Year
2025
Mbi Fjalë” (Beyond Words) is a contemporary dance performance that reimagines Albanian cultural heritage through a modern, performative lens. Drawing from traditional rituals, music, costumes, and collective memory, the work creates a living dialogue between past and present. Rather than simply reproducing folklore, the piece transforms its essence—symbols, rhythms, and social structures—into a contemporary choreographic language for the audience to contemplate.
Through a physical and emotional exploration of identity, belonging, and transmission, Mbi Fjalë examines what is carried beyond spoken language: gestures, rituals, and embodied knowledge passed from generation to generation. Traditional instruments and vocal elements are interwoven with contemporary soundscapes, while reinterpreted costumes bridge ancestral aesthetics with modern design.
At its core, the piece uses the body as an archive—holding memory, history, and transformation. Mbi Fjalë positions dance as a powerful medium of cultural continuity and exchange, offering an immersive experience that speaks across borders and generations, beyond words.
This project was made possible with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Albania and the German Embassy in Tirana, in collaboration with the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet Albania and the University of Arts in Tirana.
Direction | Choreography: Blenard Azizaj
Music: Tomor Kuçi
Set Design: Blenard Azizaj & Beqo Nanaj
Costumes: Sofi Kara
Assistant Choreographers: Rowan Schratzberger and Mariel Brahimllari
Soprano: Nina Muho
Actor and Performer: Rafael Hoxhaj
Performers:
Rowan Schratzberger
Semela Skenderasi
Mariel Brahimllari
Katerina Goga
Chiara Xoxi
Elion Guri
