Review: DANCE IS NOT FOR US, Barbican Centre

Loss is a complicated reality. People deal with it in different ways, you have to, as does it ever truly go away?

Cie Omar Rajeh, the Lebanese choreographer and cultural architect has lost a lot - in basic terms his home and personal/professional life in Beirut. Rajeh is a big player in the Arab dance world having founded Maqamat in 2002, a “pioneering contemporary dance organisation”. Due to political unrest and the Beirut Port explosion in 2020, Rajeh and Maqamat relocated to Lyon, France.

In practical terms I assume the relocation was welcomed, but emotionally I imagine the work is ongoing. In his work Dance is Not for Us presented at Dance Umbrella 2026 this point is clear. The piece is part journal/part physical explosion. A digital backdrop acts as a screen where narration and thoughts appear. Often it behaves like a stream of consciousness, discussing starting points for the work itself, reminiscing about what came before, contemplating what might be ahead. It's personal, sometimes overwhelming, always authentic.

Rajeh enters the stage with a fern. He explains plants were a big thing in his family, and then reaffirms this with say 100+ small basil plants. Initially they stay in trays, then get dotted around the stage space, then get given to audience members to keep. A moment of connection feels apparent.

In relation to movement Rajeh has developed a methodology called maqam, a “practice of instant composition where the dancing body creates its own rules, logic and hope” - some would call this improvisation, but it's clear Rajeh's method has a more personal underpinning.

At no point did Rajeh communicate question or doubt. His movement structure felt confident and cohesive, even in moments that had less obvious physicality. The lower body was a combination of hop, skip and jump, the upper, a glitchy, intricate pattern of gestural exploration. He travelled using swirling arcs and sharp diagonals, moments of frustrated exasperation gave way to contemplative fatigue.

The music included repetitive, percussive tracks and well known regional singers. When the sound was more local Rajeh fed into this and conveyed flavours seen in Dabke, traditional Lebanese dance.

Dance Umbrella is known for programming original, international work you might not see otherwise, and Dance is Not for Us by Rajeh is a perfect example of this. The work is personal and particular, but the concept of loss is something everyone can connect with and contemplate. 

Cie Omar Rajeh & Maqamat: Dance is Not for Us showed at Dance Umbrella on 16-17 October. Dance Umbrella continues until 30 November

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