To dance or not to dance

It was during this confusing period that Rina Schenfeld was informed that she had won the prestigious Rosenblum Prize for the Performing Arts in the lifetime achievement category.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI

MAY 27, 2020 17:11

RINA SCHENFELD: This connection between words and movement is so inspiring for me and the dancers. (photo credit: RONI DADON) — RINA SCHENFELD: This connection between words and movement is so inspiring for me and the dancers.

(photo credit: RONI DADON)

The last few weeks have offered a unique opportunity for people all over the world to reflect on their life choices, their homes and families, and to ponder what the future will hold for us all.

For Rina Schenfeld, veteran dancer and acclaimed choreographer, it took a lockdown to reconsider a life on stage. After she spent more than six decades performing, stretching in the wings and boldly stepping into the lights were akin to breathing for the 81-year-old artist. But being confined in her north Tel Aviv home (which boasts a ground-floor studio) put Schenfeld back in touch with her roots, with the need to move and the everyday conflict of continuing to dance.

It was during this confusing period that she was informed that she had won the prestigious Rosenblum Prize for the Performing Arts in the lifetime achievement category. The contrast between the high of this news and the tensions of being stuck at home proved overwhelming for Schenfeld.

“This corona didn’t do good for me. Parts were great. I did two times what I usually do in this period, but differently. Corona really threw me to the ground, and I had to start everything from the beginning again. It brought up some huge questions,” she says.

Schenfeld asked herself whether she needs to continue to create and perform. After all, her career has extended decades past nearly every colleague even close to her age.

“‘It’s too much, what you do,’ I say to myself. I’m angry that I’m a bit crazy. I understand that the creativity is incredible, but I can’t stand it anymore. I think, there’s no money and no theaters and no support, and it’s not simple. I go through hell. There are so many reasons not to continue.”

In one of her poems, Schenfeld writes, “Word replaced movement. Threw it out the door.”

And yet, on the morning we spoke, Schenfeld had mustered up the energy to hold a private rehearsal.

“I had to try on the costume, so I went down to the studio. And then I was already there, so I told myself just to dance. It was wonderful. I so enjoyed dancing. It answers you ‘yes, yes, yes’ after all the noes,” she says.

The next question Schenfeld asked herself was about the necessity of the stage. Like most of us, Schenfeld watched dozens of videos made by colleagues in Israel and abroad. She even participated in a few.

“Dancing at home taught me so much,” says Schenfeld over the phone. “Who needs all the stage and lights? It’s more enjoyable to see the artist in their natural environment. It’s comfortable. Seeing people dancing in their homes is so different than what we are used to.”

Last Tuesday, the video “Human Signs” by musician Yuval Avital was released, in which Schenfeld is paired with Italian dancer Stefania Ballone.

“He asked 70 artists to participate and then edited them together. She’s in the shower and I am sitting on a chair,” she explains.

Having some time off from the usual routine of rehearsals and performances also allowed Schenfeld to dig into her archives. “I found hundreds of videos from the Batsheva period. It’s amazing. I see it and I can’t believe that it existed.”

AND NOW, as the restrictions begin to lift, Schenfeld is preparing to return to the stage, this time with a fresh perspective and a lot of appreciation for her craft.

“I was meant to have a premiere at Suzanne Dellal [Center for Dance and Theater in Tel Aviv’s Neveh Tzedek] in May, but it was postponed. I had already made the dance and everything,” she says.

For this creation, which will premier in July, Schenfeld tapped into her poetic practice, stringing 30 of her poems together with music by David Darling. One half of the work is a solo, the second and ensemble section danced by her company.

“This connection between words and movement is so inspiring for me and the dancers,” she says.

In fact, many of Schenfeld’s recent works have drawn on text, be it poetry or song lyrics.

This type of work has allowed Schenfeld to tap into a freedom both on and off stage.

“It has given a lot of freedom to improvise,” she says. “It makes me focus on letting the moment happen and not planning too much. There’s a play between not being too programmed and having a place for improvisation.

“Maybe it’s my age. I’m getting to an age that I’m looking for freedom.”

For more about Rina Schenfeld, visit www.facebook.com/rinaschenfeld/.