One by one, nine performers parade on the Suzanne Dellal Center stage and show themselves, with abilities and disabilities included. It is a quiet, unexpected assemblage of dancers and handicapped performers.
In fact, the first “Shape On Us” scene demonstrates its basic component – solidarity. A height-challenged performer is being carried from her wheelchair and seated center stage, and as soon as she leans back, an attentive group of dancers catch her, repeatedly. Later, a variation of that theme will be repeated with a different cast.
Vertigo commissioned Sharon Fridman – a fine Israeli choreographer residing in Madrid – to choreograph this work, since he worked successfully with Vertigo before and is well versed in contact improvisation as his main tool. Furthermore, from a personal angle, Fridman grew up helping to take care of his needy mother. His sensitivities made him well aware of social stigmas, and he would avoid exposing performers to compromising positions.
Indeed, he did his utmost to give more attention to performers with limitations and mellowed the dancers’ roles and reduced their stage presence. They became the enablers, which tumbled the balance we expected from a company titled Power of Balance and flawed the dramaturgic flow.
Regardless of the best intents, the work needed saving by more attention to the larger artistic scope, and finally it arrived almost at the last moment with a spectacular group scene.
The performers were sitting on the floor in a tight formation. For a moment all one could see was a pool of feet up, moving like underwater creatures. The group tightened and all performers touched and caressed the ones next to them, and with the right lighting and mild sound it was both touching and extremely beautiful. A true moment of grace.