Review: Cosmos

There’s a smart and subtle joke made by Ashtar Muallem on worldwide rules around smoking. With a poker face and a twinkle in her eye, wrapped in aerial silks, suspended in the air, the Palestinian contortionist and dancer takes a deep draw on her vape and invites the audience to light up and smoke with her. No one takes her up on it, the rule breaking clearly doesn’t feel right. As she glides slowly down the silks, it’s her gentle provocation on violations of international law. 

She has created a soulful, beguiling show, covering meditation, bodily autonomy, spirituality and identity, while she gracefully flexes and undulates, weaving her personal backstory into the history of occupation in Jerusalem, where she was born. Her poise and allure is offset with oddball moments too – she crosses her eyes and pops her neck like a cartoon for a section where she says she can read auras in the crowd. The strangeness and sensuality allow her to explore pain without confronting the audience directly. With the smell of zaatar and onions, the soft touch of silk and massage and quiet drones from a Tibetan singing bowl, she’s made an enchanting, mystical meditation on her country and our collective wellbeing.