“Somehow, this show is more exactly right now. It is more suitable today than ever before,” says Adi Sha’al.
By ORI J. LENKINSKIBirth of the Phoenix(photo credit: YOEL LEVI)
In 2004, when the Vertigo Dance Company premiered Birth of the Phoenix, artistic directors Noa Wertheim and Adi Sha’al could not have imagined how resonant the production would be. In this work, Wertheim tapped into a deep personal concern for the state of the Earth to create a choreography that would be performed outside on a stage filled with earth.In this piece, she explored man’s relationship to the environment and invited audiences to reconsider the way they were living and how their bodies and actions impacted the ground around them. Sixteen years later, having presented Birth of the Phoenix to over a quarter of a million viewers worldwide, Wertheim and Sha’al decided to bring the production back to mark the company and Israel’s return to the stage post-corona.“When Noa made it, she told me the piece was ‘ecological dance.’ I told her, ‘That doesn’t exist.’ She said, ‘It will.’ Now I see,” laughs Sha’al over the phone. “It talks about man and nature, how we can sit in a circle and look at one another, how we can relate to our world.”At the time that Birth of the Phoenix premiered, the company was working out of their studio in the Gerard Behar Center in Jerusalem. However, the two knew that they were interested in finding a way to connect their work with sustainable living.Not long after, the messages of the production came to fruition in Vertigo’s ecological village on Kibbutz Netiv Halamed Hey. The company erected an earthen studio, ecological bathrooms and a nearly waste-free kitchen, where they hold rehearsals, host performances and workshops and train a new generation of dancers. The company has just completed the renovation of a new deluxe facility, which includes a sprawling studio space and guest rooms for artists in residence.“We are ready, we just need clients to come on out,” says Sha’al. Being a few steps ahead is in Vertigo’s DNA. In fact, the company was so ready to get back on stage, it took on all of the regulations independently in order to make the four performances of Birth of the Phoenix possible.“We were told that we can open shows but no one is doing it. Everyone is waiting. We won’t wait. We are giving our services on everything. We’re selling tickets through Vertigo’s website, putting someone to take temperatures at the entrance and setting up the chairs at the right distances. We will make sure that the event complies with all of the current restrictions,” assures Sha’al.The performances in Tel Aviv are just the beginning. Following these shows, the company will set out on a mini tour throughout Israel. As Birth of the Phoenix occurs within a free-standing structure designed specifically for the production, it can be presented anywhere.“Our tagline for this tour is ‘bringing culture back to life.’ At first, we thought that we were bringing movement back to life but it’s more than movement. After everything we’ve been through, the audience is hungry for something that feeds the soul.”To revive the show, Wertheim and Sha’al called on five veteran dancers to learn the choreography.“We brought back the best dancers for this. They jumped in and they are ready to go,” says Sha’al. The cast for this incarnation of Birth of the Phoenix is Korina Fraiman, Sian Olles, Etai Peri, Micha Amos and Daniel Costa.The company will present two shows each night, one at 7:30 p.m. and one at 9:30 p.m. “The first is open to the whole family. There is no difference in the choreography, only the light will be different,” says Sha’al.Though the performances at Suzanne Dellal will mark their return to the stage, the cast has already performed for a special documentary film project. Just as the regulations were being lifted in Jerusalem, Vertigo arranged to erect the Birth of the Phoenix dome next to the entrance to the old city. Titled Birth of the Phoenix in Jerusalem, the film will be screened in the coming months.“Somehow, this show is more exactly right now. It is more suitable today than ever before,” says Sha’al.Birth of the Phoenix will be performed at the Suzanne Dellal Center on June 30 and July 1 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. For tickets, visit vertigo.org.il.
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