SPIELART Festival: STORY OF...

European premiere

In the discourse around childbirth and motherhood, medical complications and other difficulties associated with female fertility are often only discussed in private and kept secret from the outside world. After her own complicated journey with fertility and motherhood, Egyptian theater director Laila Soliman decided to bring other women's stories to the stage. In STORY OF..., dancer Sherin Hegazy creates a gentle dialog with words and images of women sharing their personal experiences with motherhood - from pain and loneliness to joy and strength. Through pelvic and abdominal movements, the piece combines contemporary dance with belly dance - an art form that traditionally celebrates fertility and joy. However, the unusual musical line-up with multi-instrumentalist Nancy Mounir shifts the emotions towards pain, sadness and resistance. A plea for self-determination and female solidarity. Since presenting her production NO TIME FOR ART at SPIELART in 2011, Laila Soliman has been a guest at the festival several times in recent years.