as part of the Fabbrica Europa 2026 festival
in collaboration with

Dance People is a title that speaks for itself. It places the values of community at the heart of creativity, claiming its presence through shared space with citizens and allowing new formats of being together to emerge.

In a world driven by intelligent algorithms and AI, some of today’s most urgent questions are about gatherings, encounters, and how we live with one another. What is the space of democracy? Of culture? Of identity? How do we open space, protect it, inhabit it together?

With a diverse and rich artistic group, Omar Rajeh and Mia Habis invite the audience into a collective creative moment. The work becomes joyful and festive, yet remains sharply critical of power and supremacy.
Dance People is not a performance to observe from afar. It’s a gesture to share. A space to inhabit.

Omar Rajeh is a choreographer and dancer, founder and artistic director of Maqamat. After establishing his base in Lebanon in 2002, he relocated to Lyon in 2020, continuing to create, tour, and develop projects between Lebanon, France, and internationally.
Across more than twenty choreographic works presented on major international stages, Rajeh develops a practice that questions the politics of gatherings and relationships. He treats space as a living composition of meaning: how it is arranged, occupied, and negotiated shapes the nature of relationships. His recent production Dance People (2025) stands as a landmark in his trajectory.
He founded BIPOD – Beirut International Platform of Dance, one of the key contemporary dance platforms in the Levant, and co-founded the Masahat network, connecting artists and organizations worldwide. He initiated Takween, an intensive training program, and Moultaqa Leymoun, a platform supporting young and established choreographers through accompaniment, visibility, and exchange.
In 2017 he established Citerne Beirut, a pioneering choreographic and cultural center in Lebanon.
After its forced dismantling in 2019, he created Citerne.live in France: a digital platform dedicated to artistic circulation, documentation of practices, and new forms of encounter between artists, structures, and publics.
For his contribution to culture, he was distinguished by the French Ministry of Culture as Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

artistic concept, direction and choreography: Omar Rajeh
co-artistic direction: Mia Habis
performed by Elise Bruyère, Clara Cafiero, Jihun Choi, Cristian Cucco, David Cahier, Mia Habis, Estelle Piatoni, Julie Louise Bjelke, Nunzio Perricone and Omar Rajeh
music composition and live interpretation: Mathias Delplanque and Ziad El Ahmadie (based on the Album L’Ombre de la Bête)
voice: Abdul Karim Chaar
scenographic concept and architecture L.E.F.T. Architects (Makram Kadi & Ziad Jamaleddine)
visual artist: Estelle Piatoni
dramaturgical advise: Peggy Olislaegers
researcher: Tom Helmer
interactive experience: Tamanoir Immersive Studio (creative director – Sam Lecoeur / producer – Rémi Large)
lighting design: Guy Hoare
video graphics & animation: Jimmy Elias
technical assistant: Julien Laurent
light technician: Tom Pritchard
sound technician: Philippe Balzé
production and coordination: Valentin Crepain
administration: Sandrine Orlando
co-produced by Edinburgh International Festival, LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura and Festival Aperto / Fondazione I Teatri – Reggio Emilia, International Dance festival München, Kunstfest Weimar and Euro-Scene Leipzig
creative residency at CND Lyon, CND Pantin, Festival de Liège / Manège Fonck, Fabbrica Europa, Mufatthalle – The Venue for International art and culture in Munich, Les Subs-Lyon, Montpellier Danse
supported by Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée (CNC) and DRAC Auvergne Rhône-Alpes

Dance People received the award of Fondation E.C.Art POMARET, and was nominated for the FEDORA VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize 2025

photo (detail): Tommy Ga-Ken Wan