MEEM
a Capacity Building and Networking Project
Through a strong network of dance organizations, MEEM aims to develop and establish a platform for exchange and a solid soil for contemporary dance in the South Mediterranean region. The partnering organizations will work on building capacities and generating sustainable artistic collaborations based on theoretical and practical activities and practices related to their corresponding countries’ contexts and needs.
Partnering and collaborating organizations are:
Maqamat Dance Theatre (Lebanon), Sareyyat Ramallah - First Ramallah Group (Palestine), Tanween (Syria), Compagnie Chatha (Tunisia - France), Association Jazz Ame - Compagnie Nacera Belaza (Algeria - France).
8 artists have been selected: Bassam Abou Diab and Charlie Prince from Lebanon, Marwen Abouda and Hamdi Dridi from Tunisia, Hoor Malas and Nagham Maala from Syria, Hamza Damra from Palestine, Faissal El Assia from Morocco.
The artists will also take benefit from the experiences of 2 artists from Iran (Mostafa Shabkhan and Mitra Ziaee Kia).
The project is led by Maqamat Dance Theatre, an international dance company founded by Omar Rajeh in 2002 and based in Beirut. In a short period of time, the company has been able to emerge as a central organization in the creation and development of contemporary dance in Lebanon and the Arab region. It is considered today as the founder of a Lebanese contemporary dance scene.
MEEM Dance Congress
The MEEM Dance Congress was the final station of the MEEM project, taking place at the end of Maqamat's intensive training programme Takween from the 27th - 29th November 2017 at the Institut Francais, Deir El Qamar. Focused on the idea of creating a condition for artistic development and growth, the Dance Congress provided an opportunity for representatives from the MEEM partnership network as well as the MEEM / Takween dancers, international presenters and other guests to present new work and exchange ideas around practice approaches across the region.