Emmanuelle Lê Phan, Elon Höglund
Milan Panet-Gigon, Nathan Yaffé, Benjamin Kamino, Radwan Moumneh.
Sasha kleinplatz
Danse Danse and Place des Arts are presenting, Tentacle Tribe and Wants&Needs Danse, two companies that are creating buzz in the emerging dance scene.
Chorus II, an all-male sextet, is inspired by my childhood memory of watching my grandfather pray before dinner. I didn't speak or read Hebrew, but I remember feeling a deep sense of meaningfulness in the tone of my grandfather's words, the rise and fall of his voice and the slight swaying of his body as he spoke. This swaying movement performed during Jewish prayer is called davening, and can be traced back to the Talmud (the Hebrew bible). I have been inspired by this idea of movement as an integral part of prayer; movement that becomes religious in context, and in so being, seeks a connection to a greater power.
Although my grandfather’s rituals have been a source of curiosity and inspiration, I am estranged from the Jewish side of my family. In part, Chorus II is a way for me to explore my heritage on my own terms.