Veteran choreographer, Noa Dar, says goodbye with a special event

By ORI J. LENKINSKI

FEBRUARY 19, 2020 12:06

Veteran choreographer Noa Dar says goodbye to her studio with a special event (photo credit: TAMAR LAM) — Veteran choreographer Noa Dar says goodbye to her studio with a special event

(photo credit: TAMAR LAM)

There’s something very reassuring about taking inventory. Those moments spent considering what one has and planning ahead for what one will need provide a sense of clarity. Be it in the tangible sense or figuratively, taking stock of one’s assets, achievements or belongings is a necessary step in assessing one’s current position.

In her new work, veteran choreographer Noa Dar does precisely that. Fourteen years ago, Dar moved into her studio in the Beit Hasofer (Israeli Writers Home) Compound off of Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv. The squat building nestled amidst a rapidly developing neighborhood became home to Dar’s company, a hub for local choreographers and a place for professional dancers to take classes.

Over the years, the neighborhood saw the leveling of the once bustling Bikurey Ha’Itim Center, which was replaced by a new elementary school, put in place to serve the flocks of families taking up residence in the nearby towers.

Having this creative home deeply influenced Dar’s process. She put down roots and let go of the nomadic existence which so many of her peers undertook. In fact, Dar’s most notable creation, Tetris, was crafted as a site-specific work for the studio, with lighting and a unique stage built specifically for the space.

Next month, Dar’s studio will be destroyed to make room for a luxury high-rise, one more giant building to be erected in the Sarona area.

To say goodbye to her home, Dar has orchestrated a special event, which will take place next weekend. She partnered with lighting designer and artist Yair Vardi to put together an event that would honor the rich history of the building. Entitled Who Will Build, Build A

Home, the event will occur in two parts.

The first part of the event will consist of a walking tour around the block in which audience members will be informed of the historical details of the complex via earphones. The audio track for the tour includes interviews with professors and publishers, people who spent years working in Beit Hasofer. The tour will conclude inside Dar’s studio, where she will perform Inventory.

In this work, Dar delves back into her decades of creation, plucking moments out of the past and weaving them into a present collage.

The studio becomes a conduit for time travel in which Dar, a thrilling performer, revisits treasured moments between its four walls.

Who Will Build, Build A Home event will take place on Feb 28 and 29 at 6 Kaplan Street.

For more information, visit www.noadar.com.