The gaze plays an important role in Maria Hassabi's work. In 'Robert and Maria' this is represented by Robert Steijn, a Dutch dance theorist who was first drawn to ritual dance when he was forty-five years old. Hassabi, a choreographer and dancer from New York, has created performances since she was a child. It was their different backgrounds that inspired them to combine forces and create a performance. Together they sought a point where two opposites could unite. And of course they found the solution in love. In this minimal and erotically charged duet, Robert and Maria show us that love is the logical consequence of living with others, but is also a state of unconditionality, even devotion. Love even becomes a symbol for the whole performance: like any deep relationship, a performance needs complete dedication from its partner, which is the audience. Characteristically, Maria Hassabi's performances are aesthetically precise. She focuses attention on every minimal look, sigh and movement, and thus creates a world of hypnotic beauty.