Julia Domna

Enana took on the task of reviewing the pages of Arab history, and especially of women who took part in its making. The dance drama, “Julia Dumna,” portrays the active role of women through the ages. The show attempts, through a mix of drama, dance, and expression, to take the audience outside the framework of time and place to feel the depth of Arab history, through highlighting the life of an Arab princess, Julia Dumna. The story begins with a rite of devotion to the sun god led by Julia Dumna. Immediately following, she meets the Roman emperor, Septimus Severus of Phoenician origin, during the parade of his Middle Eastern army in Homs. They fall in love and agree to marry. A wedding celebration is held, but they are immediately called away to Rome to save the eternal city from the onslaught of the armies of the German barbarians.

Septimus is victorious, but the traitor, Macrinus, in league with the defeated Germans, plots against him and assassinates him. Sadness fills the heart of Julia Dumna following the death of her husband as she returns to her family in Syria. Through the work we see a vivid picture of a woman who was a patron of science, the emperor’s companion during his military campaigns, and ever a support to her husband, the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus. The finale of the play features a dance performance reflecting Arab culture from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf.