Men of the hour:The Kamea Dance Company

The Kamea Dance Company presents an evening of works by choreographers Itzik Galili and Tamir Ginz.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
Updated: MARCH 29, 2018 10:54
‘Red Skies’ (photo credit: Courtesy)
‘Red Skies’
(photo credit: Courtesy)
‘Their location is an advantage and a disadvantage,” says choreographer Itzik Galili of the Beersheba-based Kamea Dance Company. “They are forced to go through the experience of being in an incubator, which allows them to focus on one another while blocking out what’s going on outside. It makes for an interesting environment.”
Tonight, Kamea Dance Company will premier a new two-part program entitled “Galili and Ginz” at the Suzanne Dellal Center. The evening will consist of two works, Things I Told Nobody by Galili and Red Skies by artistic director Tamir Ginz. With Red Skies, Ginz allowed the events of the past summer to seep into the studio. The work presents a world of tension, where land is a precious commodity worth dying for. The characters struggle to survive, conscious of an imminent threat and waiting to pounce.
This event marks Kamea’s return into repertory work, opening the troupe up to creations by choreographers other than Ginz. “My intention is to take full advantage of the virtuosic abilities of my dancers, who can handle any style,” writes Ginz of the choice to invite Galili to set a piece on the company.
Ginz goes on to explain that his plan is to continue with this initiative in the coming years, with the hopes of transforming Kamea Dance Company into a true repertory company. “I want for Kamea to offer a platform for leading international choreographers to present their work in the future.”
For Ginz, Galili was an obvious choice when pondering with which choreographer he wanted to kick off the repertory initiative.
Galili, 55, was born and raised in Israel, where he began his illustrious career as a dancer in the Bat Dor Dance Company, after which he moved to the Batsheva Dance Company. In 1991, Galili relocated to The Netherlands, where he founded his own troupe, NND/Galili Dance. He went on to direct the Groningen-based company for over 20 years before establishing a new ensemble in Amsterdam. Then, three years ago, having firmly carved out a name for himself in the international dance community, Galili returned to live in Israel. Today, he splits his time between Tel Aviv and in cities around the globe where other companies perform his works.
To Beersheba, Galili chose to bring Things I Told Nobody, an ensemble work danced by 11 men and women to music by Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart and Satie. The piece was originally created in 2000 for the dancers of Galili’s company. To prepare the cast, Galili’s longtime associate Elizabeth Gibiat traveled to Beersheba. Over the course of several weeks, Gibiat taught and polished the work. Galili then entered the scene, making adjustments where needed and putting on the finishing touches.
“This piece has been performed by several other companies in the past. I really tried to match the work to the dancers of Kamea. When I work with companies, I’m less concerned with the outcome and more with the process. I want to give the dancers tools to develop themselves,” says Galili over coffee in Northern Tel Aviv.
Following this engagement, Galili will create a new work for nine dancers, which is a co-production between the Israel Opera, the Suzanne Dellal Center and a major Dutch festival.
Entitled Man of the Hour, this work will give Galili an opportunity to reflect upon his return to living in Israel. “Everyone wants to see and be seen here,” he says. “Everything has to happen fast. I want to make a piece that will elicit emotion quickly, that will take the audience on a great emotional journey in just an hour.”
Man of the Hour is to premier in late 2015.
Kamea Dance Company will also present “Galili and Ginz” on March 15 at the Beersheba Performing Arts Center (08-626-6400) and on March 19 at the Or Akiva Cultural Center (03-626-6366).