Archive for environment
June 30, 2008 at 8:11 pm · Filed under dance, environment, DEBORAH, kibbutz, Vertigo Dance Company, Noa Wertheim, Eco-Art Village, Adi Sha'al
Adi Sha’al and Noa Wertheim of Vertigo Dance Company. Photo by Eyal Landesman.
Noa Wertheim’s Vertigo and the Diamonds. Photo by Miri Yanai Shimonovich.
Noa Wertheim’s White Noise which premiered this year. Photo by Gadi Dagon.
As I have traveled through Israel’s dance circles, I have run into Noa Wertheim and Adi Sha’al many times: at Vertigo Dance Company’s concerts at the Suzanne Dellal Center, at contact jams, and at a performance of Noa’s work on students from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. With their company, their school in Jerusalem, and their growing artist village on Kibbutz Netiv HaLamed-Hey, this dynamic couple is a powerful force in the Israeli contemporary dance scene. They’re also revolutionary in their community-centered and environmentally-conscious approach to dance. Join us as Noa talks about raising a family while directing a company, building the Eco-Art Village, choreographing the site-specific environmental dance Birth of the Phoenix, and engaging in “tikkun olam” - healing the world - through her work.
Hear our conversation, see more pictures, and link to videos on Israel Seen.
(URL: http://israelseen.com/2008/06/30/deborah-friedes-interviews-noa-wertheim-and-adi-shaal-the-directors-of-vertigo-dance-company/
Read my previous post on the Vertigo Dance Company here on The Winger.
View a video about the Eco-Art Village here.
Recent Posts by deborah friedes
May 23, 2008 at 10:24 am · Filed under dance, environment, DEBORAH, israel, kibbutz, Vertigo Dance Company, Noa Wertheim, Eco-Art Village, intentional community, contact improvisation, Adi Sha'al
A sign pointing towards Vertigo Dance Company’s studio on Kibbutz Netiv HaLamed-Hey.
Vertigo’s building.
Vertigo’s gorgeous, spacious studio.
A view from the studio - farm equipment and all!
It’s not often that you gaze out the window of a dance studio and see tractors with bales of hay - but during my visit to the Vertigo Dance Company on Sunday, that’s exactly what I saw. Located in Israel’s Elah Valley, Kibbutz Netiv HaLamed-Hey is home to the new Eco-Art Village, an intentional community of environmentally-friendly artists pioneered by Vertigo’s directors Noa Wertheim and Adi Sha’al. It’s an incredible place, but for now I’ll just leave you with these pictures and save the explanation for the interview to come!
When I was there on Sunday, I observed a rehearsal of Noa’s latest work, Ra’ash Levan (White Noise). The dance’s movement vocabulary - with influences from ballet, release technique, contact improvisation, and martial arts - kept me focused on the activity within the studio despite the temptation to look out the windows at the unfamiliar and beautiful surroundings. I returned to the Eco-Art Village on Tuesday for a school performance of Birth of the Phoenix. Premiered in 2004, Birth of the Phoenix is a site-specific work in which the company dances on a special dirt floor under a geodesic dome that is re-constructed for each show (the group has performed the work hundreds of times in Israel and abroad). Like White Noise, this work is extremely athletic with plenty of floorwork, soaring jumps, and partnering - and seeing the dancers throw themselves (at times literally!) into such full-bodied movement on a dirt floor was inspiring.
Here are a few photos to give you a sense of the setting for Birth of the Phoenix:
Me outside the geodesic dome for Vertigo’s Birth of the Phoenix
Inside the dome before the performance.
Recent Posts by deborah friedes
November 5, 2007 at 4:48 am · Filed under dance, home, culture, apple, environment, life, learning, inspiration, hans rowling, TED conference
“Culture is the most important thing I would say. Because that is what brings joy to life. That’s the value of living.” - Hans Rosling at TED
I’ve had a bad cough/cold for almost two weeks now, so in an effort to help eradicate it for good, I pretty much spent the day on our couch. Doug left for Arizona at 4AM this morning, so I was unfortunately on my own in my loud foggy world (I’m glad he’ll finally be able to get some sleep tonight though!).
We got an AppleTV when it first came out, hoping it would be as amazing as almost every other Apple product we’ve been able to get our hands on, but unfortunately we were a bit disappointed (it’s possible, though, that we were expecting too much). The only thing we really use it for (rarely) is watching YouTube videos on a big screen (they actually don’t look so bad, and the searching and selecting interface is pretty good).
So today, I felt like I needed a little extra nerdy inspiration, and so I caught up on watching some of the videos of speakers at the yearly TED Conference. I was fortunate enough to come across this talk given by international health professor Hans Rowling, in which he uses his incredible graphing system to visualize statistics about the world, particularly analyzing data that can begin to help figure out how to pull people in developing countries out of poverty.
After showing his revealing Trendalyzer software (which was apparently bought by Google 10 days after this conference - you can play with it here!), he pulls up one simple powerpoint page (above), detailing and rating the MEANS and the GOALS for improving people’s lives. The conclusion was that while economic growth is the most effective means of development, culture is, in the end, the ultimate goal to strive for.
“It’s a cultural expression that for thousands of years has inspired human beings to think beyond the obvious.”
He then removes his shirt (exposing a muscle tank decorated with lightening bolts) and proceeds to demonstrate the ancient Indian tradition of sword swallowing, driving home his point (through culture!) that the seemingly impossible is possible.
Amazing. See for yourself…
Recent Posts by kristin sloan
October 25, 2007 at 9:35 pm · Filed under dance, SUSAN, environment, mobile, california
On my way home to visit the parentals the other night, I drove past a funereal procession of six fire engines. I likely imagined it, but the trucks looked and seemed extraordinarily depressed, worn and weary.
My own folks (luckily) live a fair distance away from the fire closest to them: the Orange County fire. Perhaps it is a testament to the phenomenal strength of our (now dying) winds, then, that my car was, just overnight, covered in ashes?
Recent Posts by susan kim
October 9, 2007 at 10:23 pm · Filed under SLOAN, dance, environment, new york, new york times, funding, arts, david parsons
photo by Randy Levine.
Evil/Benevolent behemoth Altria Group (formerly Phillip Morris Companies Inc.) is leaving town (i.e. New York) and will be taking their arts funding with them. As you probably already know, Altria Group, manufacturers of cigarettes (among other things) has long been a supporter of 200+ arts organizations, many of them dance companies.
This article in the Times from yesterday gives a good slice of insight into the range of organizations they support, how powerful that support has been in cultivating the arts in New York, and how difficult it will be to replace the $7 million dollar hole that will be left when they take their funding away in 2008.
I thought this was an interesting quote from David Parsons, who has been receiving funding from Altria since 1985…
“Here’s what it was — the Good Housekeeping seal of approval,” Mr. Parsons said during a break in a recent rehearsal. “It opens doors. Other funders see that, and they take a second look at you.”
They certainly must have earned some serious street cred with the projects they chose to support. Based on the success and influence of the projects they’ve funded, they clearly have a good curatorial eye.They were even pioneers, supporting many things that were new or experimental. (Of course I suppose it’s easier to take chances when you have such a large piggy bank to work with). It does makes sense though, that for other potential funders without such a discerning eye, seeing Altria dive in would give them more confidence in a project.
Do you think there is anyone/anything out there that can begin to replace their contributions?
On another note…
Besides plowing millions into the arts across the country, Altria has been a major contributor to domestic violence shelters, hunger programs and disaster relief. In the last decade, the company and its subsidiaries donated $1.5 billion in cash and in-kind contributions to charity.
Does doing so much good make up for creating such unhealthy, addictive products? I don’t know.
In a less direct way, this reminds me a bit of the debate over carbon credits. If you (individual or organization) have a lot of money, and can afford to purchase lots of carbon credits for every carbon-emitting act you make (without even fully knowing how effectively that money will be spent), does that make it ok for you not to take strides in trying to reduce your own carbon emissions-or even worse-creating more?
Recent Posts by kristin sloan
August 10, 2007 at 1:21 pm · Filed under travel, vacation, vacationing, DAVID, the met, environment, david hallberg, traveling, beach, airplane
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| Posted by David Hallberg
Hello all.
I am writing you from a very tropical airport cafe in Belize City, Belize as I make my departure back to reality… no wait, New York. I have been ‘unwinding’ and ‘decompressing’ after a very busy three months of performances. This is my first time to Belize and what a visit it was. The sole reason being my father’s 60 birthday celebration, it also served as my annual ‘baking in the sun’ ‘relax my body after Met season’ vacation. I spent the whole time with my family, Mom, Dad, brother Brian, and me.
The vacation started on a 49 foot Catamarian, which is a sail boat complete with captain and first mate attending to our every whim. We sailed all around the waters of Belize, for five days, snorkeling, sunning, eating and drinking. It was bliss. The dolphins, stars, fish, barrier reef, and islands were stunning as we made our way through its Cayes.
If that wasn’t enough for us, we then spent the rest of the time in an amazing resort on the island of San Pedro, called the Victoria House. Sea side, we spent more time in the sun napping, with no televisions, no radios, no internet-e mail. Its amazing what you get caught up in while ‘in the mode’, especially in NYC. I find a love/hate relationship with New York more and more. Its the beating heart of my profession, which I wouldn’t change, but the need to get away for pure sanity is ever present.
Nevertheless, 10 days came and went, and here I am sipping my last beer as I board my flight. I do feel rejuvinated though, ready to take on my new tasks at hand. One of them being my up coming trip to Argentina to dance with Paloma Herrera and the Teatro Colon. I will dance Paquita and Raymonda, heavy work if I might say so, but a trip down there with that company will be fascinating. More to come on that.
So here are a few pics of my trip, me in vacation mode. My once a year unwinding….
A dive into the aqua colors of Belize
The tame kind of shark… if there is one.
Introducing my brother Brian, enjoying the wind
A total sucker for sunsets
The view from our puddle jumper
Point taken…
The grounds at the Victoria House. One of those was my little hut.
Just me and my Mojito
Recent Posts by david hallberg
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