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Hallux Valgus is an independent collective of five dancers. The collective rehearse  weekly at the Machol Shalem Dance House and perform monthly at the Barbur Gallery. Each month one of the members leads the others to explore together  his/ hers movement improvisation interests.

 

Following the combined research, the leader conducts the other dancers with a score (movement pattern) to improvise within at the monthly show .

 

Led by Dotan Dvir

 

Navigation in Space

 

During our work I was interested in developing together with my friends a way to handle the need to constantly navigate between three spheres:

 

Personal - a person dancing with himself
Dialogue - between two dancers
Group- three people or more.

 

It seemed to me that when a person develops  awareness to  the decisions he constantly takes in order to navigate between these spheres of communication, it allows also for something to be clarified in the shared  space.

 

In addition, during our work we investigated the possibility of allowing an event (any idea which is occurring in space) to take its time. It seems that this is a challenging task, as the possibilities in the space are constantly opening up.  It appears that  allowing ourselves to stay in what we are doing  (once we were able to define it) helps to  define and communicate our current role in the space ,even if  this is a very dynamic and fluid role,  and that this self-definition can support the creation and maintenance of other roles in space.   It seemed to me that this agreement between the dancers  to try to stay for some time in what we understand we are doing and with who we understand we are dancing with, can deepen the level of communication which occurs in the space.  

 

At the same time we also understood that a decision to "stay" in an event shouldn't be static but rather should be constantly considered by the dancer, in accordance to the dynamics in the space.

 

We also emphasized the importance of leaving the space once in a while in order to see it from the outside. This

allowed the dancers to make more space-conscious decisions.

 

The performance score:

 

Prolog: instinctive dance in space.

Stop.

Main body of score: Each dancer needs to develop at least one solo, one duet and one trio and to leave the space at least once.

Epilogue: All the dancers meet and create a quartet which they bring to a point near the wall at the other side of the room. 

 

 

During the performance there were wonderful energies, I would like to thank Ronnie Wagner, a great musician, which joined us at the night of the performance and also to  thank all the wonderful audience that came, you were great! 

 

From the performance

Trailer for the performance, materials from the process

The exihibition beside of  the  performance:

Neither Savage nor Wise, Desperate Times - Desperate Measures

Avshalom Suliman

Led by Dror Shoval

My motivation:

 

I'm looking for the attractions of  the eye on the moving body , where it continues to, and allow it to easily migrate to new locations in order to allow a new images rise up

 

Actions we did referring the gaze:

Collecting images of bodies from newspaper--- observing----  tearing out\hiding  the face--- observing

Working with a video camera looking through a frame: Watching a dance taking the head out of the frame. Do I notice new qualities?

 

Watching a dance while focusing on the negative space the dance frames in space

Wearing a mask with a picture of someone else in the group., as two perform and the other two observe.

 

Actions we did referring memory and  consciousness:

Open improvisation session (the dances don’t know they will have to repeat it) ---repeating what has been done----repeating again---- reflection about what has happened

Working with a mask and closed eyes---- what opens when one thing is closed?---- (Two performing two observing). Starting a session with awareness to the decisions I am making --- then repeating them. Reflecting.

Interesting: The performers don’t know what else is happening in the space.  The experience for the observer and performer to   confront the memory of the performer while performing the second time verses the memory of the observer. There was a difficulty to improvise in the "dark" lonely space. The information of the face on the mask was  opportunely to refer to .  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the floor there are floor photos facing down--- each one chooses a random picture----cut out the body not by the regular way we look at the body---- each one has a pen and paper near him\her  to write down thoughts--- a movement session that refers to the action we did on the photos after the session , we spoke about it. The general feeling was that it was very difficult.thoughts that were shared:  there was a need to search for new ideas. The body was confused . The score didn't give enough information. Each limb had a different wish. Things that were helpful in the session: Working with part of the body invisible. For me as a observer, I was able to see the familiar bodies in a different way . They offered me a new way to look at the moving body. A question that cake up , it the what happens when there is no clear score and the dancers want to complete a mission, does frustration help the research?

 

 

The score:

Duo: impro with closed eyes with there face covered

second duo

A open session that there is always one that in improvising with voice and movement. the rest are improvising in relation to a action they did on a object before the session

 

 

 

 

From the performance

Trailer 

Led by Gili Inglis

In the next month, I will try to implement concepts from games and playfulness to our movement improvisation 

 

First session: soldier and game rules 

In our first meeting, we experienced setting personal rules for each 'player' (dancer) when we are all 'playing' (dancing) together. Each one set for his\herself to move like a soldier in a chess game would move.  Also, we practiced observing other dancers in motion while trying to figure out the choice of principles of their movement pattern.

 

From that experience, we understood the need to define rules for the game, such as moving from point A to point B on the board game. We defined the different types of rules. There are rules that are personal for each dancer’s movement pattern that don't influence the other dancers. Other rules are depending on and influenced by other dancers on the board game. We practiced verbalizing the rules so that they won't be a movement instruction as we are used to. The structure of the rules we worked with were when something happens, an action follows. Such as, when someone goes into the linoleum I’m standing on,. Then I should transfer to different linoleum. We noticed that this score, made us move in a certain pattern.

 

Second session: Playfulness and timing

Based on the rules from the previous session, we added playfulness to the scores instructions. 

After watching a basketball game, I understood that a one simple rule leads to physical punctuality that is free and unrestricted.  The momentum of scoring a basket during a critical time  in a game, is a dramatic element for the players, fans, media and all the people present in the game.

In order to integrate those elements in our practice, we decided on a sign that all the dancers will have to react to immediately, leading to a twist in the dance story. In addition, I gave each dancer a secret rule that I was the only one to know what relations are going to develop in the dance.

For example: 

Assaf- always be in the corner of Dror's eye and attract his attention 

Dror- copy Dotan's movements 

Dotan- When Assaf comes near you: jump

When Dror comes near you spread yourself 

When Assaf goes away from you:stop

When Dror goes away from you: roll

Trailer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the performance

Led by Assaf Lederman

 Phase, motif , shifting

 

The work process is focused on becoming a moving element.

A specific element that moves in a shared space with other moving elements, and has a relation with them .

Distinction , if achieved, creates a space that enables shifting and development .

Trailer 

From the performance 

 

Guest performer: Aviv Sheyn

Musician: Ben Niran

Exihibition beside the  performances: Barbur B&B

Led by Ye'ela Wilschanski

 

In the next month, I will continue my research regarding movement and voice improvisation. 

 

The questions that interest me towards building a score relate to my interest in voice :

How the movement influences the voice.  and how the voice is influenced by the movement.

How each of us is  influenced by the presence of anothers  moving and voicing in the same space

How we are influenced by the specific space of the Barbur   Gallery. 

How are we  influenced by me leading the rehearsals and deciding about the score, but when we perform we are  equal .

 

These issues are linked to each other , but in each rehearsal I will focus on one question .

 

 

The score:

Sit at the front row, gradually voice.

Enter the space , define when you are a body and when you are a voice.

Bring to a ending - face the audience , fade the voice

From the performance

Guest performer : Sivan Zarifi

 

Exihibition beside the  performances: Barbur B&B

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