Sisyphean Loop by Yael Orni

Push it, Sisyphus, up to the top of the mountain Lay it, Sisyphus, and it will fall tomorrow. (Yonatan Geffen, “A Stone Song for Albert Camus”) Perspectives on the emotions that arise within the existential condition of contemporary reality. 

In the creative process, I explored how the feeling of frustration can be expressed throughmovement, stemming from what has happened, and continues to happen in our country since October 7th; the pain that this situation evokes every day and every hour; as well as my own position as an artist trying to survive within this reality. I found that Yonatan Geffen’s poem “A Stone Song for Albert Camus”, which weaves in the figure of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, deeply resonates with the theme of the piece, and therefore, I chose to incorporate it into the work. This is a dynamic and versatile piece that keeps the viewer alert and curious throughout, eager to see what will happen in the next moment. The piece was created in collaboration with dancers from the Har Tov Dance Department.

Special thanks to the department coordinator, Shiri Katz. Performing dancers: Nina Yemini, Daniel Meshulam-Wexler, Kalil Seri, Gur Nadav Israeli.

SOUL by Schenfeld Rina

A work dedicated to solo dance.

Each person is a world, and within them, all worlds exist.

Seven dancers, in ten solo pieces, embark on a journey into the depths of the heart,

guided by everyday objects.

Part I: Solo – Rina Schenfeld

Part II: The Ensemble – dancer-creators:

Johanna Ofer, Ayala Yaakov, Lena Rykner, Denise Klein, Dorit Kohavi, Kineret Harari

Music: Beethoven, Chopin, Ari Frankel, Japanese and folk music

"Martha Graham was a great feminist. I learned from her the art of solo, as she passed on to me the dances she had created for herself, based on heroines from Greek mythology – among them: Ariadne, Herodiade, Lilith, Helen of Troy, the Woman in Red, Jephthah’s daughter.

Since then, I have created over 100 solo pieces, through which I have refined this art form, guided bythe belief that the individual is a mystery – and through art, we must reveal it.

Women invented modern dance, and the role of women in our world is essential.

The object, for me, is an extension of the body and emotion – a vessel through which movement flows, imagery is born, and the inner language is exposed." (Rina Schenfeld)

*These days, the artist is celebrating her receipt of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Israeli Union of Performing Artists (IUPA) – a tribute to her groundbreaking career and long-standing contribution to the art of dance.

Rina Schenfeld Dance Theater is supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality.