Another dance company from Israel? What is it about Israeli dance that we bring so much of it to White Bird? Last month we had Yossi Berg/Oded Graf's 4Men, Alice, Bach and the Deer, and on this Tuesday, we end our 13th season at the Schnitzer with Barak Marshall's "Monger."  And next season two more Israeli companies making White Bird debuts--Vertigo Oct. 13-15 and Yasmeen Godder March 29-31.

Simply put, Israeli dance is bold, physical, and exhilarating. It's wrong to generalize, but that's the overall impression Paul and I have had since we first saw Ohad Naharin's thrilling "Minus 16"--we brought this work 3 times, with Hubbard Street, NDT2 and Ohad's company Batsheva. Then Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak''s "Oyster"-- surreal, and unpredictable. (Click on the links to see YouTube video clips of these works!)

With Israeli work, the temptation is to read some political message. However, all the choreographers we presented or will present will say that you read what you want to read. There is really no political intent in the work.

On Tuesday we introduce Barak Marshall, an American-Israeli choreographer who is definitely becoming one of the most talked-about dancemakers on the international scene. He is actually based in Los Angeles and teaches dance at UCLA. Barak's mother Margalit Oved is a legendary figure in Israeli dance, founding member, former Artistic Director and star dancer of Inbal Dance Theatre (no connection to Inbal Pinto), Israel's most celebrated folk-dance company.


Barak Marshall, "Monger" Choreographer

Barak received a commission from the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv in 2008 that resulted in "Monger," one of the most acclaimed dance works to come out of Israel in recent years. Barak creates very much in the dance theater tradition. "Monger" has a storyline, involving servants and masters--an Israeli "Upstairs-Downstairs," where you only see the Downstairs.

  The beautiful Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv

Yet what is remarkable about "Monger" is Barak's full-bodied choreography. The ten dancers are among the best in Israel, including two who appeared as finalists on Israel's "So You Think You Can Dance." They move forcefully as individuals and as ensembles-- I'm tempted to say "dance armies"--but I won't go there. The flavor of the choreography, enhanced by the eclectic score (klezmer, Balkan Beat Box, Verdi, Handel), is mixture of traditional and modern, folk and contemporary. It is totally original--that, for us, is the strong appeal of Barak's work, and the work of all the Israeli dance artists we are bringing.

 We are proud to end our 13th season with Barak Marshall and his unforgettable "Monger."

As with Yossi Berg/Oded Graf, we want to extend thanks to our friends in the Israeli Consulates, Neta Shacham in San Francisco and Renee Schreiber in New York, for supporting our travels to Israel as well as helping us bring "Monger" to Portland.