Although its theme is communication, choreographer Arkadi Zaides is not quite ready to talk about his new work in progress. He has begun an artistic dialogue between Arab and Jewish artists from different fields: Rabie Khoury, an actor, Ofir Yudilevitch who does capoeira, Muhammed Mugrabi, a rapper, and Arkadi himself. For now, it is a private conversation taking place between the four artists, in preparation for a December premiere. In the meantime, just days before Arkadi took off for the Shanghai Dance Festival in China, we chatted over dinner about dance, culture, and everything in between.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am on a mission,\u201d he says, \u201cI need to undergo a process with myself, grow through these works and learn something.\u201d He is not afraid to take the time needed to explore a subject thoroughly, resulting in works in which the emotional depth is an integral part of their aesthetic. This internal process can be seen at its minimalist extreme in \u201cSolo Siento\u201d which was created for the \u201cCurtain Up Festival\u201d at Suzanne Dellal in 2005. The lyric beauty of his movement language creates its own dialogue as it expresses the internal struggles of the individual.<\/p>\n
Yet for Zaides, even a solo is part of a dialogue. Shira Miasnik created the fluid, sensually minimalist video that is far more than a background to Zaides onstage presence. It is tempting to find a theme of duality in his work, as there is a counterpart to this dance \u2013 \u201cSolo Colores\u201d created with Itay Weiser for the dancer\/choreographer Iris Erez, a work which also communicates with another art form: a sculpture by Isabel Cruellas. Delicate, fragile appearing plant forms in metal, Cruellas\u2019 sculptures are physically demanding to create, and the resulting solo expresses the tensions between internal and outer foces, the intense struggle of the artist which requires both emotional and physical reserves of strength. During the next few weeks Zaides will be taking these works to the Shanghai Dance Festival, the 5th International Dance Film Festival in Budapest, the Kuan Du Arts Festival in Taipei and Session House in Tokyo.
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