The Love Behind My Eyes by Ali Chahrour
Shubbak Festival 2025
About The Love Behind My Eyes by Ali Chahrour
The Place is proud to present The Love Behind My Eyes by Ali Chahrour. This poetic and deeply political dance performance is anchored in the stories, legends, and lyrical poetry (ghazal) of the Arab patrimony, and particularly in the ancient story of the forbidden love between Bin Daoud and his lover Bin Jamea, who lived in times of social and religious turmoil. Full of radical tenderness and breathtaking slowness, two bodies full of sensuality and love are overcome by great sadness and infinite oppression.
This performance is part of Shubbak Festival, celebrating contemporary Arab cultures across London through dance, music, theatre and family events.
About Ali Chahrour
Born in Beirut, the choreographer and dancer Ali Chahrour, invents a gesture freed from Western codes and models, which acts as a reflection of his culture and the political, social and religious context in which he evolves.
In his trilogy “Death” - Fatmeh (2014), Leila’s Death (2015) and May he Rise and smell the fragrance (2017) - he summoned funeral liturgies mixing tradition with a sharp modernity. He then undertook a second series of performances devoted to “Love”, with Night (2019), followed by Told by my Mother (2021), Iza Hawa (2023) and concluded with The Love Behind My Eyes, that won the ZKB Patronage Prize at the 2022 Zurich Theater Spektakel.
Combining lyrical poetry and tangled bodies, Ali Chahrour's performances were presented at Avignon festival in 2016, 2018 and 2022 and in many other festivals around the world. Currently, he is preparing to work on a new trilogy around the theme of “Fear”.
Cast & Creatives
Directed and Choreographed by: Ali Chahrour
Performed by: Leila Chahrour, Chadi Aoun and Ali Chahrour
Music: Abed Kobeissy
Production director: Christel Salem
Light design, Scenography, & Technical director: Guillaume Tesson
Communication Officer: Chadi Aoun
Art and design: Chadi Aoun
Copywriting: Isabelle Aoun
Translation to French: Hoda Jaffal
Production: Ali Chahrour
Co-production: Kunstfest Weimar / Culture Resource / Les Rencontres à l’échelle Festival, Marseille / Hammana Artist House / Houna Center / Art Jameel
Trailer
The Love Behind My Eyes Trailer