Choreographer Arkadi Zaides was born in Belarus and moved to Israel at age 11. His feelings of displacement find expression in his latest work, ‘Response to Dig Deep.’
Choreographing a piece about the Holocaust is always controversial. But two dance companies are taking on the challenge.
Israeli-born choreographer Hofesh Shechter’s newest politically-charged production is genre-bending. It transports the audience to a dark, nightmarish dreamscape.
In Brenda Angiels’ “8cho” (pronounced “ocho”), the audience is transported to a smoky tango nightclub. The musicians on guitar, piano and accordion provide a steamy, fast-paced rhythm, while Viviana Finkelstein, a petite, blond bombshell, catches the eye of two competing suitors. The romantic drama of the scene looks familiar, but this tango is anything but ordinary. Attached to a bungee cord, Finkelstein is thrown from man to man high into the air — every spin, twist, and dip defying gravity and bringing new energy to this classic Argentine dance.
Philadelphia’s famed hip-hop dance company Rennie Harris Puremovement brought its innovative style, and universal themes, to Israel and the West Bank.
Photo by Gadi Dagon
Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak have worked together since 1992, producing a diverse repertory. ‘Oyster’ is their most famous creation, and it’s back in the U.S.
Photo by Julie Lemberger
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is performing Ohad Naharin’s ‘Minus 16.’ Ailey’s director says the Israeli piece is edgier that most of the group’s work.
Photo by Franziska Strauss