The iconic Shakespearean play Hamlet was adapted to a contemporary dance performance by director and choreographer Monadel Antar and staged in Hanager Theater on 23 and 24 March.

The performance won a theater grant from Bibliotheca Alexandrina and was staged for the first time on 28 and 29 January 2016 in Alexandria.

Antar is mainly known for his movement-based performance pieces and choreography (Mawlana, The Blue Elephant) though Hamlet marks his first theatrical production.

In his ambitious production of Hamlet, Antar brings to the table some of the novel ideas, including some interesting techniques to be used in the set alongside his long-time collaborator and scenographer Amr al Ashraf.

"I have an obsession with Muslim and African culture… so, I always think of global or international works from that perspective,” Antar told Ahram Online in an interview published in January this year, days before the performance's premiere in Alexandria.

Hamlet is probably the most performed Shakespearean play in Egyptian theater history, however it was rarely explored in dance format.

Photos: Bassam Al-Zoghby