Sometimes, our deepest memories surface not through words but through movement. The collaboration between Melih Kıraç and Tamara Kamola Rashidova, titled New Skin for an Old Ceremony, graces Arter’s Karbon Hall on Sunday, November 2. This work is more than dance; it is a wholly abstract choreography stemming from an unscathed memory buried in the depths of a memory that grows layered with age.
The performance originates from choreographer Kıraç’s visit to a village in Konya, where his grandmother was sent for adoption in the 1930s, triggered by her passing. This journey intersects with the experiences of Uzbek dancer Tamara Kamola Rashidova, who grapples with a disconnection from her mother tongue in her dreams. At this intersection, Kıraç weaves past, present, and future, searching for pathways in the “now.”
Rashidova’s body, in this process, celebrates shedding skin, dissolution, and transience. She engages in a remembrance process through a repertoire that is perpetually reborn—too fluid and alive to be captured by archives. The performance’s dramaturgy is enriched by Utku Kara’s lighting design, Hilal Polat’s costume design, and Akira Rabelais’s music.
This captivating, single-act, 40-minute performance invites the audience to wander through the layers of animated memory, prompting reflection on their own past and existence.
Performance Details:
- Choreography: Melih Kıraç
- Performer: Tamara Kamola Rashidova
- Co-Production: Beykoz Kundura
- Venue: Arter, Karbon Hall
- Date and Time: Sunday, November 2, 2025, at 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM (Two shows)
