Category: HAPPENING NOW

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HAPPENING NOW

OPEN CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS

OPEN CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS
Beirut Choreography Encounters (BCE) 2026

I- Subject of the Call

Beirut Choreography Encounters (BCE), a two-week festival by Beirut Physical Lab, will take place in October 2026, showcasing Lebanese and Arab voices in contemporary dance through performances, workshops, discussions, and artistic exchanges.

This open call invites international artists to present their work, perform in front of an audience, and engage in a dynamic environment of exchange and networking, building meaningful relationships with the Lebanese contemporary dance and physical theatre scene from October 14 to October 25, 2026.

The festival aims to create an international platform connecting artists from different countries and backgrounds while strengthening artistic dialogue between local, regional, and international contemporary performance practices.

II- Eligibility Criteria

  • Open to international artists
  • Emerging and established choreographers and performers
  • Projects can be: performances, works-in-progress, or site-specific works
  • Open to multidisciplinary and hybrid formats
  • Work should be related to contemporary dance, physical theatre, and movement-based practices

III- Application

Applications are submitted through this form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSS6GYKz34KrDvbrQyBpQcnxiWtlR5x4_Svv_-LaYIN0ByGQ/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Required materials:

  • Artistic description of the project
  • Video link (full work or excerpt)
  • Short bio of the artist(s)
  • Technical and administrative information

Duration:

  • 10–25 minutes (work-in-progress)
  • Performances

Deadline: June 20, 2026
Notification: July 15, 2026

IV- Festival Program

  • Performances: A blend of local and international performances showcasing diverse styles and perspectives.
  • Masterclasses & Workshops: Led by established artists to enhance skill development among participants.
  • Traditional Dance Workshops: Highlighting local dance forms and cultural heritage.
  • Round Tables & Conferences: Discussions featuring curators and professionals from different regions with a focus on local and regional artists, opportunities, and challenges in the contemporary dance scene.
  • Curator Engagement: Bringing together curators from various countries to focus on Arab artists, with a special segment dedicated to emerging artists.
  • Training & Mentorship: A program designed to offer residency, training, and artistic support for five companies from different countries, focusing on emerging Arab artists.

V- What the Festival Provides

  • Performance space (theatre, public space, or site-specific locations)
  • Technical support depending on the venue
  • Accommodation in Beirut during the festival
  • Access to workshops and all festival activities
  • Visibility within the local and regional dance scene

Additionally:

  • Beirut Physical Lab can provide official invitation and support letters for selected artists to help them apply for visas, mobility grants, or travel support through cultural institutes, embassies, and funding organizations.
  • The festival team may also support selected artists in identifying possible funding opportunities or mobility programs whenever possible.
  • BCE encourages international artistic exchange and aims to create long-term connections between international artists and the contemporary dance and physical theatre scene in Lebanon and the Arab region.
Categories
HAPPENING NOW

Beirut Choreography Encounters 2026

OPEN CALL For Arab Dance Platform

Open Call for Lebanese and Arab artists (BCE):

I-            Subject of the call:

Beirut Choreography Encounters (BCE), a two-week festival by Beirut Physical Lab, will take place in October 2026, showcasing Lebanese and Arab voices in contemporary dance through performances, workshops, and discussions.

This open call invites Lebanese and Arab artists to present their work, perform in front of an audience, and engage in a dynamic environment of exchange and networking, building meaningful relationships with the Lebanese contemporary dance and physical theater starting from October 14 to October 18.

  II. Eligibility Criteria

  • Open to Lebanese and Arab artists (based in the region or abroad)
  • Emerging and established choreographers and performers
  • Projects can be: performances, works-in-progress, or site-specific works
  • Open to multidisciplinary and hybrid formats
  • Work should be related to contemporary dance, physical theatre, and body-based practices 

III. Application

Applications are submitted through this From:  https://forms.gle/UbrXKujizCWvHZd19:

  • Artistic description of the project
  • Video link (full work or excerpt)
  • Short bio of the artist(s)
  • Technical and administrative information
  • Duration:
    • 10–15 minutes (work-in-progress)
    • performances

Deadline: June 15, 2026
Notification: July 15, 2026

IV-   Festival Program:

·   Performances: A blend of local and international performances showcasing diverse styles and perspectives.

·   Masterclasses/workshops: Led by established artists to enhance skill development among participants.

·   Traditional Dance Workshops: Highlighting local dance forms and cultural heritage.

·   Round Tables & Conferences: Discussions featuring curators and professionals from different regions with a focus on local-regional artists, opportunities, and challenges in the contemporary dance scene.

·   Curator Engagement: Bringing together curators from various countries to focus on Arab artists, with a special segment dedicated to emerging artists.

·      Training & Mentorship: A program designed to offer residency, training, and artistic support for five companies from different countries, focusing on emerging Arab artists.

 V. What the Festival Provides

  • Performance space (theatre, public space, or site-specific locations)
  • Technical support depending on the venue
  • Accommodation in Beirut during the festival
  • Access to workshops and all festival activities
  • Visibility within the local and regional dance scene

Additionally:

  • 4 selected artists/projects will receive performance fees, 
  • Mentorship support for 2 selected works-in-progress
  • Travel support for 2 selected Arab artists may be covered 

VI. Schedule & Locations

Selected projects will be presented between October 14–18, 2026, in various cultural spaces, theatres, and public locations across Beirut.
The schedule and location will be defined based on each project’s needs and format.

OPEN CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS
Beirut Choreography Encounters (BCE) 2026

I- Subject of the Call

Beirut Choreography Encounters (BCE), a two-week festival by Beirut Physical Lab, will take place in October 2026, showcasing Lebanese and Arab voices in contemporary dance through performances, workshops, discussions, and artistic exchanges.

This open call invites international artists to present their work, perform in front of an audience, and engage in a dynamic environment of exchange and networking, building meaningful relationships with the Lebanese contemporary dance and physical theatre scene from October 14 to October 25, 2026.

The festival aims to create an international platform connecting artists from different countries and backgrounds while strengthening artistic dialogue between local, regional, and international contemporary performance practices.

II- Eligibility Criteria

  • Open to international artists
  • Emerging and established choreographers and performers
  • Projects can be: performances, works-in-progress, or site-specific works
  • Open to multidisciplinary and hybrid formats
  • Work should be related to contemporary dance, physical theatre, and body-based practices

III- Application

Applications are submitted through this form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSS6GYKz34KrDvbrQyBpQcnxiWtlR5x4_Svv_-LaYIN0ByGQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=105433120823815155232

Required materials:

  • Artistic description of the project
  • Video link (full work or excerpt)
  • Short bio of the artist(s)
  • Technical and administrative information

Duration:

  • 10–25 minutes (work-in-progress)
  • Performances

Deadline: June 20, 2026
Notification: July 15, 2026

IV- Festival Program

  • Performances: A blend of local and international performances showcasing diverse styles and perspectives.
  • Masterclasses & Workshops: Led by established artists to enhance skill development among participants.
  • Traditional Dance Workshops: Highlighting local dance forms and cultural heritage.
  • Round Tables & Conferences: Discussions featuring curators and professionals from different regions with a focus on local and regional artists, opportunities, and challenges in the contemporary dance scene.
  • Curator Engagement: Bringing together curators from various countries to focus on Arab artists, with a special segment dedicated to emerging artists.
  • Training & Mentorship: A program designed to offer residency, training, and artistic support for five companies from different countries, focusing on emerging Arab artists.

V- What the Festival Provides

  • Performance space (theatre, public space, or site-specific locations)
  • Technical support depending on the venue
  • Accommodation in Beirut during the festival
  • Access to workshops and all festival activities
  • Visibility within the local and regional dance scene

Additionally:

  • Beirut Physical Lab can provide official invitation and support letters for selected artists to help them apply for visas, mobility grants, or travel support through cultural institutes, embassies, and funding organizations.
  • The festival team may also support selected artists in identifying possible funding opportunities or mobility programs whenever possible.
  • BCE encourages international artistic exchange and aims to create long-term connections between international artists and the contemporary dance and physical theatre scene in Lebanon and the Arab region.

Categories
DANCE LABS HAPPENING NOW 
Graces by Silvia Gribaudi 
A Humorous Contemporary Dance Performance 
  • Tuesday 9th, 9:00PM
  • Al Madina Theater

  • The Italian Cultural Institute & Beirut Physical Lab in Collaboration with Zebra Production presents an award-winning humorous contemporary dance performance: “Graces”
  • Graces is a project inspired by The Three Graces, a sculpture created by Antonio Canova between 1812 and 1817. The work draws from mythology: Zeus’ three daughters – Euphrosyne, Aglaea, and Thalia – radiate splendor, joy and prosperity. Three male figures – Siro Guglielmi, Matteo Marchesi, and Andrea Rampazzo – take the stage in a space and time suspended between the human and the abstract: a place where male and female meet without roles and dance to the rhythm of nature itself. They perform together with the author Silvia Gribaudi, who likes to define herself as ‘author of the body’ because her poetics elevates imperfections to an art form with a direct, cruel, and empathetic comic style without any boundaries among dance, theater, and performing arts.
  • Over the past ten years, Silvia Gribaudi has been questioning gender stereotypes, female and male identities, and the concept of virtuosity in dance and daily life, expanding beyond clichés and appearances.
  • “With generous humor and radical empathy, the Italian choreographer Silvia Gribaudi elevates notions of human imperfections into an art form beyond clichés and appearances. Drawn from the sculpture The Three Graces (Antonio Canova 1812-1817) – representing Zeus’ daughters Euphrosyne, Aglaea, and Thalia – the three male performers together with Silvia search for new meanings of the word ‘grace’. With dance and text, but most of all with warmth and lightness, the performance reveals a core of our humanity.”
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HAPPENING NOW

about us

Beirut Physical Lab

Beirut Physical Lab aims to become a hub for movement-based art and exploration. A focal point for local and international artists to connect, exchange ideas, and collaborate, fostering a rich and safe creative environment.

Who is Beirut Physical Lab? 

Beirut Physical Lab is an independent organization that aims to develop the physical theater and contemporary dance scene in Beirut and its surroundings. Its objective is to support amateur and professional artists by creating a safe space to express themselves, work on their personal projects, and give them tools to develop their skills.

We empower artists to develop a discerning eye, engage in constructive conversations, and provide a judgment-free platform for growth.

Beirut Physical Lab offers diverse workshops for emerging performers and movement enthusiasts, fostering skill development, expanding our regional movement vocabulary, and promoting personal and collective growth.

Through collaborations with local and international artists, Beirut Physical Lab amplifies artistic voices, enriching Beirut’s cultural tapestry and enhancing appreciation for contemporary dance and physical theater. We aim to present a fresh perspective on these art forms in our local scene.

What do we do? 

Workshops and Classes

We offer weekly contemporary dance classes focusing on technical and improvisation skills. By coming together regularly, dancers have the opportunity to move and grow together in a supportive and safe environment. We also organize workshops with established local and international professionals. The workshops offer advanced training and creative exploration for professional dancers/performers while also providing an open space for all practices to include movers enthusiasts that want to discover more the art of movement and connect with their bodies.

DanceLabs

In collaboration with local and international artists, we organize intensives that offer a range of durations, including short intensives lasting less than a month and longer ones that extend beyond a month. These intensive practices provide a valuable platform for emerging artists to refine their skills and learn from experienced professionals. During the intensives, participants engage in rigorous training and creative exploration, culminating in the creation of a performance. These performances are then showcased across Beirut and various locations in Lebanon, allowing the emerging artists to share their artistic expressions with a wider audience.

Performances 

Performances are created in multiple ways. They can be the result of an intensive practice, our annual BeiRoot Bodies performance, guest performances and from artists within our community. Providing exposure for artists, a platform to showcase their art, and fostering a supportive and constructive environment for both performers and audience members, enriching the contemporary dance and physical theater scene.

Spaces

We aspire to establish and provide dedicated practice spaces for contemporary artists in Beirut— spaces that meets their specific needs and fosters creativity, collaboration, and growth. Providing a supportive environment for artists to develop their skills, create new work, and exchange ideas. We aim to provide artistic residencies, rental space for workshops and rehearsals, and hope to facilitate the growth of the local dance scene.

Festivals

Inviting local and international artists to contemporary/physical theater festivals. We seek to create a platform for diverse performances and expanding artistic experiences in Beirut. These festivals will offer networking opportunities for local and international artists, fostering collaborations and cultural exchanges. 

Research and Exploration 

At the core of our projects and creations are dance labs and movement research. We aim to explore movements that are rooted in our bodies, collective history, and everyday life. We embrace the richness of our cultural heritage and roots and integrate them into contemporary dance and physical theater.

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