Nine to Five Box

5 min.         Premiere 25. 12. 2020

Contemporary Dance, Dance Video, Clay Art, Original Sound Design

Cast

Director/Concept: Jamal Suleiman

Producer: Studio 8, Jamal Suleiman

Choreography: Jamal Suleiman, Odai Talal, Mohammad Qattan

Performance:

Mohammad Qattan,

Akka Hamdan,

Oday Talal,

Daniel Issa

Videography: Amr Abu Eitah

Visual Art (Clay): Leila Hajbi

Sound design: Yazan Abu Jarad

Movement Advisor: Abd Al Hadi Abunahleh

Production adviser: Xiaoman Ren

Light design: Next Generation International

Photography: Reema Shatat, Xiaoman Ren, Maria Asenova

This production has been realized as part of “Choreography Creation Camp” (CCC) organized by Studio 8, with the support of Drosos Foundation, EUNIC Jordan and European Union in Jordan.

“This performance takes a place with 5 performers, to perform a reflection of how we want to escape from our 9-5 routine but we are pulled back to it without realizing.”

— Jamal Suleiman (Director)

Story Behind

"People have been suffering from the nine to five routine since ages without being aware about the fatal outcomes of wasting most of our lifetimes following the trend/routine.

Also, people always tell us to think outside of the box but once we try to do something else or different, they get offended by seeing new outcomes, or even surprised as its odd to them and they try to push you back to the same ”box” they asked you to get out from. One of these boxes is the NINE TO FIVE routine.

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Nine to Five Box is a dance project that could be performed as a 'live performance' or a 'dance video'. Tt’s inspired by the daily formal routine for formal and non-formal jobs with the limitation and struggle it creates that leads to a “loop/routine” to eventually getting 'Boxed'."

— Jamal Suleiman (Director)

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The Process

"The main objective of this project is to be understood to everyone by facing and expressing the reality of being trapped and stuck in a specific routine, using the natural movement by collecting it using the conceptual improvisation approach which is improvising by using the body movement to deliver the storyline behind a whole concept.

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Additionally, I have experimented in incorporating live clay art with dance on stage to reflect the working system we live in, how it is designed to control us and to get stuck in without realizing. My choice of music is to collaborate with Music producer, audio engineer, Yazan Abu Jarad, to use sound from office equipment and tools, and design an original sound track for this piece."

— Jamal Suleiman (Director)

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A special thanks to Next Generation International, which is a company based in Jordan of comprehensive family of Lighting design and product.