The Power (of) the Fragile, a duet between mother and son is an authentic narrative and performance from Mohamed Toukabri and Latifa and is part of Shubbak Festival, the UK’s premier festival of contemporary Arab arts and culture. Shubbak Festival is taking place across London, key UK locations, and online throughout 23rd June – 9th July 2023.
In this UK premier, The Power (of) The Fragile Mohamed invites Latifa, his mother to join him on stage. After being apart for several years, they find each other again in the theatre.
A meeting of two worlds, two bodies and two minds. Latifa always dreamt of being a dancer, Mohamed made it his profession. The borders of their bodies blur, making it hard to decipher where one ends and the other starts. Their lives and dreams start to merge, and only time claims its space between mother and son.
The Power (of) The Fragile is a collection of images, reflections on what the relation between mother and son can look like, on what it means to be home and to go away. It is a performance about movement, of bodies and people, about weight and what it means to carry weight, about being together and being apart. It is a tender portrait of a close relationship, and a pamphlet for our right to go wherever we want to go.
Tarek Iskander, Battersea Arts Centre Artistic Director & CEO says: “We are very excited to welcome Mohamed Toukabri (an artist I love) to BAC as part of the Shubbak Festival. This wonderfully physical show is universally relatable – a touching and uplifting story of a mother and son, and how their relationship has endured separation during the Covid lockdowns.
The Power (of) the Fragile will be the first of out Shubbak Festival productions. It’s vital that we keep bringing international work to our stages and sharing perspectives that would otherwise be absent from the London theatre scene. Our partnership with Shubbak will help us bring these remarkable artists and varied viewpoints to the capital for many years to come”
Mohamed Toukabri was born in Tunis and began dancing at the age of 12, starting with breakdance. He joined the Sybel Ballet Theatre (TN) led by Syheme Belkhodja (2002 – 2008). At the age of 16, Mohamed trained in Paris at the International Academy of Dance. In 2007 he returned to Tunis to study at the Mediterranean Centre for Contemporary Dance. He worked with the choreographer Imed Jemaa in 5 productions between 2006 and 2008.
In 2008, he started his studies at P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels, a dance school directed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. As well he collaborated with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet.
Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, London, SW11 5TN from 27th – 29th June. www.bac.org.uk
Pay What You Can tickets are available.
