Rhythm of Reverance
Production: Below the Skin
Premiere: September 16, 2026
Shows: September 17-20, 2026
Venue & Co-Production: Tanzhaus Zürich
Format: Full-length contemporary dance performance
About
Rhythm permeates every aspect of life, making it a fundamental part of our existence. Deeply rooted across cultures, dance has long been a practice of connection, expression, and transformation.
Rhythm of Reverence is a full-length dance production by the Zurich-based company Below the Skin. The work brings together 15 female-identifying performers across generations, cultural backgrounds, and levels of experience, from professional dancers to participants of the Open Format Workshops 2024/25.
Our research explores rituals, movement practices, and dance traditions from diverse cultural contexts, with the intention of creating a performance that highlights the intrinsic connections we share as human beings. At its core, the work reflects on how rhythm and movement support collective presence, resilience, and social well-being.
Through an immersive and evolving performance, we invite audiences into a sensory journey shaped by repetition, breath, and shared physical experience—opening a space for connection and transformation. In a time of increasing societal fragmentation, the work proposes dance as a shared and embodied practice that reconnects individuals with themselves and with others.
Artistic Approach
The choreography is rooted in rhythm-based methodologies including repetition, breath, pulse, and collective synchronization.
The ensemble works collaboratively, bringing together professional and non-professional performers from different generations, professions, and cultural backgrounds. The work is co-created within the framework of Open Format Workshops and a choreographic process grounded in collective authorship.
Movement material emerges from lived experience and shared practice. Individual expression is woven into group structures, creating a dynamic interplay between synchronization and individuality. The performance unfolds as a shifting landscape of bodies, rhythms, and relationships.
Minimal scenography, sound, and light support the physical and emotional presence of the performers, allowing the audience to fully immerse in the shared space of attention and movement.
Touring & Participation
Rhythm of Reverence extends beyond the stage through Open Format Workshops, inviting both professionals and non-professionals to engage directly in the artistic process.
Conceived as a tourable and adaptive format, the work integrates local participants at each location. Through these encounters, the performance evolves continuously, becoming a living archive of embodied knowledge - a growing network of shared experiences across places and communities.
Impact
The project creates an immersive experience that fosters connection, collective attention, and embodied awareness. By bridging professional and non-professional performers, it contributes to a more inclusive and accessible contemporary dance practice.
Credits
Artistic Direction & Choreography: Aly Khamees
Concept & Production: Jelena Mair
Mentoring: Romain Guion
Co-Creation & Performance: Chien Ching Ying, Maureen Zollinger, Yvonne Sieber, Alessandra Hitz
Music: Mohamed Shafik
Set & Lighting Design: Iris Rohr
Supported by Stadt Zürich Kultur, Fachstelle Kultur Kanton Zürich, Binding First Dance, Elisabeth Weber Stiftung
© Caroline Schmidt
Tickts coming soon
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Tickts coming soon ⋆
Team & Biographies (Selection)
Aly Khamees
Artistic Director, Choreographer & Performer
Born in Cairo, Aly Khamees is a choreographer, dancer, and actor, and co-founder of Below the Skin. His work draws from contemporary dance, power movement, and Egyptian street dance, forming his distinctive movement language “Bullet and Knife.” He has collaborated with numerous international artists and institutions and is an associated artist at Tanzhaus Zürich.
Jelena Mair
Creative Director, Concept & Production
Jelena Mair co-directs Below the Skin and develops its artistic concepts. With a background in dance, art therapy, and conflict transformation, her work connects artistic practice with questions of social change, resilience, and collective processes. She works at the School of Commons (ZHdK) and integrates interdisciplinary approaches into her artistic research.
Romain Guion
Mentoring & Strategic Advisor
Romain Guion is a choreographer, dramaturg, and cultural manager with over 25 years of experience. He has worked internationally across dance, theatre, and opera, and currently leads professional training programs at Tanzhaus Zürich and K3 Hamburg. His mentorship strengthens the dramaturgical coherence and strategic development of the project.
Chien Ching Ying
Co-Creation & Performance
A long-time collaborator of the Akram Khan Company, she received the UK National Dance Award for Outstanding Female Performance. Her work combines intense physicality with refined presence and spans international stages and choreographic projects.
Maureen Zollinger
Co-Creation & Performance
Swiss performer working across stage and site-specific formats. Her practice combines ecological somatics, voice, and interdisciplinary collaboration, exploring the human body in relation to environment and collective systems.
Yvonne Sieber
Co-Creation & Performance
Zurich-based dancer and choreographer working in contemporary and urban dance. She collaborates with international choreographers and develops interdisciplinary projects across theatre and music contexts.
Mohamed Shafik
Music Composition
Composer, choreographer, and performer from Cairo. His work bridges music and movement, blending contemporary, traditional, and theatrical forms. He brings decades of experience creating interdisciplinary performances across international contexts.
Iris Rohr
Set & Lighting Design
Zurich-based scenographer and lighting designer. Her work is defined by clarity, minimalism, and sensitivity to space and body. She integrates sustainable practices and focuses on enhancing the emotional and spatial dynamics of performance.
For Presenting Venues
Rhythm of Reverence is conceived as a tourable and adaptable production, designed to engage diverse audiences while integrating local communities into the artistic process.
The work is presented by a compact core team and can be expanded through site-specific participation formats. At each location, we offer Open Format Workshops for local participants, whose experiences and movement material can be woven into the performance. This approach creates a meaningful connection between the work, the place, and its community.
What the project offers:
A full-length contemporary dance production with strong visual and physical impact
Participatory workshop formats for professionals and non-professionals
Flexible integration of local performers
A concept that supports audience development and outreach
A living, evolving work that adapts to each context
Technical & Production Notes
Minimal scenography and flexible staging
Scalable cast structure (core team + local participants)
Music and lighting adapted for touring conditions
Ideal for:
Dance houses and theatres
Festivals with participatory or socially engaged focus
Institutions interested in community engagement and contemporary performance
We welcome collaborations with presenting venues, co-producers, and partners interested in fostering inclusive artistic practices and meaningful audience engagement.
Booking & Touring Inquiries:
Project dossier and video links upon request
Below the Skin: belowtheskin(at).proton.me