10 Years of Amalgam Studio Beirut
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Dear friends,
We’re thrilled to announce the upcoming 10-year anniversary of Amalgam Studio , a week-long celebration of performing arts, contemporary dance, artistic interventions, and community in Beirut. Taking place in June 2025, this milestone event comes at a time when our presence and your support are more vital than ever.
Amalgam Studio, founded in 2015 by choreographer Yara Boustany, is an independent performing arts space that has been a lifeline for the movement arts community in Lebanon. Located in the heart of Beirut, Amalgam has supported a decade of research, creation, experimentation, and learning in the fields of contemporary dance, physical theatre, and performance. Since 2019, Yara has been in collaboration with performer and theatre-maker Racha Baroud, and in 2022, the team was further enriched by the arrival of Farah Naboulsi as Creative Producer.
What started as a small initiative has grown into a vital ecosystem that includes classes, workshops, residencies, mentorship, festivals, and international collaborations. It’s a place where artists of all backgrounds come to create, train, and connect. It is also, at present, one of the last dedicated spaces dedicated to contemporary dance in Beirut.
In recent years, Lebanon has faced an unprecedented series of crises—the economic collapse, the pandemic, the Beirut port explosion, and the ongoing war—leaving artists and cultural workers struggling to survive and create. Many have left the country, and countless spaces have closed their doors. But Amalgam Studio continues to operate with a steady commitment to artistic practice and community engagement.
A Week of Celebration – 10 Years of Amalgam Studio
In June, we’re marking a special milestone: ten years of Amalgam Studio! To celebrate this decade of movement, creativity, and community, we are hosting a week-long series of events across different venues in Beirut.
About the Celebration:
PROGRAM
Sunday 1 June, 10am–2pm – Amalgam Studio
Object and Puppet Manipulation
A workshop with Collectif Kahraba
Thursday 5 June, 7:30pm – Metropolis Cinema
Dance Films Screening
Beirut premiere screening of a curated selection of dance films from Lebanon and the region.
Friday 6 June, 7:30pm – Barzakh
Screening of Poreux
A documentary film by Danya Hammoud, followed by a talk with the director.
Wednesday 11 June, 6:30pm – Online
With One's Double – Talk with Alia Hamdan
Alia Hamdan is a researcher in aesthetic politics and a performance practitioner.
Thursday 12 June, 6pm–8pm – Amalgam Studio
Contemporary Dance Workshop
A workshop by Beirut Physical Lab led by Bassam Abou Diab.
Saturday 14 June, 6pm – Karantina, Tannous Factory
Performances & Celebration
Opening Performance: Plastispheres
A performative installation by Nader Bahsoun, Alexandre Habre, Claudia Khachan, Natasha Karam, Roger Maaraoui, and Ali Merhi, under the direction of Yara Boustany.
Collective Performance: Restless suns – لا بدّ للشمس أن تغيب
A co-created work developed especially for the occasion, performed by: Racha Baroud, Jean Claude Boulos, Yara Boustany, Alexandra Kahwaji, Lori Kharpoultian, Marwan Sarout, Sammy Serhan, and Corinne Skaff.
DJ Sets by Aymeric Lorthiois and Mohamed Choucair.
This celebration is not only an opportunity to gather, share, and celebrate, but it’s also our way of raising urgent funds to keep Studio Amalgam alive.
Why We Need Your Support
Despite our unwavering commitment, Amalgam Studio is under serious financial threat. Rising costs, currency collapse, and reduced support for the arts have made it increasingly difficult to sustain the studio. Without emergency funding, we risk permanent closure—a loss that would be devastating for the entire performing arts scene in Lebanon.
This campaign is a call for solidarity.
Your contribution will directly support the long-term sustainability of Amalgam Studio, an independent and inclusive artistic space in Beirut. Every donation goes toward keeping the space active, accessible, and empowering for the community of artists we serve.
Your support will go toward the following areas:
*** Operational Costs & Infrastructure (60%)
Covering all operational and running costs over the course of 3 years.
This includes:
- Salaries for the core team behind Amalgam’s programs and curation
- Rent of the studio
- Electricity bills from both the government provider and private generators during power cuts
- Water bills
- Building maintenance, cleaning services, and common charges
*** Artist Residencies & Rehearsals (20%)
Offering free and subsidized residencies to 2 artists/collectives per year as part of our research residency program, offering dedicated rehearsal time in a fully equipped space for the period of one month.
*** Keeping Classes & Workshops Affordable and Accessible (20%)
Ensuring that our training programs remain low-cost and open to all by offering a wide range of regular learning opportunities for dancers, performers, and interdisciplinary artists. These include:
- Classes in dance, movement research, and voice activation
- Workshops led by both local and international guest artists
- Ongoing explorations in somatics, improvisation, and creative embodiment
- Technical and theoretical workshops in the performing arts (lighting, sound, dramaturgy, documentation, and more)
Beyond Beirut: A Global Network of Support
In parallel with our local events, solidarity events are being organized in Montreal, Berlin, Barcelona, Minnesota, and Munich, with screenings and gatherings to raise awareness and support for Studio Amalgam. We’re expanding this network—if you can host or coordinate something in your city, we would love to hear from you.
✨ Whether you can donate, share the campaign, or help us spread the word, every action counts. You’ll be helping to preserve a space that holds, nurtures, and uplifts countless artists and communities in one of the world’s most difficult contexts.
Thank you for your support,
With love and gratitude,
The Amalgam Studio Team
Organizer
Amalgam Studio Beirut
Organizer
Cherasco