Dance Review: Rust Ido Tadmor Suzanne Dellal, October 29

Very few Israeli dancers have had career as long, versatile and at times volatile Ido Tadmor’s (50).

By ORA BRAFMAN
ELWIRA PIORUN (right) and Ido Tadmor perform in ‘Rust.’ 370 (photo credit: Gadi Dagon)
ELWIRA PIORUN (right) and Ido Tadmor perform in ‘Rust.’ 370
(photo credit: Gadi Dagon)
Very few Israeli dancers have had career as long, versatile and at times volatile Ido Tadmor’s (50). Now, as the new artistic director of the Israeli Ballet, he pursues a parallel career as independent choreographer and dancer.
His return to the stage in recent years, after a crucial time-out, was marked by a search for renewed sincerity after more subdued, less extroverted expressions. Perhaps he reached in Rust a higher degree of shared intimacy, which swayed attention away from his impeccable physical control.
The evening, a co-production with Zawirowania Dance Theater in Poland, comprised of two duets, performed by Polish dancer Elwira Piorun and Tadmor. The first, Engage, was choreographed by Tadmor, and the second, Rust, by Tadmor and Rachel Erdos, who has cooperated successfully with Tadmor before.
The partnering of Tadmor and Piorun turned to be a brilliant choice. Both are quite mature, work with impressive control and acute kinesthetic sense. Obviously they have different temperaments and aesthetic values, yet their cooperation and mutual impact was absolutely captivating.
Piorun is graceful, elegant in a unconscious way, independent yet attentive. The moment she wrapped around an oriental-style rug around herself and curved her upper body, she was a princess turned diva, yet so lonesome.
The duet reflects a relationship that starts with spontaneous attraction and fails when both sides would rather avoid intimacy than risk getting hurt by love. The soundtrack reflects the thoughts and memories in great detail, yet the movement stays on the abstract side of their encounter, in a most convincing way.
The second duet, Rust, is danced in silence, enhancing attention to movement details and nuances. Perhaps the most touching moment is a slow approach of Tadmor’s toes toward Piorun’s foot, touching, caressing it for a split second, a moment with enormous impact due to utter silence. The next night, the performance played in Jerusalem’s Machol Shalem festival, and hopefully they enjoyed it there as much as I did.