Performing the Resurrection: al-Ba‘ṯ by Nora Amin (Nūrā Amīn)

This article is an analysis of the performance piece al-Ba‘ṯ (The Resurrection) – written, directed and performed by Nora Amin – in the perspective of a dance ritual, with all its meanings (loss, de-humanisation, oneness and survival), and through all its languages (words, gestures, lights and sounds). The aim of this study is to underline the use of all these artistic tools to resist pain, trauma and death, while at the same time rebuilding the self and the social fabric, through the sharing of memories, emotions and feelings. Every aspect of this ritual, created by the Egyptian artist following the loss of her partner in the Beni Suef fire, is associated with the idea of healing after involving others in her own suffering, which is not only an individual pain but also a collective one.