Ella Rothschild’s new piece leaves viewers feeling anything but high and dry.
By ORI J. LENKINSKI‘Flood’(photo credit: PR)
For centuries, mankind has grappled with the concept of the apocalypse. In films, literature and art, people have explored what it would mean to survive a massive cataclysm. Who would survive, how they would manage to do so, and what life after the fact would mean are some of the infinite questions associated with this somehow unrealistic yet ever-present nag at existence.In her newest work, choreographer and performer Ella Rothschild teamed up with visual artist Nivi Alroy to take on the idea of the day after a major disaster.Their work, Flood, premiered last month at the Tmuna Theater’s Intimadance Festival and will now be presented at the Kelim Choreography Center in Bat Yam. The performance will be shown as a site-specific event for the Kelim space, where Rothschild and Alroy received an artists’ residency to create Flood.Rothschild is one of the most thrilling voices in Israeli dance today.She was born and raised in Israel. As a young dancer, she performed with the Batsheva Ensemble and Inbal Pinto and the Avshalom Pollack Dance Company, with which she collaborated for many years.Upon striking out on her own, Rothschild began by creating solos, which she performed. The work Acord in which Rothschild invites audiences to a type of new-wave cabaret, was presented dozens of times throughout Tel Aviv and farther afield. In the solo, Rothschild not only dances but also sings, plays a number of instruments and recites text. Originally created for the Hanut Theater Gallery, Acord has a minimalist yet intricate set designed by Zohar Shoef.From Acord, Rothschild took a major step forward with 12 Postdated Checks.The work, which premiered as part of the 2015 Curtain Up Festival, featured ployed a cast of 20 student dancers from the Maslool Professional Dance Program, as well as Rothschild and the formidable Ariel Freedman.With Flood, Rothschild expanded her circle of collaborators to include Alroy.After graduating from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, Alroy relocated to New York City, where she pursued a master’s degree at the School of Visual Arts.She has received a host of awards and grants, including the Ahuvi Most Promising Artist Award, as well as a number of grants from the National Lottery Association and the Rabinovich Foundation. Alroy’s work has been seen throughout Israel and abroad.Her esthetic is defined by an outstanding attention to detail, making her connection with Rothschild a natural fit.The meeting of these two voices has raised both artists to new heights. To complete the picture, Rothschild drew on longtime collaborators Matan Daskal for music and Zohar Shoef for set and art design.Flood presents a world that is rife with rich images, evoking a reality that is both frightful and full of possibility.The woman at the center of this world is faced with a number of questions: What does it mean to be the only one left standing? Is loneliness the only feeling one is meant to feel or can there also be freedom in finding oneself alone?‘Flood’ will be presented on August 5 at 1:30 p.m. and August 6 at 9 p.m. at the Kelim Choreography Center in Bat Yam.
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