During World War II, a young Jewish woman named Yehudit Arnon was imprisoned in Auschwitz.
The Nazi guards discovered she was a dancer and asked her to perform for them at Christmas. In an inspiring act of defiance, she refused, stating that they would not be allowed to have that important part of herself. As punishment, Arnon was forced to stand out in the snow, but she survived the cold and vowed to dedicate her life to dance.
This is the story of how the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company (KCDC) from Israel was formed. Arnon made it through the war and founded the company in the 1970s. Over 40 years later, the company remains one of the most innovative on the planet, and is set to bring its latest show, Horses In The Sky, to the Sydney Opera House.
Featuring music from Björk, Tim Hecker and Olafur Arnalds, it is set to be a night of contemporary dance that won’t soon be forgotten. With the company’s fascinating history in mind, it’s hardly surprising that KCDC has become an inspiration for others, including its artistic director, Rami Be’er, who fell in love with both KCDC and the art of dance as a child.
“In 1948 my parents came from Hungary and decided to build a new life in the north of Israel,” he says. “In 1967 I was born, and my parents really influenced me because they were musicians. So I grew up in an Austro-Hungarian cultural home – there were a lot of books. My father was an architect, as well as a violin player. So I grew up with a lot of culture, paintings, poetry and music. All of these things very much affected me.
“The company was founded originally in 1973, and I came to it in 1981 as both a dancer and a choreographer,” he continues. “The founder of the company, Yehudit Arnon, recognised my talent and potential from when I was a child, and she knew how to encourage and support it. As soon as I finished in the army, I had to fight between the music – I was a cello player – and the dance. I chose dance because I could still include music and individuality: all of the things I was interested in. In 1996, I became the artistic director of the company and I have gotten to perform my work all over the world.”
In addition to being the director of KCDC, Be’er is also responsible for the choreography, staging, lighting, costume design and sound editing of Horses In The Sky. This may seem like an overwhelming feat, but Be’er loves taking on multiple roles. Not only do all these artistic elements come naturally to him, they also enable him to truly fulfil his vision for each work. One gets the sense that Be’er is quite literally involved in the process of bringing his dreams to life.
“I do it because I see something in my head or I hear music and want to create it. My source of inspiration comes from difference places. It could be the articles that I read, poems that I read, paintings, or inspiration from nature, from my dancers, from my animals. All of those are sources of inspiration for me. Everything around me – my family and my children, all of the people I surround myself with, are inspirations for my work. In the studio with the dancers I try to create something that serves the idea and the world I want to create.”
In this particular case, it is the world of Horses In The Sky that is being brought to life. Although not much has been said about what the piece itself is about, it does involve what Be’er describes as, “[something that] brings together dreams and a sense of impending apocalypse.”
“I’m so happy to be coming to Sydney with our latest creation,” says Be’er. “It’s over an hour long without intermission and involves the whole company of over 15 dancers. I try to create the world onstage through every element: through the soundtrack, the stage design, the lighting, the costumes, and even the text.”
As mentioned, Be’er doesn’t offer much in the way of storyline. But with a lot of modern dance pieces, this isn’t the point. Audiences are there to experience something more than a linear voyage with a distinct beginning, middle and end – it’s really about so much more.
“It’s not about a narrative,” Be’er explains. “The way that I like to think about it is as a journey. I invite people to come to the theatre and sit in a chair. The lights go down and the curtain goes up and I give them a certain look, but leave it to them to find their meaning through the piece. Everyone has their own interpretation, their own feelings and their own thoughts. When the curtains go up they will have their own question marks and things to think about. It’s not about answers.”
One of the most beautiful things about Horses In The Sky, and indeed even the medium of dance in general, is the universal nature of it. The KCDC may be a company from Israel, but its messages and expression continue to be felt and understood around the world. Be’er, with his lifelong love affair with dance, summarises it best, saying, “Dance is a way to create communication between different cultures, different languages. Without too many words you can create a dialogue between different people.”
[Horses in the Sky photo by Eyal Hirsh]
Horses In The Skyruns Wednesday August 31 – Saturday September 3 atSydney Opera House.
