Archive for Adama
June 10, 2008 at 10:59 pm · Filed under dance, choreographer, festival, DEBORAH, israel, Adama, choreographers society
After catching one of two buses chartered from Tel Aviv at 7 a.m. on Friday morning, we were met with this sign welcoming us to the Machol Bamidbar festival.
I think I have a sense of what heaven (or at least dance heaven) looks like.
From Friday through Sunday, I joined a few hundred wonderful people for Machol Bamidbar (Dance in the Desert) at Adama’s incredible space in Mizpe Ramon. Coordinated by the Amuta (Choreographers Society), the festival brought together many of Israel’s independent choreographers who work outside of the long-established troupes like Batsheva and the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. Over 3 days, these choreographers presented 17 concerts featuring over 40 dances and improvisational works. The festival was also filled with more than 50 classes ranging from contemporary technique, improvisation, and repertory to Afro-Cuban dance, Gaga, flamenco, aerial dance, acrobalance, tai chi, yoga, Pilates, Feldenkrais, juggling, and special children’s classes. After the last performance of each evening, open dance jams stretched late into the night. It was definitely a weekend to remember!
Here’s a taste of what the festival looked like:
To camping! Signs were everywhere at Adama, directing attendees to studios, sleeping spaces, and makeshift cafes.
While some people came only for a day or returned to their homes each night, many people stayed at Adama for the entire festival. Some people brought their own tents and set up outside, while others slept in sleeping bags on mattresses spread out inside Adama’s hangar. It felt like an instant village!
Relaxing from the desert heat and sun. In between workshops and performances, we lounged here and ate yummy vegetarian fare. People caught up with old friends and made new ones.
Along with Adama’s usual arty decor, a dance photography exhibit lined the building’s hallways.
Dancers in one of many workshops. I myself took several classes: Liat Dror’s morning class; repertory classes with choreographers Niv Sheinfeld and Sahar Azimi; and a rep class with material by Liat Dror and Nir Ben-Gal, taught by dancer extraordinaire Ran Ben-Dror. Since there were 7 classes in each workshop slot, it was often hard to choose which one to attend - they all looked great!
Dancers gather around at the start of a workshop in aerial dance.
Aerial dance students in action!
A crowd starts to gather before one of many performances. Besides the main stage, a more intimate space in the hangar next door hosted additional performances (again making it hard to choose . . .), and there were also showings of video dance. Before each concert, a pair of acrobats raced through the hangar, playfully announcing what would be happening in each concert space.
Dancing with a visiting troupe of drummers and dancers from Africa on Saturday night. One of the dancers was celebrating a birthday, and the company and crowd surprised her with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” after their first dance. Besides this group from Ghana, a company of dancers from Japan (KAYM) was invited by Israeli choreographer Nimrod Freed, and they performed on Sunday.
It does seem like a taste of heaven, doesn’t it?
Recent Posts by deborah friedes
June 5, 2008 at 9:34 pm · Filed under dance, interview, DEBORAH, israel, Adama, Liat Dror, Nir Ben Gal
Liat Dror. Photo courtesy of Liat Dror and Nir Ben-Gal.
When I arrived at Adama in Israel’s Negev Desert for my second visit, I dropped my belongings in my assigned tepee and readied myself for my first class with Liat Dror. Her warm smile made me feel at ease as she led the class - Adama’s pupils, company members, and visiting photography students - through gentle individual and group exercises. Immediately afterwards, I sat down with Liat to learn more about Adama and her approach to dancing in a healthy way.
Want to know more? Hear my conversation with Liat Dror, see more photographs, and link to Adama’s website through Israel Seen.
(URL: http://israelseen.com/2008/06/05/he-said-she-said-part-ii-liat-dror-of-adama-speaks-to-our-deborah-friedes/j)
Read my previous entry about Adama on The Winger at http://thewinger.com/words/2008/adama/.
Listen to my conversation with Liat’s partner, Nir Ben-Gal, at this link to Israel Seen.
Enjoy! I’m actually heading back to Adama tomorrow morning for Machol Bamidbar (Dance in the Desert), a 3-day festival of classes and performances with choreographers and dancers from all over the country. Heaven!
Recent Posts by deborah friedes
May 22, 2008 at 10:46 am · Filed under dance, DEBORAH, israel, Adama, Liat Dror, Nir Ben Gal
The Adama hangar in Mizpe Ramon, a small town in Israel’s Negev desert.
Adama’s founders, Nir Ben-Gal and Liat Dror, in action. Photo courtesy of Nir Ben-Gal and Liat Dror.
Get ready to be inspired.
When my interview of Nir Ben-Gal was posted yesterday on Israel Seen, my mom listened to it and immediately sent me an e-mail saying that she was mesmerized by it (okay, maybe she has a biased opinion since she’s my mother, but she was genuinely moved by what Nir said). My mom even asked to visit Adama and take a dance class there on her next trip to Israel - and besides one year of lessons at the age of 7, she has never danced. I think this indicates the power of Nir’s passion for dance and life . . .
Rather than write more now, I’ll let Nir and his partner, Liat Dror, tell you more about their work directly. This week’s Israel Seen podcast is my interview with Nir, and my conversation with Liat will be posted soon (I’ll put another notice here when it’s up). Enjoy!
Hear my conversation with Nir Ben-Gal, see more photographs, and link to the Adama webiste via Israel Seen
(URL: http://israelseen.com/2008/05/21/he-said-she-said-adamas-nir-ben-gal-talks-to-our-deborah-friedes/)
You can also subscribe to this podcast through iTunes. Please note - if you are already a subscriber, you may have automatically downloaded an incomplete podcast yesterday (the full version is a bit over 54 minutes - yes it’s long, but it’s worth it!); you can either listen to the full version on the Israel Seen website, or you can unsubscribe and resubscribe on iTunes to download the latest, complete version and transfer it to your mp3 player.
Read my previous entry about Adama on The Winger at http://thewinger.com/words/2008/adama/.
Read about my first visit to Adama in January on my professional blog.
Recent Posts by deborah friedes
April 7, 2008 at 8:36 pm · Filed under dance, DEBORAH, israel, Adama, Liat Dror, Nir Ben Gal
One of the spectacular views in Mizpe Ramon, in Israel’s Negev Desert
The entrance to Adama, an old industrial hangar in Mizpe Ramon which has been converted into a dance center
The grounds at Adama, complete with a garden tended by the dancers
Indoor tepees for sleeping at Adama
The lounge area near the large studio at Adama
The dance jam session on Saturday night in the large studio at Adama
I just returned from a brief trip to a magical place in the middle of the Negev desert. Situated in the town of Mizpe Ramon, the site of an enormous and beautiful crater, Adama (which means “earth” in Hebrew) is hands down the most unique dance center I have ever visited. Acclaimed choreographers Liat Dror and Nir Ben Gal left Tel Aviv in 1999 to forge a new path in the south of Israel, where they renovated an abandoned industrial hangar. Today, Adama has beautiful studios, welcoming lounges, communal sleeping spaces as well as more private indoor tepees and rooms made of mud, a vegetarian kitchen, a garden, and more . . .
Besides transforming the physical space around them, Liat and Nir have developed an approach to dancing which, coming from inside, is potentially healing for the body. When I took class from them on Sunday and Monday, I spent a lot of time with my eyes closed, tuning into my breath and weight. Liat prefaced a lot of her directions with “Very gently . . .,” while Nir frequently reminded us to move without effort and instructed us to walk softly, using the image of placing our heart in our feet. Although I was quite sore and tight at the end of last week, I have to say, I feel great now!
Like other visitors - the center often attracts individuals who drop in throughout the year as well as groups who come for special workshops - I was able to participate fully in the Adama school’s activities, which run from Sunday to Tuesday. Classes range from contemporary technique, yoga, flamenco, African dance, and aerial dance to reflexology and basket weaving (I got to watch a class on my first visit in January!). Sunday evenings always include an open dance jam, while Monday evenings often feature showings and discussions. Before classes begin in the morning, everyone works on a variety of projects in the garden and on the grounds (this morning I lashed branches to a wooden structure to create some shade). Company dancers are also in residence on these days, taking and teaching classes as well as rehearsing for new productions. There’s a wonderful exchange of information and energy among all the people in this community - and indeed, with group meals, many inviting communal areas, and cozy on-site sleeping spaces, Adama feels very much like a community despite the ever-shifting makeup of its inhabitants.
I could go on and on about this marvelous place and my experience there, but I’ll stop for now. I interviewed Liat and Nir for my podcast series, so once I’ve edited the audio material, you’ll be able to hear them speak for themselves . . . Many thanks to Liat, Nir, Reut, Etty, and everyone else at Adama for an unforgettable start to my week!
Recent Posts by deborah friedes
