Together, We Celebrate Dance!

Two sacrosanct stars of the dance universe will have guest appearances at the upcoming 20th Belgrade Dance Festival. The famous choreographer and drummer, an Israeli with a permanent address in London, Hofesh Shechter and the most famous flamenco dancer on the planet, Israel Galván from Seville, will put Belgrade on a global dance map.

Israel Galv N

The Belgrade audience will have the opportunity to attend your performance for the first time. What does dance mean to you and what do you think of the fact that flamenco will be performed at the jubilee edition of the contemporary dance festival?

I fell in love with the world of dance, because dancing came naturally to me. Dancing is the devil’s business, and it’s not easy when you’re not good at it. I don’t remember ever practising. It was always like I was playing, and people seemed to really enjoy watching me. Yes, this will be my first time performing in Belgrade at this truly sensational festival. Flamenco?

Believe me, if the dance is good, nothing will limit you to a certain form. My journey continues, but it is important that, as an artist, I reach a certain goal every time. It is extremely rare in any genre to see a dancer with unwavering imagination and authority.

The piece that you will bring to the 20th Belgrade Dance Festival is titled “The Golden Age”. What was the golden age for flamenco and how far are we today from the golden age when we talk about theatre, acting or performing arts in general?

I like to think that flamenco’s golden age is now. Flamenco evolves but also suffers due to various influences and contaminations. However, the most important thing is that it retains very strong roots that people can see. Flamenco takes us from the past to the future, and in the present, what we dance today, is our golden age. In general, art is more open and closed off at the same time. Artists who know the tradition, and at the same time are tied to their era, are the ones who will succeed in achieving their mission and influencing a large number of people. When a dancer comes on stage, you can see exactly how much they know, how educated they are, how much they read, how much intelligence and experience they carry with them...

We can also watch you in the Netflix documentary called “Move”, in which you appear with Akram Khan and Ohad Naharin. How important are projects like this for the popularization of dance and could you relay to us your experiences?

I had a very special performance in Seville when I danced in the main square of my city. It was a unique moment in my career. I am aware there are other ways of communicating today too. I’m a dancer, but I also love movies, and when I dance I always imagine a camera that zooms in on details and create a small story in my mind, an inner state... I will always be a supporter of moving dance out of its usual spaces.

You are known for your expressive personal language, not only as a dancer but also as a stage creator. What makes that language special?

Considering that I have been acting since I was a boy, I believe that I have a good command of the stage and that I know my connections with the audience very well. Because of my personality, I “talk” better while dancing rather than speaking. In order to feel free, without the pressure of hav- ing a virtuoso performance, I choose the freedom of movement, sound and theme, and of course, I adore flamenco. Actually, the world I create is like a cocktail. A man plays what he is or how he feels.

How would you describe the position of flamenco today?

I am THE virus.

How do you create your works? What is your process like?

In order to avoid thinking about everyday life, I always focus on my ideas and create my own way of understanding things. These are my images and sounds. The process is such that every time I create a new piece I become a new person who dances, a new body, with a new aesthetic. My way of creating is to transform myself into a different person. For me, it’s more interesting to invent my new body than to invent the steps.

Could you tell us about the amazing artists you’ve collaborated with? How important is it for an artist to be open and inspired by different artistic voices?

My collaborations started with my family because I started dancing at the age of three. After that, there were my teachers, with ingenious ideas, a sense of rhythm, with an inimitable voice and courage. More recently, I have collaborated with Akram Khan and Ohad Naharin. I love Frankenstein. Like cutting out pieces of artistic creations and merging them with the works of other artists. I like the various combinations you can get. It’s a formula of a sort.

Could you tell us more about “The Golden Age”? Can we consider this piece as the beginning of a long friendship with the Belgrade audience?

I am thrilled to bring you “The Golden Age”. This play is my laboratory. It opened in 2005, but I keep changing it and I hope you can breathe in that golden moment in time. I think it is very romantic to perform it in Belgrade.

We heard that you will perform a solo act at the Belgrade Dance Festival, as a gift on the festival’s anniversary. Yes, that’s the performance that Aja Jung chose. It is a sound revolution but without musicians. I’m alone on stage. Me and just a few spotlights! I also performed this piece in the theatre run by Mikhail Baryshnikov in Manhattan, New York. I guess the two of them were colluding, and believe me, it’s a dangerously good piece. I cannot wait to see what your audience thinks of it.

Hofesh Shechter

entered the big world of dance with the Batsheva Dance Company. What is the secret of that wonderful place which created globally renowned artists?

I think this is due primarily Ohad Naharin and his incredible artistry, focus and energy. I learned a lot from working with him and watching him create. When I danced in the Batsheva Dance Company, Naharin gave us the opportunity to create our own pieces, and that’s how we progressed. Also, dance is very important in Israel. It is the art of living! Folk dance is a part of the culture there and a way of bringing people together. You can see examples of modern dance wherever you turn. Last but not least, the highly charged political reality always creates a need in people to express themselves - often without words.

Your place of birth is Jerusalem, and your place of work is London. Apart from those two cities, is there any other that holds importance in your life?

I’d say it’s Paris. I lived there for a short time, but I began to deepen my exploration of percussion and drums, composing music. It was a moment of creativity that was a turning point in my life.

At the previous Belgrade Dance Festival, the German troupe Gauthier Dance performed “Swan Cake” and the title next to your name said “choreography, stage and lighting design, music”.

My first artistic love was music, then film, and then - acting. I have always been aware that there are more ways to express myself, and that a powerful theatrical experience can only be created if we know how to use different art forms. For me, every detail is important, because every detail leads to the emotional and energetic experience we have while watching and listening to the play. What we see, hear, images, lighting, the atmosphere of the whole scene - all this affects the experience. Paying attention to all this is part of my joy in creating art.

Just like you, many important contemporary choreographers

The human body deteriorates quickly and a dancer’s stage life is short. That’s why you said that dancing is akin to a beautiful tragedy... Does tragedy inspire you?

I’d rather not obsess over the tragedy, but enjoy the life of dance while we still have it. Enjoying the moment of creation, strength and my own creativity, as well as the creativity of the people around me, discovery, surprises, the feelings that arise while we work in the studio, on stage... If all that is a tragedy, then it’s worth living for.

Your name – Hofesh – means ‘freedom’ in Hebrew. Your works are quite free and bold. Does your name carry a certain responsibility?

I think a name can be a blessing or a curse. It is placing a word in a person’s mind for their entire life, a word that is supposedly synonymous with that person. So, of course, the concept and definition of freedom is something I’ve dealt with and thought about a lot in my life, but that’s part of examining many other definitions. In the end, you come to the conclusion that freedom is a fictional idea. Or that it is just close to some feeling that we imagine.

What is your dance language?

I like to examine everything that cannot be answered with words. Death, hope, loss, disappointment, oppression - we can talk about all these without deep understanding - but when we experience the emotions that these things provoke, or when we discover them together in the theatre, something much more powerful and greater happens.

Why do you see your dance troupe as a family?

The feeling of belonging motivates me - me and the whole team.

How would you briefly describe the pieces you will present at the 20th Belgrade Dance Festival?

It’s going to be a wild ride...

“Clowns” is a piece of theatrical entertainment and theatrical murders. The story ranges from grotesque to disturbing. There are funny, but also creepy moments. In the second part of the evening, we are going to perform a gentle piece called “The Fix” that creates a kind of balance against the first piece. It brings gentle human energy and another way of looking at the world or being in it.

Your dance pieces “Political Mother” and “The Sun” were performed at the Belgrade Dance Festival, as did “Swan Cake”, for which you won the Jovan Ćirilov Award. Exactly! And this will be the first time that I, too, will come to Belgrade with the troupe. I’m really looking forward to it because I usually don’t have time to follow performances and go to festivals. This is a really special occasion. I am honoured by the attention and the prize that I will take home. We are closing the 20th Belgrade Dance Festival on April 12th and 13th.