Shiraz

In the organizer's words:

SHIRAZ

by Armin Hokmi (Berlin)

Once upon a time, there was a festival. World-class. In Shiraz, the cultural metropolis in southern Iran. Where Bob Wilson, Peter Brook, Karl-Heinz Stockhausen, John Cage, among others, met dance from all over the world. Today, the myth of the event inspires a young choreographer. But the utopia came to an end long before he was born and became an actor, first in Iran and later in Europe, before he finally turned to dance. In SHIRAZ, Armin Hokmi evokes the ideals of the 1970s festival of the same name, which brought together the most diverse artistic worlds, from Western avant-garde to traditional dances from Africa and Asia. The group around Hokmi explored these very different forms and developed a minimalist-expressionist dance language that connects all these worlds: a concentrate of universal, intense sensuality that draws on the most diverse cultural contexts and yet is located in none of them. A border crosser, just like the electro beat of the piece by EHSXN and Reza R, in its genuine combination of tradition and futurism. All of this is reflected in a concise gesture, holding the hand in front of one's own face, like a path to self-knowledge shared with the audience. SHIRAZ promotes impartiality towards people, cultures and forms of expression. And the cast of the play is as international as the Shiraz Festival of Arts once was.

[Armin Hokmi's dance piece SHIRAZ refers to the ideals of the Iranian festival of the same name in the 1970s, which brought together the most diverse artistic worlds, from Western avant-garde to traditional dances from Africa and Asia. Hokmi's group developed a minimalist-expressionist dance language that unites all of these worlds. Just like the electro beat called Trap by Iranian EHSXN and Reza R, the piece transcends borders in its genuine combination of tradition and futurism.