This double-bill programme brings together two solo works exploring identity, the body, and performance at Édifice Wilder – Espace Orange in Montréal. The event runs September 10–13, 2026, and is recommended for audiences 16 years and over. An artist discussion follows the September 11 performance.
The first work, Howa walla heya d'aujourd'hui (35 minutes) by Achraf El Abed, is a solo dance piece about rebirth and identity in the space between cultures. Drawing on street jazz, contemporary dance, voguing, Tunisian folk dance, and oriental dance, it addresses themes of exile, living with HIV, and self-discovery through movement. The title phrase — meaning roughly 'he or she of today' — reflects the fluid, in-between identity the work inhabits.
The second work, Capital Erotica (30 minutes) by Kaia Portner, deconstructs the codes of burlesque and go-go dancing to examine desire, femininity, and the tension between intimacy and power. Portner's showgirl persona, Nomi Nova, serves as the vehicle through which glamour and vulnerability are placed in dialogue with economic and sensual forces.
The event carries tags of Intimate, Performance art, Physical, Sensitive, and Visceral — signalling emotionally and physically engaged work. Audiences are advised the content may be sensitive.
লাইনআপ
Achraf El Abed
Achraf El Abed is a Tunisian-born product designer by profession and a dancer, choreographer, and performer by passion. His practice spans street jazz, modern jazz, contemporary dance, voguing, Tunisian feminine folk dance, and oriental dance. He created his first solo, Howa Walla Heya, for the opening of the Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival in 2019, and relocated to Montréal in 2022, where he continues to perform at events including Festival du Monde Arabe, Orientalys, Laylit, and Festival MURAL.
Kaia Portner
Kaia Portner is a Montréal-based dancer, choreographer, and showgirl performer whose work bridges contemporary dance, burlesque, and nightlife performance. She holds a BFA in Contemporary Dance and Choreography from Concordia University. Her solo Capital Erotica was presented by Tangente as part of Danses Buissonnières in 2024, and she performs under the showgirl persona Nomi Nova, developed through Montréal's nightlife scene.
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