“Oasis” is an evening-length, multimedia dance theater work for seven dancers, conceived and choreographed by Nejla Yatkin in 2013. The piece features original music by Iranian-American composer Shamou and video design by Patrick Lovejoy.
At its core, “Oasis” explores the contrast between the desert and the oasis. Like magical realism in literature, the work blends the mystical and the real, where the ordinary and the extraordinary coexist in the same space.
Using the desert and the oasis as metaphors, the piece delves into themes of identity, veiling, torture, and spirituality. It navigates the intersection of the imagined and the actual, drawing from both the external perception of the Middle East and the inner realities of those living within it. The desert, while stark and unforgiving, also holds a strange beauty. The oasis, in contrast, appears dreamlike—an elusive promise that sustains life even in its most fragile state.
The desert and the oasis exist in a delicate balance, their relationship characterized by tension, harmony, and fluid shifts between opposition and interdependence.
Past Performances:
June 6th, 7th, 8th, 2013 Festival Internacional de Danza Nueva in Lima, Peru
June 9th-13th, 2013 performances in Trujillo, Peru
July 12th, 13th, 2013 Bates Dance Festival in Maine
July 27th and 28th, 2013 Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York: Tickets get here
August 19th, 2013 as part of the Millennium Stage presenting program performance will be held in the Family Theater of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC
October 31st to November 4th, 2013 at the Storefront Theatre in Chicago in the Cultural Center of Chicago.
December 9th to the 16th in New Orleans at the Civic Theatre as part of the National Performance Network Conference
At its core, “Oasis” explores the contrast between the desert and the oasis. Like magical realism in literature, the work blends the mystical and the real, where the ordinary and the extraordinary coexist in the same space.
Using the desert and the oasis as metaphors, the piece delves into themes of identity, veiling, torture, and spirituality. It navigates the intersection of the imagined and the actual, drawing from both the external perception of the Middle East and the inner realities of those living within it. The desert, while stark and unforgiving, also holds a strange beauty. The oasis, in contrast, appears dreamlike—an elusive promise that sustains life even in its most fragile state.
The desert and the oasis exist in a delicate balance, their relationship characterized by tension, harmony, and fluid shifts between opposition and interdependence.
Past Performances:
June 6th, 7th, 8th, 2013 Festival Internacional de Danza Nueva in Lima, Peru
June 9th-13th, 2013 performances in Trujillo, Peru
July 12th, 13th, 2013 Bates Dance Festival in Maine
July 27th and 28th, 2013 Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York: Tickets get here
August 19th, 2013 as part of the Millennium Stage presenting program performance will be held in the Family Theater of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC
October 31st to November 4th, 2013 at the Storefront Theatre in Chicago in the Cultural Center of Chicago.
December 9th to the 16th in New Orleans at the Civic Theatre as part of the National Performance Network Conference
Tickets for New York performance please click here
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Journal
Washington Post Reviews
Tuesday 1st, May 2012I am excited to share that the Washington Post selected it as one of the best events for that weekend and we received a wonderful review as well. Please, read the Washington Post preview here and the review here
Oasis in Columbia
Monday 30th, April 2012Before leaving to Colombia I just finished our first installment of "Oasis - Everything you ever wanted to know about the Middle East but were afraid to dance." I am excited to share that the Washington Post selected it as one of the best events for that weekend and we received a wonderful review as well.
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