Alexandre Paulikevitch

Alexandre Paulikevitch (Arabic: الكسندر بوليكيفيتش‎; born February 20, 1982) is a Lebanese artist living in Beirut, Lebanon. He is one of very few male Arab belly dancers, and is known for his thought provoking work and the social issues he tackles through his art. He studied at the University of Paris VIII majoring in Theater and Dance.

He returned to Beirut in 2006, where he is now permanently based, and has since "been creating spaces of reflection on Middle-Eastern dance through his work as a choreographer, a teacher and a performer". Today he specializes in contemporary Baladi dance, a new dance form he has created and divulged.

Paulikevitch was born in Lebanon where he grew up in a conservative Christian neighborhood of Beirut. He embraced his sexuality early-on and came out as a homosexual man to his friends and family at the age of 16.His solo debut in Beirut was in 2009 with “Mouhawala Oula” (Arabic for "First Try") with which he begins to challenge gender stereotypes.

Homosexuality

Although a relatively progressive country in the Middle East, homosexuality has not yet been decriminalized in Lebanon. As a male with a feminine demeanor, he is often the target of derogatory catcalls when in public. In one of his first solo shows, entitled Tajwal, Paulikevitch dances to a compilation of insults directed at him on the streets of Beirut, turning his suffering into art.

Gender

Paulikevitch's work also redefines "gender roles through oriental dance". As a male dancer of Baladi, he uses his body to question gender stereotypes in the Middle East.

One of the main missions Paulikevitch claims for himself is to battle what he describes as 'the colonial designation' of 'Belly Dance'. In describing his work, he aims to reclaim the native significance and original Egyptian appellation Baladi — Arabic for my country or land. His main critique is that the term 'Belly Dance' was created through the colonial gaze to eroticize this dance, condemning it as female and suggestive. As a male Arab dancer within this tradition, he combats these stereotypes, thus reclaiming a space for a male figure in a female dominated world.

Paulikevitch was featured locally and internationally in many outlets. This includes an episode of the Netflix series We Speak Dance, hosted by Vandana Hart and filmed in Beirut; a New York Times article, "Coming Out in Lebanon" about openly queer and transsexual individuals in Lebanon, and a BBC Culture documentary, The Male Belly Dancer Fighting Gender Stereotypes.

Solo shows

• “Mouhawala Oula” (Arabic: محاولة اولة), Debut: 2009
• Tajwal (Arabic: تجوال), Debut: 2011
• ELGHA (Arabic: إلغاء)، Debut: 2013
• Baladi ya Wad (Arabic: بلدي يا واد) Debut: 2015

Collaborative shows

• SKINOUT, a collaboration with Cecilia Bengolea, François Chaignaud, Ylva Falk, Elisa Yvelin, Naïs Haidar, Alex Mugler, Debut: 2012
• Palais de Femme, a collaboration with Joelle Khoury and Chaghig Arzoumanian, Debut: 2014
• Dresse le Pour moi (Arabic: فأدِّبْهُ لي), a collaboration with Nancy Naous, Debut: 2018
• The Last Distance, a collaboration with Leen Hashem, Debut: 2018