Lemon Water ma’a Nana – ( Moving in your own space, and out of it) with Sahar Damoni

Class Description

Inspired by the cleansing qualities of lemon water with mint, a traditional Middle Eastern and North African drink, Lemon Water Ma’a Nana is a movement class that blends contemporary dance with somatic Scores and choreographic research. Grounded in the unique movement language and practice of choreographer Sahar Damoni, this workshop aims to deepen the connection between mind, body, and space. Participants will engage in structured exercises, open-ended explorations, floorwork, breathwork, and writing-based reflection to expand their movement vocabulary and develop choreographic tools. The class focuses on themes of identity, resilience, and transformation, and provides tools to physically address and manage the effects of stress and trauma in the body, empowering participants on their personal healing journeys to trust their bodies and intuition fully. Drawing a parallel to the nurturing qualities of watermelon, participants aim to cultivate a „green state of mind“ full of hope and a „red state of the heart“ that is warm and wise.

Sahar Damoni is a Palestinian choreographer, dancer, and educator from Shefa-Amr in the Galilee, now based in Leipzig. Her work merges embodied research with bold political and feminist inquiry, drawing from her lived experience as a Christian Palestinian woman navigating layered identities. Through a distinctive movement language, she explores resistance, cultural memory, and liberation.

Damoni holds a BA in Dance and Movement for Practicing Teachers from Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and Arts (Tel Aviv), and a BA in Business Management from the University of Derby (UK). Her academic background informs a practice that bridges physical intelligence, dramaturgical thinking, and socio-political critique.
Her choreography has been presented internationally at leading venues and festivals, including Holland Dance Festival, Fabrik Potsdam, Judson Church (NYC), Movement Research, and Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival. She has received commissions and residencies from institutions such as Staatstheater Kassel, Sadler’s Wells, PACT Zollverein, South East Dance, and the Goethe Institute.
In addition to her choreographic work, Damoni has been invited to contribute to international
platforms focusing on dramaturgy, body politics, and performance research. She participated in the Uncontrolled Gestures seminar organized by the Goethe Institute (Morocco), the Dramaturgy Online Open Forum at Onassis Stegi (Athens), and has collaborated with dramaturgs across Europe and the Middle East.
With over 17 years of international teaching experience, she leads workshops and research labs that blend contemporary technique, somatic practice, improvisation, and choreographic investigation. Her classes cultivate embodied awareness, artistic autonomy, and deep engagement with space, voice, and gesture.
www.sahardamoni.com