Diver Festival BA-BAIT

Diver Festival for contemporary dance is annually taking place over 3 intense weekends. During the festival, performances are presented all over Tel Aviv-Jaffa in different venues, theaters, museums and performance space. The content performed is introducing young and experienced leading choreographers from Israel and abroad. Next to the shows, the festival wishes for the conception of the present to transpire alongside the investigation of the past – thus, the history, philosophy and theory of dance are of importance to the festival. The political, aesthetic and social dimensions of dance are meant to appear together. Therefore, The festival invites and initiates collaborations with academics, journalists, other medias and artistic forms, educational organizations and many more, in order for dance to be celebrated in varied ways and appearances. Next to the shows, other dance related events are taking place, such as workshops, discussions, lectures, screenings, heated debates, parties and more.

The festival is known for its independence as it is not associated with any major instituiton in the Israeli dance scene. At the same time, the festival collaborates with all of them. The festival thrives for innovative programation and intellectual approach to dance in Israel. It sees itself as a leading actor in the current new wave of dance in Israel, which calls for more thought, artistic motivation and political engagement of the field.

Sons of Sissy - Simon Mayer 

After Falter magazine listed Simon Mayer’s solo performance SunBengSitting in its end-of-the-year review as one of the top theatre productions of 2014, describing it as an “ingenious, nakedly yodelling interplay of folk and contemporary dance”, Simon Mayer is now back on the brut stage with his new group performance Sons of Sissy. In the focus is that universe of traditions, folk dances and folk music from which the Upper Austrian country lad Simon Mayer originates. In an experimental manner, four performers and musicians make use of traditional alpine live music, various group dances and ritualised practices. Liberating them from conservativism and conventions, they establish an unseen fusion of artistic reinterpretations and temporary social attributions of meaning. Defying categorisation and pigeonholing, the Sons of Sissy do everything they can to live up to their name as they conduct themselves as part weird folk-music quartet, part experimentally playful ritual dance combo,  using humour to radically disrupt the hackneyed male role models in old traditions.

* The show contains nudity

* After-show talk with Lior Avizoor and audience, and then festival opening cocktail

TALOS - arkadi zaides 

Europe is shutting up its borders, and in the surrounding areas, a new kind of choreography is emerging. Far from putting an end to migrational movements, the border closures are generating new movements. “TALOS”, a new solo work by choreographer Arkadi Zaides, investigates the future of borders. Its starting point is “TALOS”, an EU-funded technological project, a mobile robot system intended to detect and prevent illegal border crossings. With the help of interviews, film material and documents, Zaides and his interdisciplinary research team reflect on the consequences and the ethical issues around the “TALOS” initiative.

* After-show talk with Shir Hacham and audience