11 August 2019
11am & 2pm
ofir yudilevitch: Gravitas
Gravitas is a breathtaking duet combining contemporary dance and acrobatics.
Gravity is one of the most basic and powerful forces in nature.
It acts upon us and upon every physical object in the same way. This force defines the language we use in everyday life: Up-down, light-heavy, high art- low art, life- death.
Gravity doesn’t care if we land or crash, It will remain the same.
We take a moment to play with it. We become pure mass and try to surrender to its blind will.
More about the Show
Gravity is the central theme of the piece. We explore the new possibilities brought up by this new ground and try to push ourselves to the limits of this exploration.
We challenge acrobatics, a physical language that is normally concerned with success, by showing the beauty of its failure. We also challenge contemporary dance and choreography by applying it to acrobatics and broadening the vocabulary of dance. By challenging both forms we attempt to blur the lines between the physical languages of dance and acrobatics and in doing so we also redefine the traditional separation of high art and popular culture.
The piece also questions ideas of manhood and boyhood. The two performers play recklessly with each other and with the audience. They try to regain a sense of fearlessness that is usually lost in childhood. At the same time, as men their interactions are competitive and at times violent.
The audience in the piece sits around the stage, surrounding the performers and creating an image of a boxing arena or a kind of communal ritual. The spectators sit close to the performance. They can see, hear, smell and sense the performers. They also see other spectators which mirror their expressions of fear, joy and laughter.
Throughout the piece the relation between spectator and performer is being challenged. Is the performer there to entertain and at what cost? Can a real, empathetic connection occur, even outside in the street? Can we dance a new kind of dance?