Heartbeats

With her new performance Heartbeats Nastaran Razawi Khorasani presents an intimate and compelling story about life and parting. A performance that moves and disrupts, but also offers space for solace, imagination, and what makes life worthwhile.

Central to the story is Dian Sahertian-Boers, a young woman, in the prime of her life, diagnosed with a terminal illness. Her words express openness and a zest for life. How did Dian view her mortality? What were her desires? Did death mean the end for her, or would she live on in another way? The conversations between Dian and Nastaran form the beating heart of Heartbeats: a performance that doesn't shy away from death, but rather shows what gives life meaning.

Nastaran: “In this life – shaped by ideas of progress and control – there is very little room for the unavoidable end. Is my own fear of dying perhaps a fear of the great Nothing? While looking for answers, I met Dian.”

Together with her creative team – with whom she also made the acclaimed Songs for no one and This is not a dance – Nastaran has created a documentary, physical and visual performance. Dian’s words, the light and the music follow their own heartbeat in a constantly changing space, representing a world beyond death.