The project investigates participatory dance parties, drawing from the Iranian dance style Baba Karam and its use of masculine drag. Inspired by women-only parties, we would like to recreate gatherings with both performers and guests, where queer desires are highlighted and western norms concerning dance and drag are overturned. Baba Karam wants to question and reverse traditions around scenic presentations, norms in the dance field and the truths we know in relation to drag and its western implementation. The Baba Karam project questions the heterosexual and colonial/western hierarchies both in relation to production and presentation. It is also part of a larger project called “Finding Sisterhood – a decolonizing and queer mapping of contemporary dance and performing arts”.

The Artists

Nasim Aghili is a Swedish-Iranian artist, director, writer and performer. Nasim works in the field of performing and visual arts and their participatory performances, theatre installations and art in the public space  often deal with the experience of existing and living in different forms of exile and take the form of healing rituals.

Malin Holgersson is an artist, dramaturge, podcaster and editor that works mostly within performing arts and audio drama. Their work is interdisciplinary and combines text, sound, voice and body/ies. With a background as a cultural journalist and radio producer, they often use journalistic methods and stage documentary stories.

Rani Nair is dancer and choreographer, who’s works have been programmed at the Centre National de la Dance Paris, ImpulsTanz Vienna, Spielart festival Munich, Ignite! Festival of contemporary dance Delhi, Singapore International Festival of Arts. Represented at the Performing arts museum, Dance museum in Stockholm and in the book Oxford Dictionary of Dance and Re-enactment.

Ful is a queer feminist art collective based in Sweden that, through an intersectional understanding of the art event/occasion, produces performances, exhibitions, publications, podcasts and curates talks and meetings. Founded on 2008 it consists of artists and activists that are working with analysis, theory and knowledge formation through art based on queer feminist ideas, decolonial practices and postcolonial aesthetics. It has worked both in Sweden and internationally, among other things by their award-winning art magazine Ful and notable, internationally touring and award-winning performances such as Europa Europa and Mothers’ Manifest.

Credits

Company: Ful Art Collective

Nasim Aghili: director, choreographer, performer & concept

Malin Holgersson: dramaturge, sound designer, interviewer & concept

Rani Nair: choreographer, performer & concept

Baba Karam is a medium scale production of the Be SpectACTive! project.