Golden opportunities

Just as it has for the past 16 years, the Suzanne Dellal Dance Center is this year hosting International Exposure 2011.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
RENANA RAZ’S ‘Diplomatim’ 311 (photo credit: Courtesy of Gadi Dagon)
RENANA RAZ’S ‘Diplomatim’ 311
(photo credit: Courtesy of Gadi Dagon)
For the past several years, one of Israel’s main exports has been dance. Looking at the brochures of festivals around the world, one would imagine Israel is a much larger country than it actually is. The shows presented at the Suzanne Dellal Center on any given night are likely to wind up on stages from Canada to China to Sao Paolo. Foreign programmers just can’t seem to get enough of the cutting edge, in-your-face dance happening in our little land.
The question is, how do these curators and theater owners find out about all of the independent choreographers and companies making work here? The answer is the International Exposure Festival, which kicks off this week at the Suzanne Dellal Center.
Every year, just around the time we break out our long forgotten heaters and winter wear, a slew of important figures from the dance world make their way to Israel. Now in its 17th year, the International Exposure Festival provides both international and local audiences an opportunity to take in a smorgasbord of local choreography in a five-day period.
The 30 guests making their way over from a long list of countries will take in tens of performances, from morning to night, during their stay here. The hope is that these foreign guests will then extend a hand to one or more of the artists they meet to perform abroad.
For large companies like Batsheva and the Inbal Pinto Dance Company, this festival is a good arena for strengthening the connections they already have.
However, for many local artists, it is a golden moment opportunity to reach out to the individuals that are able to bolster their careers.
This year’s festival is broken up into a variety of events. Overall, 32 choreographers will present their most recent pieces. The usual suspects, namely Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollack, Ohad Naharin, Rami Be’er and Amir Kolben will, of course, be presented.
A few unique events to look out for are: Yoni Sutchi with his creation Son, winner of the 2011 Shades of Dance Choreography Competition. Then there’s an evening of three works by three independent female choreographers: Rachel Erdos, Dafi Eltabeb and Dana Ruttenberg, which will be performed on the main stage of the center on Thursday evening.
Israeli celebrity Ido Tadmor will showcase his newest evening Three Rooms, a collage of three solos choreographed by up-and-coming local choreographers Rachel Erdos, Ariel Cohen and one work by Tadmor himself.
Maria Kong will present Kong’s Night, a program containing three new works. Barak Marshall and Renana Raz will finally unveil their new work, commissioned by the Suzanne Dellal Center.
Naturally, with a festival as central as this one, there are many choreographers whose work has did not find a slot in the festival’s programming. Therefore, many independent artists have organized informal showings throughout the days of the festival.
These extra-curricular activities will undoubtedly heighten the buzz and fun factor of this year’s International Exposure. Be sure to be on the lookout for both programmed and renegade shows in the coming week!
International Exposure will take place at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv from November 30-December 4. For more info, visit www.suzannedellal.org.il.