Run-Through Performance of The Third Circle

A run-through performance of The Third Circle will take place on June 4 at The Sunflower Theatre.

What direction would art take if it were subject to Islamic law? How would music and dance find their expression if they were made according to the tenets of the Sharia? These were the principal preoccupations in the research carried out by Lebanese artists Nancy Naous (choreographer) and Wael Koudaih (composer), which led to their new production.

The Third Circle is an installation and a performance, based on interviews made in Lebanon with several Muslim scholars, religious leaders and experts in Islamic law. After showing them a video of extracts of a dance performance, the duo questioned them on how this piece might be created so as to conform to Islamic law. The intention was to find out, with regard to both the dance and the music, what would be authorized by the Sharia.