Tel Aviv Dance, the leading contemporary dance festival in the country, will open on August 1 at the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, featuring 19 performances by dozens of Israeli creators, choreographers, and dancers, including seven premieres, as well as outdoor performances, open rehearsals, and many special events.
Anat Fisher Leventon, executive director of the Suzanne Dellal Centre, said at a press conference ahead of the festival’s opening that in the shadow of the war, they decided to emphasize Israeli creations. “Especially in this period, the festival offers an important meeting space with performances that express what we all feel,” she said.
A new and mesmerizing performance by Orly Portal and her troupe will open the festival. In the creation El Atlal, Portal presents a contemporary interpretation of ancient traditions to the sounds of legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum.
The words of poet Ibrahim Nagi, brought to life by Umm Kulthum, cry out to the abandoned God. The dancers, their bodies wrapped in shrouds and their hands bound, stomp their feet, beat their chests, and demand freedom. This is a dance of lamentation over the loss of life and faith. The music, words, and voices blend into the dance until achieving Tarab (ecstatic transcendence).
As part of the reflection on the world of Israeli dance, the festival this year dedicates tribute events to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Noa Eshkol, an Israeli artist and the inventor of the Eshkol-Wachman movement notation, one of the few movement notations in the world. International museums worldwide display Eshkol’s works. As part of the events, the Chamber Dance Group, founded by Noa Eshkol and featuring 83-year-old dancer Rachel Nul-Kahana, will perform a series of Warrior and Dreamer dances, echoing the theme of war.
Another interesting tribute this year is dedicated to dance duo Yossi Berg and Oded Graf. The tribute, Ritual, Fantasy, and Love, includes their prominent works, from two decades of creation, which earned them international recognition.
The tribute program takes the audience on a journey through three of their notable works: The Rite of Spring #2, 4 Fantasies and a Monkey, and When Love Walked In, dealing with themes of heroism and sacrifice, compassion and love, humor, sorrow, and cultural clichés.
Internationally renowned choreographer Hillel Kogan offers a modern and humorous interpretation of flamenco in his work Thisispain, engaging in dialogue with Israeli flamenco icon Michal Nathan about questions of national and artistic identity: what is Spanish, what is Israeli, what is European, what is folklore, and what is high art?
The Lior Tavori Dance Company presents a new and moving performance, Crust, a dance piece dealing with the current human condition. A meeting. A look. A disconnection. Penetrating eyes. Thick, red smoke obscures the vision. Forbidden pleasure appears. Invasion of a territory with unclear boundaries.
Ori Lenkinski continues her journey following Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Lenkinski presents Jackie Pink and Black - The Pink Suit and the Little Black Dress, a journey into the memories, tragedies, and fantasies of the first lady.
The performance is based on two existing works: The Suit (2019), which premiered at the Intimadance Festival at Tmuna Theater, and Jackie in the Market (2020), commissioned by the From Jaffa to Agripas Festival at Mahane Yehuda Market by K.T.M.O.N. Jackie Pink and Black is the third piece in the Jackie trilogy.
Funk and disco inspiration
Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor invite dance lovers to look for their glittering disco outfits and join a party at Soho House. The event, “Disco, Baby!” is a combined performance and group dance party in the style of Bal Moderne, a collective dance experience, to the sounds of the greatest disco hits of the ‘70s: Boney M, ABBA, Donna Summer, the Jacksons, and more.
Kazuyo Shionoyi and Dror Lieberman (TakeDown Productions) will present Blue Balls in the Suzanne Dellal Centre plaza, a free performance for the whole family. The piece is situated at the intersection of circus, dance, and visual art.
Additional programs at the festival include the 1|2|3 programs by the Suzanne Dellal Centre, providing a platform for new creators and serving as an incubator for the next generation of Israeli choreographers.
Dance enthusiasts are welcome to attend open rehearsals, held every evening in the Centre’s plaza during the festival. Entry is free.
At a press conference, Naomi Perlov, the artistic director of the Suzanne Dellal Centre, reiterated the connection between the works to be presented and the situation in Israel: “Art is not created in a vacuum; it lives and reacts to the reality around it. We invite the audience to come and enjoy the best and most exciting dance performances.”
August 1-10, Suzanne Dellal Centre, Tel Aviv. For the full program and tickets: https://telavivdance.suzannedellal.org.il
