Leaps of reality

Choreographer Daniel Ezralow asks, 'Why be extraordinary when you can be yourself?'

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
dance good 1 88 224 (photo credit: Courtesy)
dance good 1 88 224
(photo credit: Courtesy)
'Wouldn't it be great to offer a money-back guarantee on a show?" posed Daniel Ezralow on the phone recently. Ezralow's show Why Be Extraordinary When You Can Be Yourself is about to open in Tel Aviv. He jokingly made a point of mentioning that this idea, while intriguing, would never be approved by his producers. "Like if you were really disgusted or bored, you could ask for your money back." However comical the concept, Ezralow's proposal shows that he is an artist who cares about his audience. "I feel a great responsibility to the people who buy tickets." It is perhaps this quality that has propelled him into the limelight he now enjoys. Why Be Extraordinary When You Can Be Yourself, or simply Why, will run at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center from September 24 to 27. Ezralow's show is the second production in an almost too-good-to-be-true line-up this season at TAPAC. This fall and winter, Tel Aviv will host some of the world's most renowned dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hofesh Schecter Company of England, Malucos Danza of Spain and a host of others. In fact, Ezralow is the only independent choreographer invited to present work on the Israel Opera's beautiful stage. The seed concept for Why is "real people dancing." Those real people are actually a cast of exceptional dancers from New York City and Italy, where the show was created. "I like the concept that everybody does dance. Babies start dancing and continue until about the age of five. And then they get inhibited and have to discover dance later in life. Real people move and I find my inspiration from them," said Ezralow. "People in Tel Aviv do a dance of avoiding each other on the street every day; you just have to put music to it." Indeed Ezralow is no stranger to the country and its culture. He was born and raised in Los Angeles by Israeli parents. His connection with the country only deepened as the years went by. He created works for the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company and Batsheva Dance Company. In the 1990s, before Ohad Naharin returned to Israel, Ezralow nearly took over as artistic director of Batsheva. "I'm very happy that this work can come to Israel. I think Israelis are very informed," he said. Ezralow began his career as a modern dancer, performing with Lar Lubovich, Paul Taylor Dance Company and Pilobolus. He was a founding member of Momix, where he danced for many years as a soloist. From there he went on to found the company ISO (I'm So Optimistic), where he created work that toured extensively. As a dancer he is known for his exceptional physical control and charismatic stage presence. Over the past several years, Ezralow has branched out from dance with forays into the world of opera, film, musical theater and fashion. He has choreographed works for Cirque Du Soleil, the Paris Opera Ballet, Hubbard Street and others. In 1986, New York Times dance critic Jennifer Dunning wrote that Ezralow "ought to take a turn at choreographing musical theater." The suggestion turned out to be right on target. Ezralow has choreographed several Broadway musicals, including Green Bird and the upcoming Spiderman. He worked on the films The Grinch Who Stole Christmas directed by Ron Howard and the celebrated Across the Universe by Julie Taymor, which employed nearly 300 dancers. He has collaborated on music videos for a number of artists, including U2, Sting and David Bowie. One of the things that sets Ezralow apart from other choreographers is his choice to work as a freelancer. For the past several years, he has moved from project to project, hiring dancers for each individual job. "This show that we're bringing to Israel is a show, not a company. I don't have a solid job. The thing that is great about it is what is hard about it. I like to do film and television and theater and dance, but in between each project I'm out of work. The challenging part is keeping myself employed, though it seems to be getting easier." Ezralow's excursion into the world of the silver screen was actually a major force in the creation of Why. A few years ago, the producers of a reality television show in Italy approached him. "I said very clearly that I am not someone who can judge dance. I don't like to judge dance. So I told them they could do a reality show about my new work. I created Why while I was a resident at that TV show," he said. "These reality shows are about creating someone who wants to win. The process brought me to name my show. Too many people were brought up with the idea that they had to be extraordinary. We are okay just exactly as we are. Just to be yourself is to be extraordinary." An aspect that contributes to the candid nature of this piece is the dancer's approach to the stage. Ezralow spoke eloquently about the tendency many dancers have to "hide behind their technique." "I think there's a way that we get too locked into the concept that there is only one way to speak. I could speak to you in five different languages and it would still be communicating. It's the 'why'... There's always a 'why' and the 'why' is absolutely the most communicative form. Why one loves another not just one loves another. Why someone does a triple pirouette. We need to take the rarefied atmosphere out of dance." Another element of the "realness" of Why is its score. The music that provides a background to Ezralow's dances will be very familiar to the audience, as songs played every day on radio stations around the world make up much of the soundtrack. Ezralow incorporated pop music as well as contemporary composition. "This show was made when I was in an environment where I was listening to a lot of current music. It's okay. Pop music isn't a tragedy." Alanis Morissette, the Beatles and U2 serenade the crowd as the dancers search to free themselves from conformity and constriction. Ezralow commented, "The trajectory of this show is from something constricted to something looser." Listening to Ezralow, it is clear that he has a very realistic approach to his creations. Perhaps what lies at the center of the "money-back guarantee" idea is an acknowledgment that it is impossible to please everyone. "I may get very criticized for this work. Those that want art will say it is too commercial. Those that want entertainment will say it's too arty," Ezralow continued. "I would like to connect. It can be frivolous. It could be a water splash on a summer day. Or the wine you drink before you go to bed. Or the most important pill you take. We are out there to make work that people appreciate and connect to. That's what is for. This is a social event." Why Be Extraordinary When You Can Be Yourself September 24-27 Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center www.israel-opera.co.il