Powerful and captivating is this work shown in these video clips called, “If At All”. It is danced by the renowned Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company from Israel and choreographed by Rami Be’er. The music is made up of selections from: Volcano Choine, Hildur Guonadottir, Nine Inch Nails, Massive Attack, Murcof, Olafur Arnalds, Marga Richter, Johnathan Johansson, Ludavico Einaudi, Ophir Leibovitch. The music design was created by Alex Claude and Rami Be’er.
Rami Be’er is one of Israel’s leading choreographers. He grew up in a musical family where he studied the cello. He went on to study dance with Yehudit Arnon who was the founder of the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Theatre. In 1980 he joined the company as a dancer and choreographer and became the artistic director in 1996. Be’er is a highly creative and prolific choreographer, having created over 50 original works. He also deisgns the costumes, lighting and sets for all his pieces. He has a distinct movement vocabulary that has endorsed the company with a unique signature style that has become renowned world wide, and recognized through national and international awards.
Be’er works with a generalized contemporary dance language that utilizes the entire body rather than formalized steps. He also uses a creative process of free association to achieve the powerful and dramatic purpose and effect in his work. His dancers are very strong and bring an eclectic array of contemporary backgrounds and dynamic sensibilities to Be’er’s choreographic process. They are trained in ballet and a wide range of contemporary dance forms.
This piece, If At All, deals with philosophical and political struggles and humanity’s indifference to issues of social justice and the barriers that inhibit individual freedoms. The piece is made up of contrasting scenes that are woven together by an overarching artistic unified whole. Be’er uses moving circles as a recurring motif that flow in both figurative and abstract ways through open and closed structures and forms. The movement is extreme, unrelenting, dramatic and highly emotionally charged. There is a strong sense of tribal force in which the group moves together as one powerful unit or against isolated groups and/or individuals.
The dancing is captivating. The piece begins with a beautiful solo of a dancer. She becomes encircled by dancers running around her, from which point the piece takes off in a continuously exciting build up to the end. It is has risk, drive and full of dynamic contrasts. The costumes are also striking especially the long pants the men wear. I love the way they fly around their bodies as they move.
This piece is a tour de force that is captivating and full of gorgeous imagery and theatrical elements.
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