Darija Divan

The solo Darija Divan is an attempt of a « counter-integration » from one cultural realm into another.
Following the example of the Northafrican Arabic Darija which has undergone substantial permutations over the centuries, the choreographer Lea Pischke tries to create an update of an architectural motif whose own successor represents a figure of dance: the arabesque. She re-invents new itineraries for this style element, from the Northafrican shores to Sicily, from the Renaissance banquet to its arrival on the dancefloor of a random European nightclub. Notions of language and dance oscillate somewhere between the factual and the fantastic, and everyday communication slowly enters into contact with experiences which seem to touch upon the threshold of time.

Premiere at Theatre VERLIN in Berlin, 30th of May 2019, in the frame of Performing Arts Festival Berlin. With guest performances at Barnes Crossing, Cologne in February 2020 and at Tanzhalle Wiesenburg, Berlin, 2023.

Choreography, Dance: Lea Pischke
Sound Design: Giovanni Bonelli
Lighting Design: Emilio Cordero Checa
& Reinier Martínez Badilla
Costume: Alice Fassina
Dramaturgical Advice: Guy Cools

In coproduction with: Constanza Macras / DORKYPARK
Supported by a Cultural Exchange Scholarship of the City of Berlin

With residencies at Espace Darja Casablanca, European Centre of the Arts in Dresden / HELLERAU, Uferstudios, Theaterhaus Mitte, Halle Wiesenburg, VERLIN, Arbeitsplatz Vienna

With gratitude:
Fatima Bahamou, Salim Moumou El Jeddaoui (Lessane Arabi Center Marrakech), Ahmed El Jakoubi, Loubna Ezzaki, Dragan Strunjas, Tamar Grosz, Dasniya Sommer, Sami Aleksanteri Similä, Lia Gusein-Zadé, Vincenzo Racioppi, Bruno Pocheron and the entire collective at Wiesenburg 55 e.V., Adil Hüsrev Tepe, Barbara Pischke, Alice Döhmann-Rohwold, Rosslyn Wythes