A Danish dance debut

With new collaborations in its repertoire, the Danish Dance Theater's first tour to Israel brings a powerful cast and a fantastic show.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
Danish Dance 521 (photo credit: Freddy Tomberg)
Danish Dance 521
(photo credit: Freddy Tomberg)
In mid-June, as part of the 2011 Israel Festival line-up, Danish Dance Theater will make its Israeli debut.
The Copenhagen-based company – whose itinerary includes three performances in Jerusalem with two separate programs – has become widely known and appreciated over the past few years, largely thanks to its spirited artistic director, Timothy Rushton. Though Rushton often invites other choreographers to create for his ensemble, all of the pieces to be performed in Israel are of his own making. The two programs are divided into an evening of three short works – “Kridt” (Chalk), “Enigma” and “Cadence” – and a new, full-length work entitled Love Songs.
Love Songs will be performed only once during the Israeli tour. The work is a homage to legendary choreographer William Forsythe’s 1979 showstopper of the same name. Forsythe’s Love Songs showed dancers flying across the stage to the tunes of Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick.
Speaking from his studio in Denmark, Rushton explained what propelled him to fashion his version of a dance cover.
“I was inspired by Forsythe’s piece. It was almost cliché music with this strong European feel of dance. The combination was very unusual. It inspired me to make my own version, to make my own comment on it,” he said. “I think that the great thing about taking love and passion and dance is that they are so connected. Any form of dance is driven by enormous passion and drive; love is as well. Sometimes there’s no logic to it.”
A former dancer and star choreographer, Rushton has breathed new life into the 32- year-old troupe since taking up his post in 2001. His clear, forward thinking has brought new collaborations into the company’s repertoire, along with a powerful cast of excellent dancers. One of Rushton’s most recent acquisitions is Israeli dancer Adi Amit, who joined the company at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season.
Amit began her professional career in the Netherlands, where she completed a degree at the Rotterdam Dance Academy. After a short period in Amsterdam, she returned to Israel. She was a finalist on the television show Born to Dance and a member of Kolben Dance Company in Jerusalem. In 2009, Amit first auditioned for Rushton, and while he was deeply impressed by her dancing, he was unable to extend a contract her way. Shortly afterward, Batsheva Dance Company snatched Amit up for its Swedish tour of Kamuyot by Ohad Naharin. One year later, she got a call from Danish Dance Theater.
Though he had been forced to turn her down during that first audition, Rushton recognized Amit’s talent immediately. When the opportunity arose to hire new female dancers, Rushton knew exactly whom to ask.
“It’s very interesting working with Adi,” he said. “Adi has a very strong sense of presence. She can put herself into any physical situation. For a choreographer, that means everything. Sometimes I look at the steps and I think it’s not worth anything. It’s the execution of the step and the involvement of the dancer in the step that matters. In my new creation, we are working with a big solo and duet with Adi,” he explained, “not because she’s the strongest technically, but because she puts herself into the movement and what’s behind it. That’s a very Israeli quality.” Amit’s strengths lie in her ability to improvise and explore new, unusual movement.
“Mr. Rushton comes from a ballet world,” explained Amit, “but he also has this very creature-like quality. Maybe he chose me to bring something like that... He takes me and takes what I can bring, which is emotion and character.”
One of Rushton’s distinguishing characteristics as a choreographer is his openness with his dancers and his willingness to incorporate each individual personality into his creations.
During his own career as a performer, Rushton often felt dissatisfied with his connection to his mentors. As the artistic director of Danish Dance Theater, Rushton enjoys breaking the preconceived barriers between himself and his employees.
“The collaboration between dancers and their choreographer is very important. For me, the best thing about my work is to help people to fulfill their potential,” he said. “To sit in the theater and watch someone cross their boundaries. It’s a great feeling. I don’t think I ever did that as a dancer. I don’t think I got that from my artistic team. That’s what made me get into choreography. I feel that dancers can do so much more if they are being nurtured and helped and really worked and if they know their strengths. I missed that a lot when I was dancing. I recognize that in retrospect, and as a result, the way I’m doing it with my dancers is very different.”
After one full year under Rushton’s encouraging direction, Amit was thrilled to sign on for the coming season.
“It was a really exciting year for me. I had a lot to do and a lot to learn. I experienced a completely different type of work and production. It was very challenging,” she said.
Though her decision to stay on for another season means she will have to endure the homesickness she has come to know intimately, Amit feels compelled to stay in Denmark. Working with the company has allowed her to fulfill many of her professional ambitions.
“Here, I can really focus on the dance, thanks to the facilities and what we get, the studio and the people,” she said. “I can really live off of my salary. In Israel, I made the same money working five jobs. Here, I get to accomplish what I wanted, which is to call dance work as well as to have time for life outside of work.”
Naturally Amit is delighted that her first season with Danish Dance Theater coincides with the company’s first tour to Israel. This will be the first time she has performed with a foreign ensemble in her home country.
“My mother and my sister came to visit me in Denmark,” she said. “But other than them, none of my family or friends in Israel have seen me dance with DDT yet.”
No doubt the theater will be packed with the Amit clan.
Danish Dance Theater will perform on June 15 and 17 at the Sherover Theater in Jerusalem and on June 18 at Heichal Hatarbut in Modi’in. For more information, visit www.israel-festival.org.il or www.danskdanseteater.dk.