source www.batsheva.co.il
The Batsheva Dance Company founded in 1964, under the artistic direction of Ohad Naharin since 1990, established itself as one of the most interesting and well known modern ballet companies in the world. We saw last night their last production ‘Bill’ at the Suzanne Dellal center in the Tel Aviv neighborhood of Neve Tzedek, which became in the last decade one of the preferred entertainment areas of the city and a good place to spend a Friday night out with a friend coming to visit home from her remote California location.
(video source batshevadancecompany)
‘Bill’ is created by choreographer Sharon Eyal and takes the style of the company to its extremes. It is one hour of dance in a conception that focuses on the bodies and movements of the dancers, getting rid of many of the other elements that come together with the usual dance performance – narrative, sets, colors. What we see on the stage are only the dancers, in monochromatic costumes and with their bodies painted the same color and lights, and the continuum of the trance – style music guiding their movements. The result is that as a viewer you can focus on watching the dynamics of their movements, which build the whole performance. I liked what I saw on stage, it was permanently interesting, surprising, expressive – with the dancers interacting between themselves and the group in a sort of endless tribal ceremony from an universe that was created in front of our eyes. Even if the concept may seem too abstract and repetitive to some (it was not for me) the talent and effort of the dancers in the hot almost summer-like conditions (with the air conditioning not working for unknown reasons) was rewarded by well deserved applause from the audience.
An extensive interview with choreographer Sharon Eyal can be read at http://www.haaretz.com/magazine/friday-supplement/a-dance-on-the-wild-side-1.291018.