Studio to stage and back

With 80 Squared, crowds are invited into the intimate setting of the studio.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
‘80 Squared: Ofir, Gil and Stav’ (photo credit: Courtesy)
‘80 Squared: Ofir, Gil and Stav’
(photo credit: Courtesy)
For professional dancers, making the transition from studio to stage is a feat that can take an entire career to master. After all, the majority of a dancer’s work hours are spent not on stage but in the studio.
Over countless rehearsals, solo performers, small groups and entire companies perfect each and every movement, score, task and interaction. It is then upon them to bring these details from the comforts of home base to the often blinding butterflies of the spotlight. The audience almost never sees the tireless work behind the scenes, receiving a finished product without ever glimpsing its origins. As such, programs like the Suzanne Dellal Center’s 80 Squared, in which crowds are invited into the intimate setting of the studio, are refreshing and welcomed.
80 Squared was initiated last summer as part of the annual Tel Aviv Dance Festival. Over the course of several weeks, a handful of fitting dance pieces were presented in SDC’s Studio A. Audiences were seated on four sides of the action, offering a unique vantage point for these select creations. The events, which provided a cozier environment than the main stage is able to, were meaningful to all parties involved, viewer and presenter alike.
This year, SDC opted to continue with 80 Squared as part of Tel Aviv Dance, which is currently under way.
The program includes not just dance but also music and theater performances.
On Friday afternoon, Studio A will host three short works by up-andcoming choreographers Gil Kerer, Ofir Yudilevich and Stav Struz.
The program will begin with Yudilevich’s Gravitas. Originally created for Hazira Performance Art Arena, as well as the Bat Yam International Festival for Street Theater and Art, Gravitas is a duet performed on a specially ordered surface called an air floor. Hailing from capoeira, Yudilevich’s choreographic style incorporates grounded acrobatics with release technique. He and dancer Asher Ben-Shalom use their unusual flooring to explore the significance of gravity on their bodies, minds and spirits.
Next, Kerer will present Between Us, a duet danced with veteran performer Alex Shmorak. Earlier this summer, Kerer resurrected Between Us for his first full evening performance at the Inbal Theater.
The duet was originally created with dancer Ayala Frenkel; however, for the recent rendition, Kerer reached out to Shmorak, with whom he worked while dancing as a member of Vertigo Dance Company. In Between Us, Kerer looked at the power dynamic between partners, male and female.
At times, Kerer and Shmorak effortlessly flow together and at others, they fall out of sync, bringing the ups and downs of home life to the stage.
Finally, Stav Struz will present the premiere of her solo Assimilator.
Though no stranger to the stage, Struz is a newcomer to the choreographic circle. With Assimilator, Struz draws on her personal life, namely her long-term relationship with Arab-Israeli dancer and choreographer Adi Boutrous.
Charismatic and candid, Struz takes the stage as a platform from which to respond to the myriad comments she receives from loved ones, friends and even strangers about her love life.
‘80 Squared: Ofir, Gil and Stav’ will take place on August 12 at 2 p.m. at the Suzanne Dellal Center, Tel Aviv.
For tickets, visit www.suzannedellal.org.il.