London’s leading international dance festival, Dance Umbrella, will present the London premiere of Dance is Not for Us by acclaimed Lebanese choreographer Omar Rajeh and Cie Omar Rajeh & Maqamat at The Pit, Barbican, on 16–17 October.
One of the Arab world’s leading contemporary choreographers, Rajeh returns to London with an intimate solo performance that blends dance, storytelling and political reflection. Founder of Maqamat and the Beirut International Platform of Dance (BIPOD), Rajeh has spent more than two decades redefining contemporary dance in the Middle East. His work has been recognised internationally, including being named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.
Performed alone on stage, Dance is Not for Us is both deeply personal and universally resonant. Rajeh reflects on memory, loss and the experience of growing up in Lebanon after the civil war, asking what it means to continue creating when surrounded by uncertainty and destruction.
The performance draws on Rajeh’s practice of maqam, a form of instant composition that embraces improvisation and treats the body as a constantly evolving space of movement and possibility. Rejecting conventional structures, the work transforms performance into a shared encounter between artist and audience, exploring resilience, hope and the power of collective presence.
“It might have been weird on many levels that I chose dance in a country that was coming out of civil war, destruction, death and loss,” says Rajeh. “However, dance at the time seemed to be the most revolutionary, the most provocative, and the most confrontational.”
Presented by Dance Umbrella in partnership with the Barbican, the production forms part of the festival’s 2026 programme, with further performances to be announced in the coming months.
