The Look / George & Zalman / Black Milk

Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence is the inspiration and conceptual starting point of Sharon Eyal's work »The Look« (2019) for the »Batsheva« ensemble. The work is created upon invitation of Eyal by the Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin in his last season as the Artistic Director of the company. »The Look« is dark and beautiful at the same time, and seems, with its hypnotic and unique movement language, to be set in the cosmos of nightlife. The exciting and innovative dance alongside the extremely beautiful images on stage create a pull that the audience cannot escape.
The choreography is combined with two celebrated pieces by Ohad Naharin, which give a deep insight into his characteristic style and his »Gaga-Technik«, originally developed by Naharin to be able to dance despite a back illness.

The piece »George & Zalman« from 2006, is a sensual quintet for five dancers. Set to music by Arvo Pärt and with quotations from the poem »Mockingbird Wish Me Luck« (1972) by Charles Bukowski, the five women dance in a clear structure from which the individual repeatedly shows through. The text is broken up in order to incorporate it in a cumulative process parallel to the movements, always returning to the origin but in an altered form. Each path is predetermined and yet constantly changing.

The counterpart to this piece is »Black Milk«, originally created in 1985 as a women's quintet for the »Kibbutz Dance Company«. In 1990, Naharin developed a version for men for the »Batsheva Dance Company«. To the driving marimba sounds of Paul Smadbeck, a group of five men follows a gripping dance ritual. With its rapid juxtaposition of tempo and textures, the composition for two marimbas challenges the dancers up to the limits of their physicality.