaken the audience's interest and to inform, while it made it possible for Halaby to distance from personal emotions tied to the Palestinian situation.

Tarek Halaby gave us a personal performance switching between the vulnerable, the humorous and an uncomfortable confrontation. Halaby is a Palestinian-American dancer based in Bruxelles. When he was aged twelve, his mother registered him for classes in jazz dance. He hasn't quit dancing since. He worked for different companies and choreographers in New York for several years. For two years, he studied under Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker at P.A.R.T.S in Bruxelles. Halaby rapidly made his mark on the European dance stage and he has visited a number of festivals.

"I like to think of this performance as an unfinished product, an ongoing situation just like the Palestinian situation is unresolved. Originally this piece was a dance. However, in the process of creating the dance, I found myself unable to translate the text in my mind with my physical body. The process therefore became a challenge for me to figure out how to put the Palestinian situation within the context of performance. Humour became a way to distance myself from personal feelings in order to draw the interest of the audience and inform them at the same time". - Tarek Halaby 2007

Source:

BIT Teatergarasjen, Meteor 2007. 07.09.2010: http://www.bit-teatergarasjen.no -archive