creative production / off-the-shelf product

while we weave / short film

 

A Yaraqa — silkworm in English— intricately weaves a delicate yet strong silk-webbed cocoon around itself as it literally transforms into its full potential. The single thread it produces is valuable to the entire luminous fabric. Using the quality of this tiny creature at work, particularly the weaving stage, as a metaphor, 11 dancers/movers and a camera met in an old silk factory to create "While We Weave", a collaborative dance video.

While We Weave is collaborative short dance video that was filmed in the Silk Museum of Bsous on April 10 to 12, 2015. In partnership with The Silk Museum, and in their first collaboration, Corinne Skaff, Wafa’a Halawi, and Raya Kazoun worked with 11 performers (contemporary dancers, Lebanese folklore dancer, capoeira mover, parkour mover, circus artist), and a small production team to cinematically and physically explore the life cycle of the silk worm in the various spaces of the silk museum. The stages of individual growth and expansion, weaving of the cocoon, and production of silk thread inspired a spirit of collaboration that honoured the physical vocabulary and input of each individual dancer towards moving encounters, thus acting as a metaphor for an emergent and growing contemporary dance community in Lebanon.

This project is an invitation to view the Lebanese Silk Heritage through a modern day lens, to revive these silk spaces, and reintegrate them in a new and creative way. It is a proposition to together explore and experiment with movement and images towards the collective creation of a dance film. 

 

tour dates:

  • International Premiere | 16 - 20 March 2016 | Cinedans Amsterdam Film Festival | The Eye, Amsterdam

  • Lebanese Premiere | 3 May - 6 November 2016 | The Silk Museum | Bsous, Lebanon

  • Jumping Frames International Dance Video Festival 2016 | 4 - 8 August 2016 | Hong Kong,

  • São Carlos Videodance Festival | 18 - 19 August 2016 | Sao Paulo, Brazil

  • ScreenDance Festival | 24 - 29 April 2017 | Stockholm, Sweden

 

collaborators & partners

Producer: Yaraqa | Director: Wafa'a Celine Halawi | Choreographer: Corinne Skaff | Performers: Bassam Abou Diab, Corinne Skaff, David El Achkar, Elissa Mansour, Lisette Chehade, Malek Andary, Rabih Yammine, Rami "Cavalo" Eid, Romy Assouad, Romy Lynn Attieh, Yara Boustany | Production Manager: Romy Assouad | Director of Photography: Nabil Assaf | Camera Operator: Mark Ghssoub | Costume Designer: Raya Kazoun | Assistant Choreographer: Marielise Aad | Assistant Production Manager: Lulwa Gedeon | Assistant Director: Julien Chehouri | Assistant Costume Designer: Lunma Saleh | Production assistant: Youmna Mroue | Editor: Karam Al Ghossein | Credits Editor: Rana Maalouf | Music Composer: Maya Aghniadis | Set Photographer: Rima Maroun | Poster Photographer: Sami Dagher | Colorist: Dima Geagea | Intro Filming Team: Ghina Daou & Fadi El Samra | Poster & Intro Designer: Hanane Kai | Partners: The Silk Museum (Venue), Ministry of Tourism, Crepaway (Food), Amalgam (Rehearsal Space), Danceware (Apparel), Media Square (Equipment), Pixelmob (Grading), Tunefork Recording Studios (Music Mastering), BoPrint (Printing), SquareFit (Exhibition Equipment), ProSign (Exhibition Equipment)

WhileWeWeaveCommunity
Romy Lynn Attieh
Romy Lynn Attieh

Contribution: Performer

About her: She is a dancer and has produced, organized and participated in various dance projects in Lebanon. She is currently completing an MA in Anthropology (American University of Beirut), with an emphasis in kinship. She also works as a writer, editor, and translator.

Link(s) to her work: www.facebook.com/amalgambeirut

Lisette Chehade
Lisette Chehade

Contribution: Performer

About her: is a Lebanese dancer and performer. She has practiced various kinds of dance and somatics, and has worked with many choreographers from Lebanon and abroad. A freelancer and part of BCI – Beirut Contact Improvisation, she is also a pilates instructor, which has added a different dimension to her dance carrier. 

Link(s) to her work: TEDxRamallah - Lisette Chehade & Oussama Abdel Fattah

 

 

Bassam Abou Diab
Bassam Abou Diab

Contribution: Performer

About him: Contemporary and folklore dancer and actor, more coming soon

Link(s) to him work: coming soon

Rami "Cavalo" Eid
Rami "Cavalo" Eid

Contribution: Performer

About him: He is an Actor, Capoeirista, Personal Trainer, and a competitor in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Link(s) to his work: Linkedin, Capoeira Luanda Page

Corinne Skaff
Corinne Skaff

Contribution: Choreographer, Performer

About her: Lebanese dance artist and pedagogue. Co-founder of Yaraqa dance initiative and The Beirut CI sessions. Her CI practice and teaching is informed by contemporary dance techniques, physical theatre and Somatic practice principles. She approaches and proposes CI as a resourceful practice of self embodiment.

Link(s) to her work: While We Weave

David el Achkar
David el Achkar

Contribution: Performer

About him: David is an entrepreneur and a mover. He has an eclectic background in rock climbing, modern dance, parkour, juggling, and much more. Professionally, he’s founded and led multiple tech startups, and has worked as a CEO, consultant, fundraiser, event director, and mentor; for startups, not-for-profits, and Fortune 500 companies. David has a deep love of movement and exploring the limits of human potential.

Link(s) to his work: David.achkar.com, twitter.com/daveachkar

 

Elissa Mansour
Elissa Mansour

Contribution: Performer

About her: Elissa is a 15-year-old contemporary dancer. In parallel with her school, she has been training in contemporary and classical ballet dance in Alice Massabki Dance School with dance teachers Caroline Hatem, Alice Massabki, Corinne Skaff. S

Link(s) to her work: While We Weave

Malek Andary
Malek Andary

Contribution: Performer

About him: He is a choreographer and dancer. Malek graduated with a BA in Archaeology from the Lebanese University in 2001 and was the founder of Marhabtain Organization for preserving Lebanese heritage and culture. He taught dance since 1996 and in addition to his dancing in several prominent shows in Lebanon, he was the choreographer of a number of dance performances for theater and television. Malek is an official CID (UNESCO/ Paris) member and is representing Lebanon in national and international festivals since 1999.

Link(s) to her work: Marhabtain Organization, Youtube

Romy Assouad
Romy Assouad

Contribution: Production Manager, Performer

About her: She from a background of computer graphics and dance. She has been training in classical ballet and contemporary dance at Alice Massabki Dance Institute and participated in various workshops in contact improvisation, folklore, theater, yoga, and pilates. She has performed in folklore dance theater performance “Woman Below The Line” with choreographer Malek Andary & contemporary dance performance "Sideways Rain" with Company Alias. Her multidisciplinary background has also inspired her to devise concepts to make dance more accessible to people, co-founding Yaraqa Dance Initiative.

Link(s) to her work: While We Weave

Rabih Yammine
Rabih Yammine

Contribution: Performer

About him: Contemporary dancer and chef.  He is also a chef in his self-owned catering business "Lunchbox." He believes daily meals don't need to be boring and can be homemade with a twist. Lunch Box visits a different cuisine everyday, delivering global spices to your office or home. A choice of traditional Lebanese food, like mouloukhiyeh, moghrabiyeh, fattouch and co., are also available. 

Link(s) to his work: Lunchbox by Rabih

photos from the making off to the filming