Throughout a year process of research on the notions of propaganda, aesthetics and ruptures, a core set of relations with artists have been developed, and a decision was taken to reinvent the festival's nature and focus. How aesthetic canons are shaped by ideology, and how shifts and ruptures in histories alter our views of beauty, contemporaneity, cultural superiority and identity is at the core of the festival. Throughout discussions, meetings, international platforms or publications, the process poured its content towards a season.

Following the production of a set of texts by researchers Sawsan Gad, Abdullah Al Bayyari, Ismail Fayed and Adham Hafez, the festival's nature, direction and choices open themselves to friction with the volatile daily reality of the current Arabic speaking world. What happens if what would have been the program of 12 days in 12 days, would become the program of 12 days in six months? A festival that thinks as it happens, and extends itself into unknown futures and on turbulent grounds. A festival that is shaped by the desire to dance, and the knowledge of scarcity.

The edition 2014 is hence the "Forever" edition. 'Forever' is curatorially placed as a poetic and institutional problem, that perhaps unites the themes of the festival: propaganda, aesthetics and ruptures

Come for a series of performances by artists reflecting on beauty, power, and ruptures.

Pre-launch: TransDance Festival
Date: 3rd and 4th November 2014, 7pm
Venue: Rawabet Theater, Hussein Mimar Street,
Downtown, Cairo- Egypt


TransDance is an international festival of contemporary dance and performance, questioning the very institution of what a festival is itself, through performances, exhibitions, talks and research processes. Established in 2007, TransDance is produced by HaRaKa, and in 2014 it tilts towards a slow, pensive season of events. 


Festival Opening
11th and 12th November 2014: DESTROY // CAIRO of Leyya Mona Tawil (USA/ Palestine/ Syria)
Rawabet Theatre, 8pm

TransDance 14 is supported by ARC.HIVE, Embassy of Netherlands in Egypt, British Council Cairo, AJZ- Yerevan, TYCHO

Special Thanks to: Ahmad Aiyad