Photo : Bashir Al Mahayni
Bashir يشب Al Mahayni ر aka Beasho
Biography
Coming from a land marked by a history of violence, colonialism, and displacement—and having emigrated—Bashir turned to dance as an act of resistance against the violence that has struck, and continues to strike, his homeland, Syria.
He began breaking in the streets of Damascus at the age of 13. More than just a dance, breaking became a way to claim space, resolve conflict, and build connections between communities.
For Bashir, breaking was both a form of liberation from violence and a bridge to the street dance community in Montreal. Through this dance, he found a shared language with local residents, exchanging movements and stories through Hip-Hop culture. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University in Intermedia (IMCA), a multidisciplinary program where he has presented works such as Kaokab, Interspace, and Clay Play, both as a choreographer and performer. In 2024, he co-founded Molokhia Squad with Inès Chiha, with whom he presented excerpts of their work-in-progress piece, Collapse.
Artistic Approach
Clay, as a living archive A language outta words, outta forms, outta memories
Holding the weight outta displacements, outta resilience, outta my land, outta roots, outta identity, outta my beliefs.
Clay, as my body