The Anti-Puppet Master
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Crossposted from Haaretz
“I have a small obsession: to get dancers to take their bodies and brains farther,” says choreographer Jacopo Godani. “An animal-like, emotional and physical approach to dancing is very important, but if the brain does not control the body, the body has a tendency to repeat its movements. Unfortunately, most dancers are programmed by their first learning experiences. But if they make room for the brain, it is capable of causing the body to do more complicated and advanced things. The body always responds to the memories stored in its muscles.”
This idea is central to the professional outlook of the Italian artist, who has worked and established himself in Germany but lives in France, and is visiting Israel right now. He was invited by the Israeli Opera and the Suzanne Dellal Center as part of their project — a joint, international repertory dance endeavor — to mount a new work with local dancers. Godani’s “Light Years” will premier tomorrow night (Tuesday) at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center Opera House; the program also includes “Super Nova” by Marco Goecke, a German choreographer, and “Through the Center” by Israeli Emanuel Gat; the performance will be staged again on Friday, December 10, at 2 p.m.
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