After its success at the Monot Theatre back in spring 2010, Alice Massabki’s dance performance, Rech Mayya, returns for a second round at the Al Madina Theatre in Hamra. The performance will showcase an array of talents from opposing dance backgrounds, from hip-hop to the traditional Lebanese dabké to contemporary dance, mixing different disciplines into one organic, fluid piece.

Rech Mayya is based on the 1958 novel ‘Sous la Baguette du Coudrier’ (Under the Forked Stick) by the female Lebanese writer Eveline Bustros, a fierce defender of women’s rights in her time. Set in a Lebanese mountain village during the First World War, the novel follows the story of Anissa, a peasant woman and mother, facing famine, who has a forbidden relationship. She discovers the meaning of love and desire, only to be punished by the villagers and her own beloved son. ‘The themes that are tackled; feminine sexuality, the reversed oedipal relationship, have rarely been confronted with such courage and subtlety’ explains choreographer Massabki.

The performance mixes dance with text and old projected images, capturing the atmosphere of the village and its traditions, accompanied by a modern soundtrack, composed by Joelle Khoury, using a combination of traditional Arabic instruments, voices and bells.

Thur 3-Sat 5, 8.30pm and Sun 6, 5pm at Al Madina Theatre (01 753011) Saroula Centre, Hamra. Tickets (01 753010/1) LL20,000-LL30,000, students LL10,000.

Thur 10, 8pm at Safadi Cultural Centre (06 411119) Tripoli. Tickets LL20,000-LL30,000 students LL10,000.