When you read the words “Once upon a time…” a certain set of expectations is
immediately put in place. There will be a good guy, a bad guy and some kind of
quest for a better reality. In most fairytales, the journey is paid off in gold,
goods, love or honor and the good guy always wins. No matter the country of
origin, fairytales always set out to establish a destiny that is more
predictable and certain than the reality of its writers and
purveyors.
“The piece takes a lot of inspirations from fairytales,” said
choreographer Oded Graf of the new creation Black Fairytale. The piece, which
was created by Graf and long-time partner Yossi Berg, will enjoy its Israeli
premier this week at the Suzanne Dellal Center.
The two performances are
part of the Hot Dance Festival, which spans the summer months with eclectic
dance programming.
“We have been very attracted to the fairytale genre
and style. We felt that it holds a great interest because of the structure.
There is always harmony that somehow breaks, there is also a very clear
definition of good and bad; bad character, good character and there is always a
very surreal atmosphere and all that is wrapped in a mysterious universe. We
find these notions very relevant to our creative universe and to themes that we
wished to deal with. We also find a lot of connections very relevant to the
Israeli society and to the acute issues that are on the table, ones that we felt
we wish to comment on,” Graf explained.
The piece was conceived over a
three-month period as a co-production with Dansehallerne and Bora Bora Theaters
in Denmark. The cast consists of the two choreographers and five European
dancers, some of whom had worked on previous projects with Berg and
Graf.
“We have been very lucky to continue the fruitful collaboration
with the dancers. The feeling was that we are not starting from a zero point and
we have a much deeper understanding of each other’s ideas. We felt confidence in
their interpretation. It is also important for us to mention that in the show
our dancers are not only dancing but also acting, singing and
juggling.
We see this piece as a collaboration that we lead together with
them,” said Graf.
Though the piece deals with fairytales, the content is
far darker than that of a Disney flick. As in their previous works, namely Four
Men, Alice, Bach, The Deer and Animal Lost, Berg and Graf have created a
complete universe on stage, with a clear set of rules and a strong movement
language. While their pieces are thoroughly entertaining, they also offer much
food for thought.
“It is very important for us to say something with our
art,” said Graf, “to offer our viewers a new perspective, a different way to
look at our reality. We think the context of fairytales allows a lot of creative
freedom. A main theme in the piece is the definition of a good or bad person;
what makes someone good or bad and how we see the ‘other’ in that context.
Another issue that comes up is our way to utopia. Did we lose the way? What are
the obstacles on the way and why always when we find harmony, or the way to
utopia, does something have to break and be destroyed?”
Though Berg and Graf are
comfortable within the realm of dance theater, Black Fairytale marks an even
further excursion into the meeting between the two forms. “It is the most
theatrical piece we have ever done. It was again a great challenge and fun to
find how to blend all of our passions from very physical dance to text and
theater, to find the right musical score, to singing and so on. As performers it
is a very demanding and challenging piece, one that has to be very precise every
evening,” said Berg.
Black Fairytale will run at the Suzanne Dellal
Center on August 9 and 10. For information, visit
www.suzannedellal.org.il.