Told by My Mother

In the second chapter of his trilogy on love Lebanese choreographer Ali Chahrour draws from his own family history and in torn-up Lebanon to weave a tapestry of poignant stories.

At the heart of it a mother Leila clings to her child Abbas striving to shield him from the fate of martyrdom. A little further down another mother Fatmeh who never stopped looking for her missing child Hassan. These tales echoing through time form an infinite loop of love and loss.

With their stories these ordinary heroines breathe life into the tenderness and fierce intensity of maternal love. On stage they give birth to heart-rending family portraits so striking in the infinite beauty of filial relations.

Ali Chahrour actress Hala Omran and musicians Ali Hout and Abed Kobeissy (Two or The Dragon) accompany these narratives with music inspired as much by Arab culture as by urban sounds. Through movement song words and music generations converge and fracture like the narrow and unfathomable eternal love between a mother and a child. Absolute.

Host or Publisher Singapore International Festival of Arts 2025