Early in his life, Marcel Khalife chose to be a traveler proposing to remove barriers between people, cultures and feelings without losing sight of the haven from where he first set sail. Now he offers us his Magic Carpet, a combined suite from his latest two ballets: Alisar, Queen of Carthage and Andalusia, both composed for the Caracalla Dance Troupe. Traveler of a thousand departures, magician of a thousand tricks, Khalife carries us to Andalusia in a tale of travel and lost glory. Then from Tyre to Carthage, the city of fleeing Queen Alisar, he takes us through most delightful sights and breathtaking splendors.

Khalife's close interaction with the Caracalla Dance Troupe has created the "Popular Arabic Ballet" that has won the admiration of audiences and critics throughout the troupe's tours around the world. The Caracalla dancer submits to the magical spell of Khalife's tunes, lending every move to its service. The 1974 play The Marvels of the Prodigy and the Prodigy of the Marvelous marks Khalife's first take off with dance. In Black Tents, he switches to traditional music. In his third ballet, Shot of Glory, he reveals a comprehensive musical vision and a unique style. In Oriental Taming of the Shrew, Echoes and Summer Night's Dream, he reaches a peak in innovation and talent.

An unwearied traveler, Khalife has crossed all roads, all cities and all continents, only to sail back to his first port, home. The ballet Andalusia opened the 1997 Baalbak International Festival, the first revival of one of Lebanon's most important pre-war annual artistic traditions.