What happens when we detach ourselves from the image others project onto us? Amira al Rawi, Jundary Leocaria, and Cherella Gessel are reclaiming control over their identities. They reflect and react to the limiting projections imposed upon them.

This evening, Amira's solo performance, titled Layla, will premiere. Everyone knows the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet, but further afield in the world, the story of Layla and Majnun is much more famous. The love between Layla and Majnun is also cruelly disrupted and made impossible. The passion they feel for each other will never become a reality. Being trapped in a web of social conventions, expectations, and imposed limitations that make it seem impossible to follow one's own path and make one's own choices. The longing for an unattainable love is what Amira feels in her desire to be a woman and a dancer without feeling trapped in that web of social conventions, expectations, and imposed limitations. Which certainly increased during the lockdown.

This evening is complemented by a dance film by Jundary Leocaria, in which she searches for her roots through her DNA. Dance, music, visual art, and poetry come together in a quest that begins in Curaçao and spreads across various continents. Additionally, Cherella Gessel is creating a compilation from her performance Yoniverse especially for this evening. Through her self-written hip-hop songs, she travels the path towards healing and balance within herself. A relatable theme for anyone who gets stuck in thought patterns and stigmas.

Rotterdam-based experimental artist Fatima Roobe is also part of this FRESH evening. In her journey of escaping the constraints of 'having to be', her final destination is 'wholeness'. Her work is always between worlds: from digital to print and from image to sound. Her work is a translation of pain and shame into joy and imagination.

Beforehand, a video will be shown about the creation and process of the performance. The performance is part of the Urban Talent program of the Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie.

Performance duration: 75 minutes (subject to change).

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