When Israeli dancer-choreographer Rina Schenfeld tells tales from her life in dance, she often begins by cautioning, "It's a big, long story."
Indeed, when you're 73 and considered the "godmother" of modern dance in Israel, voted one of the greatest Israelis of all time in an Internet poll, stories do have a way of becoming a tad involved. Schenfeld is unspooling plenty of them this week in Atlanta as part of Off the Edge, a contemporary dance summit being presented by the Rialto Center for the Arts, Kennesaw State University and the gloATLcq dance troupe.
She is teaching at a KSU residency, giving a talk Wednesday night at Emory University about her work with Martha Graham ("my spiritual mother") and Pina Bausch ("my twin sister"), then performing in a duet as Edge's closing act Sunday at the Goat Farm. We greeted her with three questions.
Q: Israel seems to be one of the international hot spots for dance today, with American leaders such as Atlanta Ballet artistic director John McFall scouting the scene for rising choreographers. Is there a distinct Israeli modern dance style?
A: The Israeli dance has many, many faces. It's not only one style and that's what's so nice. It's not like soldiers -- everyone looks the same.
There is a lot of passion and a lot of energy in Israel to move and use the body. For me, the body includes many chakras and many centers of energy which are spiritual, which are psychological, which are soul and not only body. For me, body and soul are one; there is no separation.
Q: As prima ballerina and choreographer with the famed Israeli dance company Batsheva starting in the early '60s, you worked closely with Martha Graham in Israel and the U.S., learning her lead roles. Then after you founded your own company in the late '70s, you said you "rebelled" against the Graham style. Why?
A: I wanted to do other things. I formed my own company and started to open many new doors for my choreography. [My style] was completely different in atmosphere. I didn't use such big sets, I didn't use big makeup, big costumes and, the most important thing, I didn't use stories. Because I didn't think for me it was good to tell stories. I wasn't good in it. I wanted something more abstract and I wanted to use improvisation and combine many arts with my art.
The most important thing was I began to use objects [in performance], because objects are very objective, I felt. They really taught me about the quality of dance. ... This really put the light in me, the fire in my new creation.
At first, I used geometric objects, in order to forget and go away from the melodramatic or dramatic stories of Martha Graham. I had done so many parts of strong women and it was divine. I loved it very much. But also it bothered me that it dealt a lot with sex and the battle between men and women. And I, personally, don’t feel a battle.
Q: American dancers, particularly in ballet, start to sense the end of their careers in their 30s. Here you are in your 70s, still dancing. What’s your secret?
A: I believe one should go on dancing after the age of 30, because the ability to express with the body, many youngsters do not have yet. I can not jump like the young and I don't want to jump. I have enough jumping. But I have other things in my body and soul of a quality that youngsters can't do.
I remember when I saw Merce Cunningham [around 1960]. And I saw a young guy jumping very high, wonderful, in the back. But Merce only did some gestures as if he was jumping. I was very young then and said to myself, "Listen, Rina, I think Merce’s jumping is more of a jump than the difficult jump of the young guy." ...
You should see the Japanese, see the martial artists. Some of the greatest masters are old. I was in a festival in Japan [a decade ago] and saw some of the great martial artists perform. I was the youngest because they were all in their 80s!
Dance preview
Rina Schenfeld
7:30 Wednesday: "Martha and Pina," a discussion moderated by dance critic Cynthia Bond Perry. Emory University's Oxford Road Building, Presentation Room (311), 1390 Oxford Road, Atlanta. Free.
6 p.m. Sunday: Duet performance. Goodson Yard at the Goat Farm, 1200 Foster St. N.W., Atlanta. Free.
Off the Edge information: 404-413-9849, rialtocenter.org/EDGE.html.
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