Egypt reunites on stage with some of its most infamous ex-lovers. Together they relive old romances, recall tender moments, and whisper sweet words they once shared – before, inevitably, everything turned to poison and fell apart. Maneater is a fictional solo performance that narrates the love life of Egypt, combining drag , dance, belly dancing, cabaret and lip sync .
Choreography and concept : Hazem Header
Music design and composer : Sahba Aminikia
Video research and editing : Mary Nabil and Ahmed El Attar
Photo : Dmitrii Makhonin
Poster : Farah Khalaf
Special thanks to: Nermine Saaid, Axel Satgé, Zvonimir Dobrović
Production : NÜT Dance Company (NDC), Domino
[BIO]
HAZEM HEADER is an Egyptian contemporary dancer and choreographer. He graduated in physical education, and received additional training in the fields of personal training, biomechanics and kinesiology, and worked for a long time as a personal trainer and volleyball coach. In 2009, he decided to devote himself entirely to contemporary dance. He received his dance education at the government-run Cairo Contemporary Dance Center (CCDC) at the Cairo Opera House, where he also gained his first choreographic experience. In 2013, Hazem founded his own dance company, NÜT Dance Company (NDC). It is a Cairo-based, legally recognized dance organization that produces and creates contemporary dance, physical performances and cultural events. The company quickly attracted the attention of artists, producers and audiences, thanks to its ensemble of dancers and actors and its bold physical expression that stems from a deep humanism, expressed through the madness and joy of imagination. NDC deals with topics that are still taboo in Egyptian society, such as religion, gender and homosexuality issues, feminism and the current political situation. Since its establishment in 2013, Hazem has produced more than 100 cultural events and performances with the company, including titles such as: Life as a Party, La cena Di Casanova, Inside-out, Contempt, The Other I, BOLT!, Feu de Neige, NÜT, GEB and many others. Performances have been presented in Egypt, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Italy, Rwanda, Tunisia and Sri Lanka. From 2018 to 2020, Hazem taught theater and contemporary dance at the creative center of Cairo University. In 2017, under the auspices of his own company, he founded the Breaking Walls Festival, the first international festival of site-specific performances in Cairo. The festival has been held five times so far – in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022, while the sixth edition will be held in 2024. During the pandemic of 2020, Hazem creates his first dance film Between Heaven and Home, which was shown at the 27th edition of the Cairo International Festival of Experimental Theatre. He also realized a series of flash performances as part of the Breaking Walls Festival, held in a cafe, on the Nile River, on a bridge and in the desert. In 2021, Hazem founded the Breaking Walls Dance Film Festival, the first dance film festival in Egypt and the region. In the same year, he was selected as a member of the IETM / International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts as part of the global initiative “Global Connectors”. In 2024, he became an alumnus of The Festival Academy (an initiative of the European Association of Festivals – EFA), after participating in a New York workshop for young festival managers.
