Conference of the Birds is an evening-length multi-media movement theater work inspired by the epic poem of Farid Ud din Attar, and embodying modern-day stories of migration.
Created by a team of artists from ten countries and five continents, ANIKAYA’s Conference of the Birds takes Attar’s original Persian poem and tells the story of our times through it – a story of migration, of finding our way, of finding community through and in our struggles. The performance asks a question that is both timely and timeless – how can we be different together? – and it proposes an answer in the bodies of the dancers, in the layering of voices, narratives and imagery.
Casting :
Direction & Choregraphy : Wendy Jehlen
Dancers/performers : Marcel Gbeffa, Ibrahim Abdo, Sarveshan Gangen, Lucian Ramos Silva, Ching-I Chang, Danang Pamungkas, Yasin Anar, Wendy Jehlen
Music : Shaho Andalibi, Shaw Pong Liu, Eric Raynaud
Live sound performance : Eric Raynaud
Visuals and video projection : David Bengali
Lightning : Stephen Petrilli
Graphic art content consultant : Pouya Jahanshahi
Upcoming shows
Kinani, International Platform for Contemporary Dance 2023, Maputo, mozambique
Infecting the City Festival 2023, Cape Town, South Africa
Ramallah contemporary dance festival 2023, Ramallah, Palestinian territory
Past shows
UBUMUNTU Arts Festival, Kigali, Rwanda
Mahaney Arts Center, Middlebury College, Vermont, USA
Bharat Rang Mahotsav Festival, New Delhi and Shillong, India
Dance Place, Washington, DC, USA
Boston Center for the Art, Boston, USA (Premiere)