CASUALTIES OF MEMORY

Itzik Galili

The opening image of Itzik Galili’s latest work upends traditional social notions of Western patriarchy. Men and women should not be considered separate beings. Galili creates a sensual environment in which the man supports the woman, the woman supports the man, thus allowing everyone to maintain a fragile balance, a perfect arrangement. They know... They will be there for each other. In absolute symbiosis, a passionate energy emerges from the dancers, as well as the captivating percussions produced by the darboukas of Frères Grand and percussionist Joseph Khoury. This mix of dance movements, both ethnic and contemporary, full of curvilinear and visceral power, underlines gender equality. The woman as a man, the man as a woman. A choreography at the limit of the dancers' physical capabilities. At that moment the soul collides and the mind forgets, if only for a moment, that there are differences between us.

“We would almost have expected to see them break at times, as the figures imposed by the choreographer seemed contrary to the nature of the human body. Hats off, therefore, to the 14 members of the troupe, who displayed masses of flexibility, balance and endurance."

- Steve Bergeron, La Tribune (Sherbrooke, Canada)