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„Study because we will need all your intelligence. [...]"
Antonio Gramsci „L’Ordine Nuovo“ 01.05.1919
General Facts:
My roots are albanian (Kosova), though I was born in Germany
Currently living in Neukölln and studying at the HU Berlin
"Dalon" means where the river and the sea meets or Ever-flowing spring. Friends call me Loni: feel free to do the same :)
I study Philosophy as a major and changed my minor pretty often (religious studies, catholic theology and now art history)
If you are looking for me, I am usually in the Logic Library or at a Café
Second-Hand Shops are my guilty pleasure
Safe to say I'm a bit of a perfume addict ... especially anything with vanilla or amber notes! I even scored the nickname 'Duftstäbchen' at the institute
Moved by Passion
Before transitioning into academia, I pursued a career as a professional dancer.
In 2018 and 2019, I became a multi-time German Champion in SWANA* (Southwest Asian and North African) Dances , winning both solo and group titles, and spent my youth performing on stages across Europe and winning more titels.
I specialized primarily in classical Egyptian style (Tarab and Mejanse) and folklore (Saidi, Baladi, and Shaabi), while blending in modern elements of Show, Fantasy, and Contemporary. What truly defined me and made me stand out, however, were my veil and prop performances, storytelling, as well as my signature raw yet playful Baladi style.
Once I began my studies, I stopped dancing professionally because balancing both would have been too time-consuming. I chose to focus entirely on my degree, but I never really stopped dancing – now, I simply enjoy it as a hobby.
*I use the term SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) Dances rather than the more commonly used "Oriental Dance", "Bellydance" or "Middle Eastern Dance". These terms carry colonial and Orientalist connotations that exoticise and flatten a rich and diverse set of traditions. SWANA is an imperfect but more self-determined alternative – and where possible, I prefer to name the specific traditions directly, such as classical Egyptian or Egyptian folklore.
In Other Words
My roots run deep ... shaped by the inheritance of growing up as a post-war child of Kosovo, carrying a history that is not always easy to put into words. It is precisely that difficulty that keeps drawing me back to the attempt.
I had the great fortune of meeting Jehonë Jahaj – one of my closest friends, and the founder and curator of Marrja Zezë, a diasporic platform dedicated to mental health and the freedom of being through storytelling, creative recreation, and socio-artistic performance. Through poetry, performative arts, and ritualistic practices, Marrja Zezë creates spaces for individual empowerment, community healing, and transgenerational forgiveness. I attend her events, help organise them, and we are already planning together what comes next.
In my own creative work, I find myself drawn to the attempt of putting our collective experiences into words and particularly to recovering what tends to get lost in the stories we tell about our parents. Beyond the expected narratives of war and survival, I want to make audible the everyday: what intimacy looked like then, how emotions moved through ordinary life, how our parents were simply human beings before history made them into something heavier. Through writing, dance, and philosophy, I engage with postmigrant and diasporic experience .
Here is a curated selection of recommendations that I feel sums me up perfectly:
Books
Eribon, Didier (2024): Rückkehr nach Reims.
Aciman, André (2007): Call Me By Your Name.
Rodoreda, Mercè (2024): Auf der Plaça del Diamant.
Hesse, Hermann (1932): Die Morgenlandfahrt.
Jędrzejowski, Tomasz (2020): Swimming in the Dark.
Statovci, Pajtim (2021): Bolla.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (1774): Die Leiden des jungen Werthers.
Liu, Cixin (2008): The Three-Body Problem.
Süskind, Patrick (1985): Das Parfum. Die Geschichte eines Mörders.
Art & Images
Pelton, Agnes (1929): Incarnation · Star Gazer
Dalí, Salvador (1951): Christ of Saint John of the Cross
Dalí, Salvador (1965): La Gare de Perpignan
af Klint, Hilma (1915): The Dove, No. 1
Cézanne, Paul (1906): La Bouteille de Cognac
Macke, August (c. 1912): Liebespaar in Rosenlaube
Bacon, Francis (1966): Three Studies for a Portrait of Muriel Belcher
Bacon, Francis (1975): Self-Portrait
Kahlo, Frida (1949): The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Myself, Diego and Señor Xólotl
Čiurlionis, M. K. (1909): Fairy Tale of the Kings · Ramybė
Movies
Mylod, Mark (Reg.) (2022): The Menu.
Buñuel, Luis (Reg.) (1929): Un chien andalou.
Noé, Gaspar (Reg.) (2002): Irréversible.
Laugier, Pascal (Reg.) (2008): Martyrs.
Calvo, Javier/Ambrossi, Javier (Reg.) (2026): La bola negra.
Aster, Ari (Reg.) (2018): Hereditary.
Garland, Alex (Reg.) (2018): Annihilation.
Aja, Alexandre (Reg.) (2021): Oxygen.
Özpetek, Ferzan (Reg.) (2023): Nuovo Olimpo.
Parajanov, Sergei (Reg.) (1969): The Color of Pomegranates.
Music
Jarrett, Keith (1975): The Köln Concert.
Claudio, Sabrina (2018): No Rain, No Flowers.
Bohren & der Club of Gore (2020): Patchouli Blue.
Payés, Rita & Roma, Elisabeth (2021): Como la Piel.
Beving, Joep (2019): Hermetism.
Vaughan, Sarah (1955): Sarah Vaughan in Hi-Fi.
Halsall, Matthew (2014): When The World Was One.
Curia, Christian (2022): Suspension of Disbelief.
Moses Yoofee Vester (2025): MYT.
Simone, Nina (1958): Little Girl Blue.
“Freedom is always the freedom of those who think differently. Not because of a fanaticism for ‘justice,’ but because everything that is enlivening, healing, and purifying about political freedom depends on this essence, and loses its effect when ‘freedom’ becomes a privilege.”
Rosa Luxenburg „Zur russischen Revolution“ 1918
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