The Day After

Music: Mohammad Mahdi Behrad (Ney)

Movement and Film edit: Katie Duck

Film Images: Ilaria Honsinger

Doors open: 19:30

Show: 20:00-21:00

Drinks: 21:00-22:00

Behrad learned the art of Ney as a child from shepherds in the mountain foothills of northern Iran.

Katie Duck was introduced to Behrad one year ago on his visit to the Netherlands. They played a duet and discovered a connection.

Delighted that he has returned to the Netherlands, their performance is a hypnotic experience, inspired by timeless folkloric love stories, with the glow of the Ney, partnered with live movement and Film.

Background:

One of Katie Duck's students in Movement Improvisation (Sara Behrad), returned to Iran in 2014. Despite the ban on dancing there, she performed secretly for a small group of spectators.

To support her, Katie Duck created an audio tape for Sara to use during her performances. This tape also contained recordings of the voice of Sara's father, Mohammad Mehdi Behrad. Katie Duck, who had long been interested in working with Iranian music, learned that Sara's father was a master at playing the NEY, Iran's oldest and most mystical musical instrument. This aroused her curiosity and desire to meet him and explore possible collaborations.

In the winter of 2023, Mohammad Mehdi traveled to the Netherlands to visit his daughter, who was now living there. This provided the opportunity to collaborate with Katie Duck on an experimental performance in Amsterdam, for a group of music and dance artists. After returning to Iran, Katie used parts of Mohammad Mehdi's music to create a new solo performance called The Day After. She was determined to create a performance, freely inspired by a timeless Iranian love story, in case Mohammad Mehdi came to the Netherlands again.

Now that this special collaboration between two masters — after more than half a century of experience in their respective art forms — becomes reality, they present a unique performance, characterised by a strong spiritual connection, to the Dutch audience.