BEIRUT: The contemporary dance performance “Thikra,” designed by Saudi contemporary artist Manal AlDowayan and English dancer and choreographer Akram Khan, was orginally staged as a site-specific piece for the AlUla Arts Festival earlier this year. It has now been adapted and is currently touring Europe, with upcoming shows in Spain, Luxembourg, France, England, Italy and Germany.
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AlDowayan admits that, through “Thikra,” she’s “been bitten by the theater bug,” thanks to its collaborative process and live audience interaction. It has become an exciting new space for her creative expression.
“I don’t (normally) have an audience experience,” Al Dowayan tells Arab News. “In the theater world… you bow and they clap and there’s a standing ovation… the curtain goes down and the clapping doesn’t stop.”
At the heart of “Thikra” — and AlDowayan’s broader creative mission — is the act of storytelling, especially as a tool for cultural preservation.
