Ali Chahrour's 'When I saw the sea' at Holland Festival 2026 honors enslaved women in Lebanon

Lebanese choreographer and director Ali Chahrour presents 'When I saw the sea' at the Holland Festival 2026, running June 10–14 at Theater Bellevue in Amsterdam. The performance is an ode to exploited women in war-torn Lebanon, featuring a cast including singer Lynn Abid, Abed Kobeissy, and dancers Zainah and Tima. The work draws on the testimonies of women from Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, and Bangladesh who were brought to Lebanon as domestic workers under the kafala system, a modern form of slavery. Chahrour breaks from his earlier religious and family chronicles to address global suffering, using minimal means to evoke emotion. The show premiered at the 79th Festival d'Avignon in July 2025. It is performed in Arabic and English with French surtitles.