22 April: 21:30 AHMED - i feel you like the moon feels the earth
23 April: 21:30 AHMED - i feel you like the moon feels the earth

liquid mirror molding into reflective bodies
as we are the scatter of the same shimmer
attempting attempts

like being on the edge of a waterfall
constantly passed on from one hand to another
while staying with their in-between

literally holding 
landscapes that we cohabitate
as containers of things

to me you do not end where you are 
i become who i am as you are close to me
i feel you like the moon feels the earth
the mere fact that we sense one another in proximity
through durations hardening then lasting
through distances equally vast on their scale
on the trampoline that we bounce from

being a space-for-the-world as a matter of range
where the curiosity of our eyes is confronted 
never being able to include every drop 

i risk losing you at zero distance

Zero Encounters is a durational performance project that took place in Amsterdam from 10 to 16 November 2023. During this period, Ahmed consecutively encountered six different strangers, each for 24 hours, without speaking. Participants signed up for the project via an online invitation. Ahmed accompanied them throughout their day, during which the participant took charge of how and where the day was spent. The intention was to set a condition of proximity over a period that would be long enough for an intimacy of presence to emerge, wherein they would not rely on verbal language to negotiate desires, but rather attempt to become familiar with each other otherwise.

‘i feel you like the moon feels the earth’ bridges the journey of conjunction from memory to this moment of holding space together. 

Performance: Ahmed El Gendy, Clotilde Cappelletti, Estéfano Romani; Sound: Eleni Maragkou; 2nd year Mentor: Miguel A. Melgares; 1st year Mentors: Chupan Atashi, Jassem Hindi

Thanks toDAS Choreography peers and tutors for their support and attentive engagement – Alina, Leandro, Cornelius, Simone, Simone, Zander, Isis, Mario, Laura, Clarinda, Jordan, Juan Felipe, Setareh, Alice, Katerina, velvet, Konstantina, and Jeroen.

Thanks to Mauro Terzi, Aurélien Lepetit, Krystel Khoury, Noha Ramadan, Elisa Zuppini, Andreas Hannes, Eroca Nicols, Udo Akemann, Catalina Insignares, Lina Issa, Connor Cook, Toni Steffens, Manuel Kiros Paolini, and to washing machines Gertrude, Fatima, and Bubble-Ann.

Special thanks toZero Encounters participants for their trust, curiosity and generosity – Mara van Nes, Mattias Duyves, Meii Soh, belit sağ, Dick Zijp, and Altaf Makhiawala.