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Roy Assaf Dance Riveting in New York Debut

by Bonnie Rosenstock
October 20, 2017
Baryshnikov Arts Center
450 West 37th Street, Suite 501
New York, NY 10018
646-731-3200
The Israeli company, Roy Assaf Dance, made its New York debut on October 12 and 13 at BAC, featuring two of choreographer Assaf’s award-winning works, “Six Years Later” and “The Hill.” Both portray relationships. The former is of the domestic kind, in which a couple experiences a roller coaster of emotions. The other is a trio of soldiers, who depend on each other for support and perhaps survival. Both works are powerful.

In “Six Years Later” (2011), the couple, Assaf and Madison Hoke, is disconnected emotionally, but they are rarely disconnected physically. The music, by Beethoven, Handel and the 60s Scottish pop rock group Marmalade, set the tone for the phases of their relationship. The duet moves fluidly and slowly, from one side of downstage to the other, then dance upstage, crossing it in the opposite direction, in intimate vulnerability, which we witness like voyeurs. Their bodies touch, he turns her as in a social dance, they cross arms in a country dance move, she leans her head on his shoulder, they shimmy touching shoulder to shoulder. It’s all solemn and somehow sad.

When the music changes to Marmalade’s, “Reflections of My Life,” with lyrics like “all my sorrows, sad tomorrows, take me back to my old home and “oh my crying” and “feel like dying,” you know things are not going well. They still dance slowly, but they mouth words at each other, movements become faster and overtly aggressive—she pushes him, he responds. In the final section, to a Handel opera, the mood shifts again. There is a segment reminiscent of t’ai chi’s pushing hands, first slow, then faster, bodies in close contact. Is it a search for assertion, balance of power, control? Hard to know if there was resolution or just acceptance.

“The Hill” (2012) takes its title from the emotional Givat Hatachmoset (Ammunition Hill), which took place at Jerusalem’s Ammunition Hill during the Six-Day War (June 5-10, 1967), where Jordanian soldiers killed 36 Israeli paratroopers. The battle is described in moving detail in renowned Israeli poet, lyricist and singer Yoram Taharlev’s song of the same name, which the all-male trio—Assaf, Igal Furman, in his last performance with the group, and Avshalom Latucha—use as a catalyst for exploring the vulnerability of those touched by conflict and war.

Like “Six Years Later,” the three men are often in sustained physical contact, which appears to be a signature of Assaf’s choreography. Since they appear to be soldiers, there is roughhousing, strong lifts, broad movements, combative partnering and camaraderie. But there are also intimate moments of male kinship that goes beyond the bravado. From the forceful military music with brass and whistles to the Bee Gees poignant “I Started a Joke” (“which started the whole world crying”), the performances are riveting and profound.
Roy Assaf Dance<br>“Six Years Later”<br>Pictured: Roy Assaf and Madison Hoke.

Roy Assaf Dance
“Six Years Later”
Pictured: Roy Assaf and Madison Hoke.

Photo © & courtesy of Stephanie Berger


Roy Assaf Dance<br>“Six Years Later”<br>Pictured: Roy Assaf and Madison Hoke.

Roy Assaf Dance
“Six Years Later”
Pictured: Roy Assaf and Madison Hoke.

Photo © & courtesy of Stephanie Berger


Roy Assaf Dance<br>“Six Years Later”<br>Pictured: Roy Assaf and Madison Hoke.

Roy Assaf Dance
“Six Years Later”
Pictured: Roy Assaf and Madison Hoke.

Photo © & courtesy of Stephanie Berger


Roy Assaf Dance<br>“The Hill”<br>Pictured L-R: Avshalom Latucha (in back), Roy Assaf, Igal Furman.

Roy Assaf Dance
“The Hill”
Pictured L-R: Avshalom Latucha (in back), Roy Assaf, Igal Furman.

Photo © & courtesy of Stephanie Berger


Roy Assaf Dance<br>“The Hill”<br>Pictured L-R: Avshalom Latucha, Roy Assaf.

Roy Assaf Dance
“The Hill”
Pictured L-R: Avshalom Latucha, Roy Assaf.

Photo © & courtesy of Stephanie Berger


Roy Assaf Dance<br>“The Hill”<br>Pictured L-R: Avshalom Latucha, Igal Furman, Roy Assaf.

Roy Assaf Dance
“The Hill”
Pictured L-R: Avshalom Latucha, Igal Furman, Roy Assaf.

Photo © & courtesy of Stephanie Berger

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