A first for everything

The Other Dance Festival introduces 24 new choreographers’ work to the public.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
Kadawa (photo credit: Micky Alon)
Kadawa
(photo credit: Micky Alon)
There is a first for everything: a first time riding a bicycle, a first day at school, a first draft of any paper. Often, these debut experiences offer a key insight into our future relations with said endeavor. For many choreographers, the first time presenting work can determine whether dance making is destiny or a passing fad. And though these moments are paramount in any budding artist’s career, getting a break at a first in the performance world can be a difficult challenge.
For this reason, festivals like Other Dance are of the utmost importance in the contemporary dance community. While bigger festivals showcase the works of emerging and established choreographers, Other Dance gives promising but inexperienced artists a chance to cut their teeth, so to speak. The festival, which opens next week, is an initiative of the Suzanne Dellal Center and artistic director Yair Vardi.
Over the course of the year, more than 50 dancers and choreographers applied to take part in the Other Dance Festival. The criteria for acceptance were left quite open, giving the opportunity for a wide range of styles and aesthetics to become part of this year’s program.
Through an extensive screening process, 24 contenders were selected to research and refine their initial ideas. As this is many of these artists’ first time presenting work on a major stage, some of the older, more established members of the field such as Ido Tadmor and Tamar Borer helped them through the process.
The program has been divided into six evenings and three special events. Four of the evenings are mixed programs, consisting of five pieces each. Most works in the programs are between 10 and 20 minutes long. The programs will take place upstairs at the center in the Yaron Yerushalmi Theater. The black box space was chosen for this festival because of its intimacy and particular vibe.
Program One will host Pic and Move by Dorit Guy and Zeev Jelinek; Tarab by Shiri Capuano Quantz and Zvika Hisakais; Af Besari Yishkon by Hanania Schwartz; A Short Story by Us by Smadar Goshen; and Angered by Ilana Bellahsen.
Program Two consists of My Mother Said by Racheli Vardi-Granot; Garlina Portzelan by Gil Carlos Harush; I Will Be by Feliza Bascara- Zohar; Mom Didn’t Shave by Iris Marko; and To Hell by Yuval Goldstein.
Program Three includes Veronika by Liron Ozeri; Dive by Anat Cederbaum and Gil Kerer; Are You Talking to Me? by Adi Butrus; Like Father Like Son by Tomer Zilkervich; and Anything Goes by Nadav Zelner.
Program Four will host The Righteous by Ruth Sigalis; Just about Me by Eyal Nahum; A Deep, Irregular Breath by Meirav Dagan; Personal Bandage by Adi Paz; and Bougainvillea by Yifat Pell Barkai.
In addition to the mixed program, Other Dance will present two evenings, each dedicated to one evening-length piece. Roni Heller’s Objective Relation has been seen on stages around Israel for the past several months. In this work, Heller explores physical relationships with inanimate objects on stage, creating an unusual movement vocabulary.
The second evening is devoted to Galia Fradkin’s Kadawa. Danced by five men, this work investigates Israeli notions surrounding how men should and do behave.
The special events in this year’s Other Dance Festival will include an installation by Keren Rosenberg entitled A Flock of Us, an outdoor performance by Orly Almi called Geisha Noh, inspired by Chinese opera, and an outdoor improvisation by Aviram Kushner and friends. These special events will be free of charge.
The Other Dance Festival will take place at the Suzanne Dellal Center from August 22-27. For more information, visit www.suzannedellal.co.il.


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