in
by Paula Citron
IsrAEl
T
T
he population of Israel is similar to that of greater Toronto, yet the representation of its dance companies at festivals and series around the globe belies its small size. Why? The answer is simple. For the last 16 years, the Israeli government has been inviting presenters and producers to attend an annual curated event called International Exposure; 125 people from 34 countries were part of the 2009 cultural mission, December 9-13, 2009. The Israelis pay for the hotel and transportation which includes a day trip to Jerusalem. In the last couple of years, dance writers have also been invited. Most of the five-day event takes place at the Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre. The complex includes four buildings carved into theatres and studios. There is also a large central square used for outdoor performances which is frequented by tourists and local residents. In fact, the Dellal Centre is a Tel Aviv tourist attraction because it is located in historic Neve Tzedek, first settled in the early 1900s by Jews who moved out of the Arab town of Jaffa to found a Jewish city. From the seeds of Neve Tzedek — with its quaint, narrow streets filled with antique shops, artists’ ateliers and restaurants — mighty Tel Aviv has grown. International Exposure is about contemporary dance, although there was a nod to tradition with a trip to the Israel Ballet. We were heavily programmed,
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Dance International
Summer 2010
with 21 official performances involving 29 companies and five studio presentations by other dance companies. The three major Israeli companies, in terms of size, were all present: Batsheva, based at the Dellal Centre; Kibbutz, based at Kibbutz Ga’aton; and Kamea, based in Beersheva in the Negev Desert. The latter gave a studio presentation. Collectively, they have toured the globe. The rest of the shows were made up of smaller companies either already on the international circuit or hoping to be picked up. It should be noted that Israel has an extraordinary number of strong
male dancers, and that both the men and the women are very well trained. Ohad Naharin’s new piece Hora for Batsheva, set to the ethereal electronic music of Japanese composer Isao Tomita, is rooted in his Gaga training technique that produces strong, muscular, athletic dance. The 11 dancers are always onstage and there seems to be a desperation about their non-stop, maniacal movement. A hora is a Jewish dance of celebration, but this hora seems to end in melancholy, and therefore, the very word becomes one of bitter irony. Kibbutz’s Rami Be’er is Israel’s poet of dance who also designs the set and lighting for his productions, as well as writing the poetry that inspires his works. In Infrared, set to an atmospheric score by Alex Claude, the 15 dancers are clothed in vivid yellow, blue and red costumes. The piece, based on Be’er’s text, is an abstraction on war and each colour is a separate army. The infrared of the title is the light that reveals what is hidden in the blackness. Be’er creates intensely visual works of fluid choreography that contains many fascinating layers. Unfortunately, we only saw excerpts of Kamea’s repertoire by Tamir Ginz, but the brief taste of his acclaimed dance theatre Carmina Burana for 15 dancers was wonderful. Ginz’s choreography shows both his ballet and contemporary training in sleek, long, rhapsodic movement phrases. His new piece, Srul, is
Top: Kibbutz Dance Company in Rami Be’er’s Infrared Photo: Gadi Dragon