The production of Ihsane is a unique combination of dance, music, and theatre.
The set is impressive, the music and singing haunting, the dancing wonderfully varied, complex but beautiful, and the costumes subtly colourful. And a significant mention must be made about the lighting and the visual projections, which were at times as mesmerising as the geometric images created by the dancers. It is a treat for the eyes and ears.
The premise is one of memorial for both the father and a murdered friend of the choreographer, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and expressed brilliantly by the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève.
The music has a combination of Middle Eastern and North African flavours realised by composer Jasser Haj Youssef playing the Baroque viola d’amore, Nizar Rohana on oud with percussionist Gabriele Miracle Bragintini and vocals by Fadia Tomb El-Hage and Mohammed El Arabi Serghini.
Being quite unfamiliar with Arabic, I feel the message would have been enhanced by the use of surtitles. In fact there were also phrases in other languages, French and Italian as well as English which might have benefitted from that.
