Tel Aviv and Jerusalem each hosts an international dance week
Each year, more artists apply to participate in this event, stiffening the competition for face time with the who’s who of the dance world.
By ORI J. LENKINSKIInbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company(photo credit: MICHAEL CHELBON AND ODED PLOTNIZKI)
Not too many years ago, if you were a dance presenter visiting Israel, you could get away with a one-city trip to Tel Aviv. The Suzanne Dellal Center’s International Exposure Festival, which is geared towards foreign dance houses and organizations, provided a one-stop shop for anyone looking to present Israeli artists abroad. The festival, which consistently grows each year, has provided an invaluable springboard for Israeli artists to branch out into the international dance market. Each year, more artists apply to participate in this event, stiffening the competition for face time with the who’s who of the dance world.One of the markers that the Jerusalem dance community has grown in size and significance is the need for the city’s own type of International Exposure. Jerusalem International Dance Week, organized by Machol Shalem Dance House, has become its own beacon for dance presenters. And so next weekend, when dozens of curators arrive in Israel looking for the best and brightest new dance voices, they will come prepared to make trips to both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The two festivals will take place back to back this year, starting in Jerusalem.Jerusalem International Dance Week will span six days and will include performances by local and foreign choreographers. Performances will take place throughout the city at Karnaf Hall, the L.A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art, The Factory, and the Gallery Theater. International Exposure will encompass five days with performances at the Suzanne Dellal Center and the Inbal Theater in Tel Aviv.This is the fourth annual International Dance Week. One of the main components of the program is the International Choreography Competition. This year, dozens of creations were sent to artistic directors Ruby Edelman and Ofra Idel. Out of the bunch, Edelman and Idel selected a short list to travel to compete in Israel. These choreographers will arrive from Japan, Italy, Taiwan and Korea.As a production house, Machol Shalem commissions artists to create original works throughout the year.Many of these works will premiere during Jerusalem International Dance Week. Among the artists presenting new works are Ido Tadmor, Osnat Kelner, Dror Liberman and Annabelle Dvir.The program’s third chunk is devoted to existing works that were chosen by Machol Shalem to participate in the event. Iris Erez, Nadar Rosano, Gil Kerer, Ayala Frenkel and yours truly are among the artists selected to show their work.Having seen all these choreographies, many of the international guests will head straight to Tel Aviv for the 22nd annual International Exposure. There, they will be met with an equally jampacked schedule.The festival will feature 34 creations over the course of five days. Among the performances are Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollack Dance Company’s newest creation Slug; Yag by Ohad Naharin together with Roy Assaf’s Adam; Yossi Berg and Oded Graf’s Come Jump with Me; and Niv Shenfeld and Oren Laor’s You Happy Puppet, as well as a number of creations from the recent Curtain Up Festival.Performances will take place in the various spaces around the Suzanne Dellal Center, on stage and in studios, as well as at Warehouse 2 in Jaffa.Jerusalem International Dance Week will take place from December 2 to 8.For more information, visit www.machol-shalem.org.il. The Suzanne Dellal Center’s International Exposure will run from December 7 to December 12. For information, visit www.suzannedellal.org.il.
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