Israeli dance group brings consumerism on stage
Print Edition
DANCERS stand in line and move their legs like a sewing machine. They swirl at the sound of a juicer. Two men in black peel the bananas in the front of the stage, prompting laughter from the crowd who showed up for the Israeli contemporary dance “SALE” at Shanghai International Dance Center on Wednesday.
It was the first production of the Sol Dance Company that was launched by the 27-year-old choreographer Eyal Dadon.
Dance had never been part of Dadon’s life until he saw and learnt an Israeli folk dance in his hometown Be’er Sheva at the age of 16.
“I learnt a few steps and tried to dance to music. I fell in love with dance in seconds,” says Dadon. He applied for Bat Dor Dance School and was admitted.
But it was an embarrassing start for the then 17-year-old freshmen. Dadon was forced to lineup with 6-year-old girls in the early days of learning.
“In black tights and ballet shoes, I had no idea what to do in the class. The girls all looked at me grinning. I knew that they were laughing at me but I also knew I wanted to become the best dancer,” says Dadon.
He kept practicing at school from 9am to 10pm every day. Though he started to learn late in life, he improved very fast. In 2012, he joined Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company as a dancer and choreographer.
“I danced with them for five years. Every second of those five years was like a treat. Kibbutz was home for me,” says Dadon. He won the Yair Shapira Prize in 2014 as the Dancer of the Year.
Dadon established his own dance company in 2016 with six members, while still working with Kibbutz as rehearsal director and choreographer.
“I wanted to spend more time exploring myself, to achieve new goals and excitement in my creation. I named the company after my grandmother’s name, Sol, which means sun in Spanish,” says Dadon, “I like sun.”
Apart from the dancers he worked with, Dadon found inspirations from his non-dancing family and friends. He loves adding humor in his work.
“The jokes and leisure time of childhood can all be a source of creation on stage. We laugh about lives, even if we had a bad day. I love to bring a sense of humor to the studio, and to make a bigger layer inside the piece. The sense of humor is part of me in both life and work, and I would love to share that with the audiences.”
The idea of “SALE” also came about from some funny incidences in Dadon’s life.
“I would see the TV shopping programs trying hard to sell things to the audiences. They try to convince people that every products means a lot, which I think is very funny. Today, it seems that everything is related to money, deal, fame and success. So, I decided to add a bit of it with the dancers on stage,” Dadon explains.
“SALE” premiered in December at Tel Aviv-Yafo International Arts Festival and was hugely appreciated. It had its China debut in Shanghai and is heading to Beijing, followed by Xi’an in Shaanxi Province.
Funny movements, serious face expression, weird stage properties like a juice machine, popcorns and bananas all suggest consumerism.
“It is a theme that never ends. Everything can be for sale. So, I put some daily supplies on the stage,” says Dadon. “I also tried to combine the dancers’ body movements with relaxing feels, or connecting their movements with some of our daily habits. I hope that the audience will open themselves and see the work in a relaxed way.”
“I hope that audiences can see the real me and my dancers through my works. I am what I create. I am only 27 ... at the beginning of my creative life. I will wait for my real identity to show itself eventually,” says the choreographer.
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