Israel & Mohamed, a production that premiered at the 2025 Avignon Festival and has since been presented on major European stages, will be performed in Bucharest for the opening of the fall program of Arcub’s International Theater Season.
Created by Zirlib and IGalván Company, the production brings together flamenco dancer and choreographer Israel Galván and French writer and director Mohamed El Khatib.
Born in Seville into a family of dancers, Israel Galván is one of the leading figures in contemporary flamenco. He has collaborated with artists including Akram Khan and Marlene Monteiro Freitas; he received Spain's Premio Nacional de Danza and the New York Bessie Performance Award, and was named an Officer of France's Order of Arts and Letters in 2016.
Mohamed El Khatib, a French writer, director, producer, and visual artist of Moroccan origin, works at the intersection of theatre, literature, film, and visual arts, drawing inspiration from documentary practice. His works often stem from personal experiences and real-life stories, which he transforms into reflections on family, memory, and contemporary society.
In Israel & Mohamed, the two artists “bring their respective worlds, artistic practices, and personal journeys closer together in a dialogue where differences prove just as fertile as common ground.”
Beyond its intimate dimension, Israel & Mohamed becomes a living archive of personal stories, historical moments, and the history of dance.
“Israel Galván and Mohamed El Khatib represent artistic disciplines and worlds that seem very different, yet on stage they find a language at their intersection, a polyphonic one in which movement, gesture, words, and filmed images converge around a common point: the rift between generations. Their dialogue is, at its core, a conversation with their fathers and with the latter's difficulty in accepting the reality and choices of their sons," Oana Borș, curator of the Arcub International Theatre Season, explains.
"With humor, self-irony, and sometimes sadness, the two artists turn these wounds into stage material. Beyond its intimate dimension, Israel & Mohamed becomes a living archive of personal stories, historical moments, and the history of dance, while also offering a journey into Mohamed El Khatib's poetic universe,” she added.
The 2026 edition of Arcub’s International Theatre Season, themed “Crisis/Crises,” highlights "intergenerational tensions and the conflict between inherited legacies and the freedom to shape one's own identity."
The performance is scheduled for October 23 and October 24 at Arcub – Hanul Gabroveni. It is presented in French and Spanish, with Romanian and English surtitles.
The October 23 performance will be followed by a Q&A session moderated by director Theodor Cristian Popescu, as part of the “Artist to Artist” program.