This article was initially published as “Close Encounters Series: Nimrod Freed” on The Winger in 2008, prior to a performance of his Peep Dance at Central Park SummerStage in New York.
* * *
Nimrod Freed. Photo by Eyal Landesman.
Close Encounters Series: Nimrod Freed
My initial encounter with Nimrod Freed was in autumn 2007 via e-mail. I first contacted him because he was on the faculty of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, my host institution here in Israel during my Fulbright grant. We met, though, at a different college with a focus on teacher training: Seminar HaKibbutzim in northern Tel Aviv.
Not only does Nimrod teach at both of these institutions, but he also is the artistic director at Tel Aviv’s Beit Tami, a spectacularly located community center that is equipped with a few studios and a small performance space popular with independent choreographers. There he runs the Tami Dance Company, which currently brings together one actor with several dancers in dance theater works.
As I learned about all of Nimrod’s roles during that first meeting at Seminar HaKibbutzim, I realized – in the very best way – that I had got more than I bargained for! Speaking with him gave me a much clearer sense of the institutional map of Israeli contemporary dance.
Nimrod Freed’s Peep Dance. Photo by Anatoly Michaelo.
I also learned about Nimrod’s own career, from his beginnings in folk dance to his intensive study of concert dance, which was sparked by his involvement in an opera production of Samson and Delilah at age 16. His interest in dance theater developed after seeing Pina Bausch’s Café Müller , and subsequently, he studied acting and directing at Tel Aviv University. A class there with guest teacher Kei Takei proved to be a major turning point; indeed, soon afterwards, he joined her company Moving Earth in New York.
Nimrod stayed in the U.S. for just over a decade, and during this time, he also formed his own dance theater company. It was an invitation to perform in the Israel Festival which paved the way back to his native country. Through his teaching of improvisation and pedagogy, his choreography, and his leadership at Beit Tami, he has contributed enormously to the vibrant Israeli contemporary dance scene – but even as he maintains a home base in Tel Aviv, he continues to work internationally. Nimrod’s company has toured to Europe and Japan, where he met Min Tanaka and picked up a butoh influence.
Spectators at Nimrod Freed’s Peep Dance. Photo by Itamar Freed.
In July 2008, Nimrod returned to New York with the Tami Dance Company for a performance of Peep Dance at Central Park SummerStage. Like Israeli crowds, the American audiences clustered around colorful structures and put their eyes up to peepholes to sneak a peek at the dancers inside.
Nimrod Freed’s Subtext. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
Nimrod’s latest work, Subtext, was shown as part of Curtain Up 2009 at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv and the Rebecca Crown Auditorium in Jerusalem.
Posted on 02 January 2010 by Deborah Friedes Galili
Video: Promo for Arkadi Zaides’s new Quiet
As guest writer Brian Schaefer wrote in his article, for most visitors from abroad, International Exposure is a veritable “crash course” in Israeli contemporary dance. For me, however, International Exposure serves another purpose. Since I’m now intimately familiar with both the scene as a whole and with the artists themselves, this festival provides an unparalleled opportunity to consider developments in the field over the last year.
While Brian rightly noted that the vast majority of works in International Exposure did not overtly address the Israeli context, a few works did tackle issues in Israeli life – and as someone who has seen the vast majority of contemporary dance created in Israel since 2007, I can vouch that this is a notable shift. Out of all the dances I watched during my first two years in the country – a number which easily surpasses 100 and probably nears 200 – I can probably count the number of works which explicitly examine Israeli culture and society on less than two hands. Most of them, such as Renana Raz’s We Have Been Called to Go, were works that had premiered in previous seasons; while I saw this dance on stage, I had to seek out other works such as Yasmeen Godder’s Strawberry Cream and Gunpowder on DVD. Indeed, when I saw Hillel Kogan’s Everything at Exposure in January 2008, its focus on Israeli machismo was such a revelation because it was the only new work I had seen which openly examined an aspect of Israeli identity.
So it was absolutely astonishing for me to watch as not just one but a handful of the offerings at International Exposure unmistakably explored Israeli society. Two of these dances had premiered just weeks earlier in the Curtain Up festival, and while they both took the relationship of the individual to the surrounding Israeli society as their main theme, they approached the subject from different personal perspectives and aesthetics.
Noa Dar’s Anu. Photo by Tamar Lamm.
In Noa Dar’s trio Anu (Us), one dancer – perhaps dressed to look younger in pigtails and a skirt – is initiated into the group, first observing her two fellow performers and then modeling herself after them until she becomes a participating member. Though at times the context is universal, there are several scenes which bear the recognizable imprint of Israeli culture. Gathered center stage in a tight circle, the trio performs a speeded-up mishmash of Israeli folk dance steps; occasionally, one dancer breaks out of the group, causing the others to pause, but then the three immediately resume their folk dance at an even more frenetic pace. Another powerful section references the army service which is compulsory in Israel. Juxtaposing stylized miming of military actions (loading, aiming, and shooting guns; throwing grenades; scoping out a building and breaking in; strip searching a suspect) with sweetly tranquil classical music, the scene is chilling.
Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor’s Big Mouth. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
Whereas Anu follows the process of indoctrination into society, Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor’s Big Mouth considers the reverse process of an individual critically considering this group mentality. The strains of an Israeli folk song set the stage even before the curtain rises, and the tone is further established as the three dancers (Sheinfeld, Laor, and Keren Levi) begin by turning their backs on the audience and striding in unison around the perimeter of the space. Gradually, the trio’s regimented marching is punctuated by Israeli folk dance steps – a mayim here, a three-step turn there – and eventually, Levi tries to break out of this seemingly never-ending pattern with her own idiosyncratic movement. Later, to the swelling melody of an Israeli military hymn, Levi stands downstage and slowly opens her mouth wide until her face is distorted in the shape of a silent, terrible scream; this simple yet virtuosic act leaves a haunting imprint even after the booming music dies down and Levi’s face returns to its normal state. Despite the tenderness with which Sheinfeld and Laor cradle Levi during their final trio, keeping her perpetually aloft while passing her back and forth, the emotion which prompted such an agonized cry clearly lingers, prompting her to leave the group at the close of the work.
Besides Anu and Big Mouth, two other brand-new works showcased in International Exposure 2009 also seemed to be colored by the political and social dynamics within the Israeli context. Rami Be’er’s choreography has often explored Israeli life, and his Infrared, which the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company premiered in November, seems to follow in this pattern. Though much of the choreography itself is more abstract, the work opens with a man’s voice solemnly intoning a poem (written by Be’er) about soldiers in a garden and with one dancer slowly emerging from what appears to be a body bag. Meanwhile, Arkadi Zaides’s Quiet, which was presented in a studio showing as a work-in-progress, features a mixed cast of Jewish and Arab performers and effectively plays off the tensions between these two groups.
After two years of barely seeing any choreography explicitly grappling with the Israeli context, I couldn’t help but wonder why so many dances were now openly invoking this subject and its intense undercurrents. Could it perhaps be that, after the war in Gaza last year, some choreographers felt compelled to reexamine their surroundings? What other political and personal factors were at work?
Noa Dar’s Anu. Photo by Tamar Lamm.
In a conversation with Noa Dar prior to the premiere of Anu, she said that her latest work stemmed from her experiences as “a mother and also as a citizen” of Israel. While Dar talked about how her young children’s education was already “printing on them their future and the future as soldiers,” she also recounted her experience at a protest against the incursion into Gaza in 2008, during which not only right-wing counter-protesters but also passersby cursed the demonstrators as traitors. The choreographer further discussed the media’s one-sided account of both Gaza and the 2006 Lebanon war and brought up recent legislation curtailing the rights of Arab Israelis. “This work came out of these experiences, out of this fear that this country is getting more and more closed,” Dar acknowledged. She continued, “It’s about the uniformity that Israeli culture brings and trying to explore how to survive it, to go against it but still be inside, to be able to comment on it, to try to change it.”
Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor’s Big Mouth. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
While these recent developments spurred the creation of Anu, Big Mouth emerged from somewhat different roots. Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor choreographed the dance during a period when they were frequently away from Israel; sometimes they were on tour with previous works, and at other times they were in the Netherlands where they collaborated on the new trio with Amsterdam-based Israeli dancer Keren Levi. Sheinfeld remarked, “Somehow I think it affected this work; it made the piece somehow with reference to the Israeli culture.” Laor chimed in the conversation, noting not only the physical distance of the three collaborators from Israel during the creative process but also other events which caused the artists to consider issues of nationalism and group identity. While Big Mouth does include specific allusions to the Israeli context, Sheinfeld reflected that ultimately, “the way that we treat the subject is the personal level, is the individual, and how an individual acts in a group.”
Arkadi Zaides’s Quiet. Photo courtesy of Arkadi Zaides.
Meanwhile, in the publicity for Quiet, which premieres this weekend at Tmuna Theater in Tel Aviv, Zaides explains the backdrop for his latest work. He writes:
“Quiet arose from a real sense of emergency; in light of the growing violence and mistrust between communities in Israel, constantly subjected to states of shock which never allow the space needed for reflection, and thus never allow for change. In such an environment it felt acute to create a platform which allows for an open and honest communication; a place where it is safe to let one’s demons out and set them free; where the irrationality of response is examined and emotions are bravely explored; where a broad perspective is sought and where trust is continuously built.”
With these works’ diverse reference points and perspectives, they are welcome, thought-provoking additions to the Israeli contemporary dance scene.
The works mentioned in this article are currently performed throughout Israel. To find out about upcoming concerts and to learn more about the artists, visit the websites below:
Posted on 29 November 2009 by Deborah Friedes Galili
Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor’s Big Mouth. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
Dance In Israel: What is your relationship to Curtain Up?
Niv Sheinfeld: We made several pieces [for the festival]. I was doing work for the Batsheva Ensemble and the Kibbutz Dance Company in the beginning, but it was part of Curtain Up. And then I did Co-Variance, Pig, and Jorona for Curtain Up, together with Oren.
Noa Shadur’s Into the Night. Photo by Jewboy.
DII: What drew you to invite Noa Shadur to be the choreographer to share the bill with you?
Oren Laor: I suggested Noa’s name, and Niv immediately said “Yes, that’s a good idea,” because we saw Noa’s work in the past, and among many Israeli independent choreographers, Noa’s sources are the ones that we feel are the best. She looks at humans; we saw it’s never just strictly movement. She’s an explorer, like we like.
Noa Shadur’s Into the Night. Photo by Jewboy.
NS: I think [it was] also the fact that we had a good dialogue with her. We started seeing her work and talking to her and checking things out, and we found that the language of the dialogue was fluent, and it gave us a good base.
Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor’s Big Mouth. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
DII: Can you tell me a bit about how your new work Big Mouth started?
NS: The beginning was not from an idea; it was from working with Keren [Levi], because Keren is a good friend of mine for more than 25 years. We went to high school together, and I got to know the dance world from her. She was talking about coming to Israel; we said maybe we’ll make a solo for you. We started by joking about it. And then we invited her to get into the studio for two weeks in Tel Aviv, and interesting things came up for us. Then we went for Amsterdam for the second period of work.
Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor’s Big Mouth. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
NS: We were touring sometimes in this period, and we weren’t in Israel a lot, and somehow I think it affected this work. [Also] the fact that Keren left Israel, it made the piece somehow with reference to the Israeli culture. It’s only a reference. It’s from a very personal point of view, from our connection, this trio. This solo became a trio; of course we found ourselves drawn in.
* * *
For listings of Curtain Up performances, please visit the Dance In Israel Calendars page.
Posted on 27 November 2009 by Deborah Friedes Galili
Noa Dar’s Us. Photo by Tamar Lamm.
Dance In Israel: What is your relationship to Curtain Up?
Noa Dar: I choreographed for Curtain Up from 1996-2000, 5 years in a row. And then I was a guest artist in 2001 and again in 2004 . . . It was very important thing for me, this Curtain Up. It really was my school or my initiation program for my choreography, so I found this project very important. And I think it’s very that good this time the choreographers have a chance to express their own artistic choices and also to guide young choreographers. I’m excited about this opening of the establishment to the ideas of independent choreographers. This is important.
Maya Brinner’s Red Ladies. Photo by Tamar Lamm.
DII: What drew you to invite Maya Brinner and Irad Mazliah?
ND: These are dancers of mine. Maya is dancing with me since 2000, already nine years. And Irad is dancing with me for the last three years. I found both of them to be very creative, very interesting in their research. Both are also involved in other mediums of art; Irad came from visual art and Maya from film. We had some mutual understanding, because for years we are working together. I’m very happy to give them this opportunity.
Irad Mazliah’s Unter den linden. Photo by Tamar Lamm.
DII: Are there any links between the three works in Curtain 5?
ND: We had a lot of mutual talks and plans and trying to research what we have in common in order to build not a program of three different dances but to have an evening which has as many connections of possible . . . the three of us [are] looking at differences versus conformity, and stillness or stuck positions versus mobility and change. And each one deals completely differently [with these ideas]. So there are different tones on a common basis in these three pieces.
Maya Brinner’s Red Ladies Photo by Tamar Lamm.
ND: Maya is working with three female dancers who are [like] workers in a factory. They’re all the same, and in this sameness they’re looking for their individuality and the way they can be unique in this competitive world.
Irad Mazliah’s Unter den linden. Photo by Tamar Lamm.
ND: Irad is coming from a different place. He took three people who are very different, but he put all three of them in one world, with very distinct rules of its own.
Noa Dar’s Us. Photo by Tamar Lamm.
ND: My work is again three dancers that deals more with the Israeli common experiences that create the uniformity of the way of thinking, the way of acting, and the negative attitude towards difference. I came [to this work] with very strong experiences that I’m having in the last few years as a mother and also as a citizen.
* * *
For listings of Curtain Up performances, please visit the Dance In Israel Calendars page.
Posted on 26 November 2009 by Deborah Friedes Galili
Yaara Dolev’s Blossom. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
Dance In Israel: Can you tell me about the relationship you and Amit Goldenberg have had with Curtain Up?
Yaara Dolev: The first work we did with Haramat Masach [Curtain Up] was a collaboration between us and plastic artists in 2001. It was in the space between the theater and the Batsheva offices. The whole place was covered with these mobile statues and we danced with [them], and it was a very nice project. In 2002, we did another piece for Haramat Masach. It was a very political piece; the name of it was Ivrim, about fascism . . . And in 2003, we did a piece called Machine. It was a whole evening. And that’s it. That was when we decided that we want to create outside of this festival, to be more independent when we create.
Yaara Dolev’s Blossom. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
YD: This 20 year [anniversary of] Haramat Masach is a great opportunity to come back to this and to do it in an independent way. It’s really unique and wonderful that they gave this option for the six creators to really do [the festival] without interference, without questioning, just to give this freedom to create.
Michael Miler’s Number 6. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
DII: What drew you to select Michael Miler to join you on the bill?
YD: Of course when we knew that had to select someone, we tried to see as much as possible . . . I think it’s a good collaboration because there’s something about his creation that is more [about] the pure, clean movement in space, and less [about] theater. And [there’s] something about it that we believe in . . .
Michael Miler’s Number 6. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
YD: I think Michael is very talented. I think he’s very interesting. He’s coming from math; in university, he studied engineering and mathematics. You can see it in his compositions, and it’s very interesting for me. I think it’s very clear what he wants, and you can see he’s very mature about his creation.
Yaara Dolev’s Blossom. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
DII: Can you tell me a little bit about the work that you’re premiering, Blossom? Where did it come from?
YD: Actually, it started by chance. I took a DVD from the Third Ear [a DVD store in Tel Aviv], and it was a Sean Penn movie, Into the Wild. It’s a wonderful film, and when I finished the film, immediately I knew what I want to do in this work. And what we’re doing now is pretty much the same vision that I had when I finished [seeing] this movie . . . it was the first pulse for me for the creation. Also, I thought because it’s the first creation I [am doing] without Amit, it’s really my blossom.
Yaara Dolev’s Blossom. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
YD: I was really with myself in this creation. I feel like I could really put my dream on the dancers onstage. There’s my truth there, so it feels good.
* * *
For listings of Curtain Up performances, please visit the Dance In Israel Calendars page.
