Always Habibi, Never Friends
Aisha Naamani x NDCWales
Research + Development
Grounded in family archives spanning from the 1960s to the 2000s, this piece is a tribute to the soulmates you don't marry, but could never live without—because you are always habibi, never just friends. It captures the juxtaposition of a country marked by adversity yet fuelled by an unshakeable love for life, movement, and the chaos of Lebanon that doesn't make sense but works anyway.
Choreographer // Aisha Naamani
Dancers // Niamh Keeling, Piers Sanders + Matthew Sandiford
Rehearsal Directors // Charlotte Pook + Lee Fletcher
Dramaturg // Faye Tan
BTS // Megan Pritchard + Faye Tan
Supported by // National Dance Company Wales
Always habibi, never friends. Habibi (m) / Habibti (f), in Arabic directly translates to ‘my love’, or ‘my lover’, but is widely used as a term of endearment throughout the Middle East. The research and development was developed alongside National Dance Company Wales dancers, and supported by the Labaratori Project. This work influenced Aisha's later work alongside Hanan Issa, Ble Mae Bilaadi?
Inspired by Ziad Doueiri’s West Beirut, this R&D explores the striking contrast between the adversity of the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990) and the vibrant, unbreakable spirit of its people. Through hand gestures, architecture, and the spoken Arabic language, it brings the sensory heartbeat of Lebanon to life. Guided by a mother’s memory, the work weaves together food, music, and the beautiful chaos that somehow makes perfect sense—ultimately celebrating a culture of profound generosity, movement, and resilience.
April 2022 at National Dance Company Wales, Ty Dawns.
Aisha's Family Scrapbook; Beirut 1970 + 80s
Always Habibi, Never Friends
Aisha Naamani x NDCWales
Research + Development
Grounded in family archives spanning from the 1960s to the 2000s, this piece is a tribute to the soulmates you don't marry, but could never live without—because you are always habibi, never just friends. It captures the juxtaposition of a country marked by adversity yet fuelled by an unshakeable love for life, movement, and the chaos of Lebanon that doesn't make sense but works anyway.
Always habibi, never friends. Habibi (m) / Habibti (f), in Arabic directly translates to ‘my love’, or ‘my lover’, but is widely used as a term of endearment throughout the Middle East. The research and development was developed alongside National Dance Company Wales dancers, and supported by the Labaratori Project. This work influenced Aisha's later work alongside Hanan Issa, Ble Mae Bilaadi?
Inspired by Ziad Doueiri’s West Beirut, this R&D explores the striking contrast between the adversity of the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990) and the vibrant, unbreakable spirit of its people. Through hand gestures, architecture, and the spoken Arabic language, it brings the sensory heartbeat of Lebanon to life. Guided by a mother’s memory, the work weaves together food, music, and the beautiful chaos that somehow makes perfect sense—ultimately celebrating a culture of profound generosity, movement, and resilience.
April 2022 at National Dance Company Wales, Ty Dawns.
Choreographer // Aisha Naamani
Dancers // Niamh Keeling, Piers Sanders + Matthew Sandiford
Rehearsal Directors // Charlotte Pook + Lee Fletcher
Dramaturg // Faye Tan
BTS // Megan Pritchard + Faye Tan
Supported by // National Dance Company Wales
