Kamea Dance Company preforms in Tel Aviv

The evening’s program included three works by two international choreographers: Marco Goecke’s, who challenged the dancers with his Nichts (“Nothing”), and Itzik Galili.

By ORA BRAFMAN
THE KAMEA Dance Company’s ‘Beautiful Madness.’ (photo credit: KFIR BOLOTIN)
THE KAMEA Dance Company’s ‘Beautiful Madness.’
(photo credit: KFIR BOLOTIN)
A lot of credit for the advancement of Beersheba-based Kamea Dance Company goes to Kamea’s choreographer and artistic director Tamir Ginz. The current program, Beautiful Madness, showcases the company at its best, and for the first time without any work by Ginz.
The evening’s program included three works by two international choreographers: Marco Goecke’s, who challenged the dancers with his Nichts (“Nothing”), and Itzik Galili, who contributed a measure of pungent diversity with Peels,  and Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.
Galili which had already worked with Kamea, and renewed two of his earlier works for the company, which opened with his Peeled (2008). That piece supports a somber, smoky ambiance under miserly light for 10 dancers. A string of solo pieces slowly evolves into growing group passages and relies more and more on unison; and on geometric compositions with intense, edgy, fast gestures and moves. All that requires strong technique and knife-sharp precision, which was often lacking. This particular approach of fusion of balletic technique, contemporary perception and pounding sounds preserve the earlier impact of Forsyth which had faded somewhat with time.
The witty, piquant side of Galili has already produced some dance gems, made to sparkle and endow viewers with delight and human warmth, a rare commodity on our dance stages. Cherry Pink and Apple Blossoms White, like his earlier Sofa, is a bright, playfully virtuosic duet.
Set to a “Mambo King” Perez Prado hit of the early ‘50s, the dance enjoyed a perfect pair of dancers portraying the odd couple. He is a very tall nerd with big glasses and suspendered pants that are too short, and she is a hot-blooded, sassy, relentless girl half his size. Both dancers were brilliant. With sharp wit, humor and challenging choreography, Galili totally won the house.
Yet, the real challenge for the entire company was on the second act, facing Marco Goecke’s Nichts. Goecke is the man of the hour, and has a distinct style, intricately detailed body work flooded with fast, chopped, obsessive repetitive moves and hummingbird-like fluttering palms.
The piece supplied an impressive selection of solos and duet pieces, not just for the more outstanding dancers, but aimed the spotlight toward all, and made all of them shine. It involved a lot of effort, capability and faith in the artistic value and weight of the actual magnetizing choreography. This was an evening of beautiful madness to be remembered.