The curtain went up on dance premieres of independent choreographers at Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv these past two weeks, with four programs that were meticulously produced and beautifully performed by an array of talented dancers to a full house. None of this can be taken for granted. The backstage jitters and apprehensive anticipation that accompany any opening night suddenly became the backdrop to an entirely different situation as air raid sirens blared in the midst of pre-show technical runs, and the decision was made: the show must go on, whether or not ticket holders would dare venture forth from their homes.
Night after night, the performance was preceded by an announcement: “In the event of an audience may choose to descend to the bomb shelter two floors down in the basement, or to remain in the hall. Enjoy the show.”
This audience member did indeed enjoy the show. 11 independent Israeli choreographers premiered new works over the course of four evenings, with artistic directors Yoram Karmi and Ronit Ziv mentoring two programs each. Reflecting a wide spectrum of styles, the productions all felt very complete, expressing a certain vision and achieving a sense of “world view” in terms of music, movement, costumes and set all working together. The dancers in this year’s Curtain Up were exceptionally good, all around, making every performance enjoyable. It was a pleasure to see dancers I admire – Shlomi Bitton, Elad Livnat, Noa Rosenthal – on the Israeli stage once more, and to become better acquainted with dancers Almog Loven and Eldad Ben Sasson.
All Curtain Up performances will travel to Jerusalem, beginning Sunday, November 26th. A selection of works from Curtain Up have been chosen to take part in International Exposure in Dance 2012, on December 8, 2012. Dana Ruttenberg’s Armed, Noa Shadur’s We Do Not Torture People, and Eldad Ben Sasson’s Strange Attractor will be performed at 10:00 at Suzanne Dellal; Gili Navot’s May Contain Nuts and Roy Assaf’s The Hill will be performed at 12:00 (in a program that also includes Talia Paz, Ofra Idel and Nadar Rosano). These performances are all open to the public, tickets are 60 NIS and may be ordered from Suzanne Dellal.
Jerusalem performances of Curtain Up 2012:
Nov 26 at 20:30 – Curtain Four: Shlomit Fundaminsky – Fly, Fly, Lie; Shlomi Frige – Joker; Noa Shadur – We Do Not Torture People
Nov 27 at 20:30 – Curtain One: Maya Brinner – Crumbling; Dana Ruttenberg – Armed
Nov 28 at 20:30 – Curtain Two: Dafi Altebeb – Nevertheless; Idan Yoav – The Unfortunates; Eldad Ben Sasson – Strange Attractor
Nov 29 at 20:30 – Curtain Three: Sharon Vazana – The Feast; Gili Navot – It May Contain Nuts; Roy Assaf – The Hill
Suzanne Dellal –5 Yehieli Street, Tel Aviv. Tickets are 60 NIS and may be ordered online www.suzannedellal.org.il, or call: 03-5105656.
Jerusalem Theatre – November 26 – 29; 20 Marcus Street, Jerusalem. Tickets are 60 NIS and may be ordered online www.jerusalem-theatre.co.il, or call: 02-5605755.
Curtain Up is a project of the Department of Dance in the Ministry of Culture and Sport, and is produced by the Israel Festival whose director is Yossi Tal Gan, with Miri Manirev producing the festival.
