DANCE REVIEW

ISRAEL FESTIVAL Doris Ulrich – More Than Naked Fransoise Chino, Cecilian Bangolea – Twerk Jerusalem Theater, May 27-28

The dance section of the current edition of the Israel Festival included a mere four off-mainstream shows. It opened with

More Than Naked by Austrian Doris Ulrich. Nudity on stage has been a part of dance in various cultural contexts for decades, and more so since musicals like Hair and Oh Calcutta were popular hits in the ’60s; Ulrich knew she had to take a different approach. She doesn’t use nakedness as a hedonistic or ritualistic statement, or as dramatic enhancement. Her dancers promote the naked body as Flesh, embarking on a meticulous investigative process to find endless ways to make skin, fat and limp muscles move. In the end, this “all you can do with an object” studio exercise style was dryish and rather limited.

Fortunately, the next day local audiences were introduced to the provocative duo of Francois Chaignaud and Cecilia Bengolea, who specialize

in the unexpected, mocking every definition of “proper” dance. The five dancers, including both choreographers, are strong, with distinctive stage presence. The full name of the piece is Altered Natives’ Say Yes to Another Excess-Twerk, and as always, “excessive” best describes their colorful production (though this is one of their milder pieces).

Twerk, or Brazilian Twerk, is highly popular in some dance clubs and is based on virtuosic ability to shake and vibrate one’s derrière.

Contrary to the program, the inventive pair are more than club anthropologists, and their sources are varied thematically and stylistically.