The vibrant, multi-cultural company began in Israel where it's still rooted, but has become truly multi-national and global in reach.
By MEREDITH PRICE LEVITTmayumana 88 298(photo credit: Courtesy)The following first appeared in d"ash - The Israeli magazine for English speaking young people around the world
Large red letters spell MAYUMANA above the brightly-lit entrance where a crowd has gathered for a performance of one of the Israeli company's new works, Bejuntos, a collaborative effort between the exhilarating percussion group and local virtuoso guitarist-singer, David Broza.
It begins with a sharp clapping sound. The lights come up on a long row of moving hands filing on-stage. Palms are slapped together in unison. Slowly, within a small spot of white light, bodies emerge from behind the hands. The movements and the sounds grow and swell until they surround us like a raging storm.
We are inside a gigantic warehouse in the heart of Old Jaffa, at the base of a hillside etched with ancient stone foundations overlooking the
Mediterranean Sea. The air is tinged with sea spray; listen intently and you can hear the waves crashing against the seashore below.
The 400-seat auditorium is full to capacity. The clapping palms have transitioned into a multitude of beats, sounds and instruments. As the frenetic rhythm takes over, the show combines percussive chants with fast-paced dance and unusual songs. The strength of Mayumana defies standard
definition. Music, dance, theater, percussion, which is it? all of them. And more.
"Basically, we are ourselves and everything goes." Thus, the super-energetic Boaz Berman, one of the company's two founders. Want to see fire in Boaz's eyes? Try suggesting, as many simplistic critics have done, that Mayumana is
just another version of successful non-verbal Broadway shows like Stomp.
"Stomp is like a street band. We are not a street band," Boaz says bluntly. "We don't just take objects off the street and play on them. It's not about just standing there and making music in unusual ways. Our shows have to have a strong visual side, theater and humor too. Creativity and energy are our calling-cards. We're about creating our own multi-cultural musical world. We
never stop researching different sounds and investigating new possibilities."
The vibrant, multi-cultural company began in Israel where it's still rooted, but has become truly multi-national and global in reach. The company has come to comprise more than 50 multi-talented musicians and dancers; they are divided into several troupes which perform simultaneously at many locations around the world. Since their inception in 1996, there have been more than
5,000 Mayumana shows watched by more than 3.5 million people in over 30 countries.
Boaz talks about the modest beginnings with his partner and fellow creator, Eylon Nuphar. "We got fed up with working as simple musicians; we had a lot of ideas that we wanted to put together to produce something totally new with all the different things we like to do," he explains. He says that they wanted to try to roll all their favorite things into one show - "the sound of the ocean, the rhythm of a belly dancer, the motion of filmS anything and everything that we love." The duo paired up with Roy Ofer and held auditions. Their goals were ambitious, their funds zero. But they found seven other talented musicians and the first show was under way.
Working in a small Tel Aviv basement without pay, the young troupe began inviting friends over to watch their half-hour Friday afternoon performances. "Word got round and more and more
people started showing up, sometimes as many as 150," Boaz recalls. "We began to appreciate that we had something strong and good."
Within two years, demand to see their performances had outgrown the medium-sized halls they'd begun to use. Mayumana shows were constantly sold out. The Jaffa warehouse became their permanent home.
After years of success all over the world for the flagship show, Be, they have begun to experiment with even more dazzling ideas including shows
specially geared to children and now the collaboration with David Broza.
"I've known David for many years." Boaz says. "He always seemed to like what we were doing. He invited us to appear with him on one of his shows. It worked so well that we decided to do a whole show together based on his very special music."
On stage, Bejuntos - Spanish for "be together" takes shape: A flamenco specialist tap-dances across the stage, Broza strums his guitar and belts out a tune reminiscent of the Gypsy Kings. Mayumana doesn't disappoint and there's the customary inventive use of regular items from just about any walk of life transformed into instruments to make wonderful music. Flamenco,
rap, samba, belly dancing, tap dancing and reggae, a dizzying blend of elements that seamlessly unite Broza's Spanish style with Mayumana's multi-cultural conception: song with dance, visual with auditory, string with percussion, Spanish beat with Mediterranean rhythms. A feast of entertainment.
Mayumana's multi-culturalism finds expression in the performers themselves
They hail not only from Israel but from Brazil, the Caribbean Islands, the
United States and many other nations. The group's name is a play on the
Hebrew word for "skill" and members have one thing in common: superb
coordination. "We continue to host auditions all over the world; what we're
looking for are people who are multi-talented," says Boaz. "They must have a
very good sense of rhythm, but they must be not only technically proficient.
They must show an ability to interact well with the other performers and
also with the audience. We set great store by interaction with our
audiences."
Mayumana's new show opens in Madrid this fall
"Momentum is built around time, the concept of time moving backwards and forwards. It's all about synchronization," says Boaz. After the Madrid debut, the show begins a world tour that Boaz hopes will attract old fans as well as newcomers. "We know just how much the spirit of our shows appeals across boundaries, nations and
languages. That serves our basic goal ¬ getting everyone to connect with what we are doing."
www. mayumana.com
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