SZENE
Salzburg

Choreographer Ulduz Ahmadzadeh and set designer Till Krappmann explore and reinterpret ancient pre-Islamic and often forbidden indigenous dances of the Persian Plateau in their collaborative works for the ATASH عطش contemporary dance company, translating them into contemporary artistic contexts.

In search of transcultural dance affinities, they embark on a journey with ZĀĀR from the Persian-Arabian Gulf region to the African continent. They trace the footsteps of the Z̄ar cult, which is based on the belief that spirits can penetrate the human body as winds, causing psychological or physical suffering. The Zār spirits can only be “danced out” through rhythms, trance states, and offerings under the guidance of a Mama or Baba Zār, accompanied by Zār daughters. ZĀĀR updates the mystical power of the Zār cult and its healing rituals as a transformative, ecstatic dance trip, where human fears, desires, and resilience find a space to be collectively experienced.

The piece reconstructs and reinterprets the underrepresented dance traditions and knowledge systems of Southwest Asia, drawing musical inspiration from melodic particles of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps. With this choreography, which is demanding in its complexity and precision, Ulduz Ahmadzadeh responds to an era in which the vocabulary of contemporary dance undergoes constant hybridization, while not overlooking colonial dynamics.

• atashworks.com/