The term “Laboratory” encompasses all aspects of experimentation, the unexpected, and exploration, which is precisely the mission of the dynamic platform Beirut Physical Lab. Since its inception, it has been an interactive, stimulating, creative, and accessible space, generating numerous activities around contemporary dance and performing arts in Lebanon. The arrival in Lebanon this month of Silvia Gribaudi and her hilarious quartet with the show GRACES, which will be presented at the Madina Theatre on Tuesday, July 9, confirms this fact.
But first, a few words about Beirut Physical Lab and its founders, Bassam Abou Diab and Andrea Fahed, both trained dancers. Coming from an oriental background—Dabké for Bassam and oriental dance for Andrea—they found themselves in contemporary dance, which offers multiple paths to artistic creativity by integrating various techniques and genres. Bassam trained as a dancer and choreographer with Omar Rajeh’s Maqamat troupe, and it was with the idea of continuing to elevate contemporary dance in Lebanon by creating opportunities and encounters that he founded BPL in 2021, later joined by Andrea. In a country in turmoil and decline, they created this community to combat the feeling of losing oneself in the inertia of chaos. It is a form of survival through movement and dance, where the body speaks in the face of the failure of other forms of expression. As its name suggests, it is an experimental space with a structure that is both flexible and solid. Flexible because it does not limit itself to a single genre of bodily expression but embraces anything that can turn the body into a theatrical or narrative tool. The training workshops welcome both dancers and actors. Solid because, with the workshops they provide by inviting dancers and troupes from different cultures, BPL aims to nourish the future generation of dancers and performers, elevate dance to the status of Art, and make it a means of freedom against all forms of obscurantism. Solid also, and especially, due to the level of rigor that the practice of dance requires.
The regular collaborations hosted by BPL have been met with great enthusiasm from Lebanese dancers and performers, who have taken the opportunity to develop their talents and gain varied experiences by being exposed to new visions from foreign or local choreographers and ways of approaching dance and live arts without barriers of language, culture, or belonging. An enrichment in both directions. These “laboratories” are not based on purely technical or aesthetic learning of dance but rather on human exploration and the sense of movement. BPL has thus hosted more than 30 foreign choreographers, created nine performances, three live shows, and welcomed over 400 Lebanese and Arab dancers. Its audience already exceeds 2500 spectators.
It is within the framework of these “Dance Labs,” which are intensive training sessions, that BPL and the Italian Cultural Institute are inviting this year the Italian choreographer Silvia Gribaudi. The workshop, open to both professional dancers and amateurs, will take place intensively (five hours of classes) every day from July 8 to 13. This training will conclude on July 13 with a “Public Sharing,” a custom-made performance created by the choreographer and her students, where the dancers will have the opportunity to show their work to an audience. It is a way to experiment with the gaze of others on oneself, explore the sensations of the stage, and free oneself from judgment. The workshop also offers morning classes for those who wish to participate without taking part in the final performance.
And it is on July 9 at the Madina Theatre that Silvia Gribaudi and the three male dancers accompanying her will present the show GRACES. Riding on its success, this show, which has become famous in the world of contemporary dance, arrives in Lebanon. Created in 2019, it has toured European festivals with resounding success. Uncommon, playful, mischievous, it disrupts the rules of aesthetics in an entirely free and uninhibited manner that both questions and captivates. Silvia Gribaudi is an Italian choreographer and performer. Plump and curvaceous, she has chosen to fully embrace her curves and put them in the spotlight rather than hide them. Because she does not fit the image expected of a professional dancer, she can with wit and intelligence choose self-mockery to break free from aesthetic standards and show that technique liberates the body from all social dictates. It is around this freedom that her work is centered, and she achieves it through humor and laughter. It is thus in swimsuits and socks that she and her three male companions, also undressed, engage in a piece that is both funny, warm, and extremely delightful. The show is inspired by the Three Graces, a sculpture by Canova depicting Zeus’ daughters in perfect forms. Silvia Gribaudi takes the opposite view of this work, with a succession of scenes, each more hilarious than the last. What if, with her curves, Silvia Gribaudi were the very definition of lightness? In any case, she certainly has grace.
Penned by Maya Trad
To learn more, click Here
https://www.agendaculturel.com/articles/beirut-physical-lab-recoit-la-danseuse-silvia-gribaudi
But first, a few words about Beirut Physical Lab and its founders, Bassam Abou Diab and Andrea Fahed, both trained dancers. Coming from an oriental background—Dabké for Bassam and oriental dance for Andrea—they found themselves in contemporary dance, which offers multiple paths to artistic creativity by integrating various techniques and genres. Bassam trained as a dancer and choreographer with Omar Rajeh’s Maqamat troupe, and it was with the idea of continuing to elevate contemporary dance in Lebanon by creating opportunities and encounters that he founded BPL in 2021, later joined by Andrea. In a country in turmoil and decline, they created this community to combat the feeling of losing oneself in the inertia of chaos. It is a form of survival through movement and dance, where the body speaks in the face of the failure of other forms of expression. As its name suggests, it is an experimental space with a structure that is both flexible and solid. Flexible because it does not limit itself to a single genre of bodily expression but embraces anything that can turn the body into a theatrical or narrative tool. The training workshops welcome both dancers and actors. Solid because, with the workshops they provide by inviting dancers and troupes from different cultures, BPL aims to nourish the future generation of dancers and performers, elevate dance to the status of Art, and make it a means of freedom against all forms of obscurantism. Solid also, and especially, due to the level of rigor that the practice of dance requires.
The regular collaborations hosted by BPL have been met with great enthusiasm from Lebanese dancers and performers, who have taken the opportunity to develop their talents and gain varied experiences by being exposed to new visions from foreign or local choreographers and ways of approaching dance and live arts without barriers of language, culture, or belonging. An enrichment in both directions. These “laboratories” are not based on purely technical or aesthetic learning of dance but rather on human exploration and the sense of movement. BPL has thus hosted more than 30 foreign choreographers, created nine performances, three live shows, and welcomed over 400 Lebanese and Arab dancers. Its audience already exceeds 2500 spectators.
It is within the framework of these “Dance Labs,” which are intensive training sessions, that BPL and the Italian Cultural Institute are inviting this year the Italian choreographer Silvia Gribaudi. The workshop, open to both professional dancers and amateurs, will take place intensively (five hours of classes) every day from July 8 to 13. This training will conclude on July 13 with a “Public Sharing,” a custom-made performance created by the choreographer and her students, where the dancers will have the opportunity to show their work to an audience. It is a way to experiment with the gaze of others on oneself, explore the sensations of the stage, and free oneself from judgment. The workshop also offers morning classes for those who wish to participate without taking part in the final performance.
And it is on July 9 at the Madina Theatre that Silvia Gribaudi and the three male dancers accompanying her will present the show GRACES. Riding on its success, this show, which has become famous in the world of contemporary dance, arrives in Lebanon. Created in 2019, it has toured European festivals with resounding success. Uncommon, playful, mischievous, it disrupts the rules of aesthetics in an entirely free and uninhibited manner that both questions and captivates. Silvia Gribaudi is an Italian choreographer and performer. Plump and curvaceous, she has chosen to fully embrace her curves and put them in the spotlight rather than hide them. Because she does not fit the image expected of a professional dancer, she can with wit and intelligence choose self-mockery to break free from aesthetic standards and show that technique liberates the body from all social dictates. It is around this freedom that her work is centered, and she achieves it through humor and laughter. It is thus in swimsuits and socks that she and her three male companions, also undressed, engage in a piece that is both funny, warm, and extremely delightful. The show is inspired by the Three Graces, a sculpture by Canova depicting Zeus’ daughters in perfect forms. Silvia Gribaudi takes the opposite view of this work, with a succession of scenes, each more hilarious than the last. What if, with her curves, Silvia Gribaudi were the very definition of lightness? In any case, she certainly has grace.
Penned by Maya Trad
To learn more, click Here
https://www.agendaculturel.com/articles/beirut-physical-lab-recoit-la-danseuse-silvia-gribaudi
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