Göbek Aski

Çigdem Polat received a grant to develop the project Göbek Aski: a physical theater performance about the experience of that which cannot be spoken. About being silent together and eating together. About moving away from each other and toward each other again. Finding and meeting each other in the gray area between rejection and acceptance. A story about leading a double life and the silent love languages in an Islamic family. An ode to families where despite a glaring lack of acceptance, an unspoken, loving connection is expressed.

Çigdem is a physical performer, playwright and intuitive movement coach. Her work is a mix of physical theater, dance and text. She touches on taboo-breaking themes related to mental health, cultural conflict and sexual identity. Her movement language is inspired by sign language, the animal and subconscious body, among others. In her performances, she displays an intense world of feelings where she invites the viewer to experience the power of vulnerability. She graduated from the Academy for Theater and Dance in Urban Contemporary Dance and has appeared in Belgian Rules/Belgium Rules by Jan Fabre, SYZYGY by Jakop Ahlbom and Quake by Casper Vandeputte (Theater Utrecht and DOX), among others.