MEGA ISRAEL

In ‘Uprising’, Hofesh Shechter explores the extremely physical, virile side of dance. The seven male performers, all barefoot and casually dressed in T-shirts and trousers, are wavering between insecurity and aggressiveness, a longing for companionship and the urge for dominance. The mood is dictated by the music: harsh rock sounds, electronically distorted, composed by the trained percussionist Shechter himself. A strong statement that adds a whole new colour to contemporary dance.

Gai Behar and Sharon Eyal achieved their international breakthrough with ‘Killer Pig’. The duo is to create an extra version for Gauthier Dance – cast with six female dancers like in the world premiere, and condensed into 30 radical minutes. In the context of ‘MEGA ISRAEL’, the rough style and precise movements of ‘Killer Pig’ make for the ideal counterpart to Shechter’s ‘Uprising’. We see enigmatic Amazons in perfectly synchronized formations and desperate outbursts, coolly debunking all clichés of female dancing.

The third piece is ‘Minus 16’ by Ohad Naharin – the long-term Artistic Director of the magnificent Batsheva Dance Company who is widely regarded as the greatest master of dance from Israel. After the great success of ‘Kamuyot’, the creator of the Gaga method trusts Gauthier Dance with another production. Save that one should rather call it THE production … After all, ‘Minus 16’ is Naharin’s signature piece which became iconic soon after the premiere in 1999. Like in a kaleidoscope, the choreography combines diverse episodes, musical material and moods which Naharin continually re-arranges and modifies. Whether it is the raw energy emanating from a circle of dancers on chairs, chanting powerful Jewish traditional Echad Mi Yodea or the rapture of a pas de deux set to Antonio Vivaldi’s setting of ‘Nisi Dominus’ (Psalm 126) – Minus 16 offers an intense experience for both the dancers and the audience.

Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart is a young, dynamic company of 17 highly individual, versatile dancers, directed by the dancer, choreographer and musician Eric Gauthier. The Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart presents contemporary dance by Gauthier and internationally renowned choreographers such as Mauro Bigonzetti, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Itzik Galili, Paul Lightfoot / Sol León and Hans van Manen. Set up in October 2007, Gauthier Dance established itself in the German dance scene with record speed and has become an international brand.

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