Wonderland by Barak Marshall and The Diplomats by Renana Raz will be performed in a joint program at the Suzanne Dellal Centre on December 22 & 23, 2011.
Choreographer Renana Raz is taking a new look at national anthems in her new dance piece The Diplomats, created to a soundtrack of national anthems from a diverse selection of countries. Although she is working with national Anthems, Raz endeavors to take this music out of its political context. Raz began working on The Diplomats by listening to the music of national anthems without the lyrics to explore the possibility of listening to them as music, allowing associations to emerge through this process. The costumes for this work were created with national flags in mind, creating an international collage of color.
Choreographer Barak Marshall cites Lorca’s Blood Wedding, Etgar Keret’s Kneller’s Happy Campers and Greek myth as points of departure for his artistic process with Wonderland. He describes the dance as the journey of ten lost souls in a mysterious, undefined space – limbo, purgatory or perhaps an abandoned factory. According to the choreographer these characters are “trying to find their way home, find love, hope…” Poised between dance and theatre, Wonderland includes sections with text, and a quick peek at the work in the studio promises laughter along the way. Marshall’s work always reflects a strong connection to music, in this case, he said the work is “Macedonian…built off a lot of Balkan brass bands.”
Barak Marshall – Wonderland
Text, Soundtrack and Set Design: Barak Marshall; Voice Design: Yuri Politi; Music: Blehorkestar Bkija Bakic from Vranje, Jascha Heifetz, Kocani Orkestar, Fanfare Ciocarlia, The Barry Sisters, Fritz Kreisler, Anatol Stefanet, Balkan Beat Box; Dancers: Nir Benita, Yoav Grinberg, Tom Weinberger, Efrat Levi, Avi Mazliah, Inbar Nemirovsky, Rita Komissarchik, Dor Raby, Adar Riklis, Shiran Sharabi; Costume Design: Maor Tsabar; Lighting Design: Yaacov Baressi.
Renana Raz – The Diplomats
Music: National anthems of Denmark, Turkey, Malaysia, Cameroom, Iran (1896 – 1933), Chechnya, Mauritania, Brazil, Aruba, Libya, The Russian Empire, Sami People (a nation of people in Lapland – North Finland), Japan and Malta; Soundtrack Design: Or Moran; Dancers: Nir Benita, Avi Mazliah, Inbar Nemirovsky, Rita Komissarchik, Dor Raby, Adar Riklis; Costume Design: Inbal Leiblich; Lighting Design: Yaacov Baressi.
Performances: Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 21:00 and Friday, December 23, 2011 at 22:00, Suzanne Dellal Centre. Tickets are 100/120 NIS and may be ordered online or call: 03-5105656.
