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BATSHEVA–THE YOUNGENSEMBLE:DECADANCE

This performance is made possible by the W. Ford Schumann ’50 Endowment for the Arts and the Lipp Family Fund for Performing Artists and supported in part by the Consulate General of Israel to New England.

SAT | SEP 26 | 8PM | MAINSTAGE’62 CENTER FOR THEATRE AND DANCE

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CHOREOGRAPHED BY OHAD NAHARIN

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Williams College CenterSeries Presents

DecadanceChoreography by

Ohad Naharin

Performed by

Batsheva - The Young Ensemble

Artistic Director and ChoreographerOhad Naharin

DancersEtay Axelroad, Yotam Baruch,

Yael Ben Ezer, Kim Chunwoong, Matan Cohen, Korina Fraiman, Ido Gidron,

Mai Golan, Lenny Hassin, Chiaki Horita, Yaara Lapid, Opal Markus, Eyvatar Omessy, Kyle Scheurich, Yoni Simone, Amalia Smith,

Stephanie Troyak, Kelvin Vu

Lighting DesignAvi Yona Bueno (Bambi)

Costume DesignRakefet Levi

The CenterSeries performances are made possible in part by the W. Ford Schumann ’50 Endowment for the Arts and the Lipp Family Fund for the Performing Arts.

There will be no intermission.

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MUSIC

Stones Start Spinning .............................. David Darling Arab folk music ....................................... Habib Alla Jamal, Khader Shama (arrangement) Illusion ....................................................... Maxim Waratt Echad mi Yodea ........................................ Ohad Naharin (arrangement), The Tractor’s Revenge Cum Dederit .............................................. Vivaldi Somewhere Over the Rainbow ............... Harold Arlen, Marusha (adapted) Hooray for Hollywood .............................. Don Swan & His Orchestra Sway ........................................................... Dean Martin Do ............................................................... Chronomad Fac ut arbeat ............................................. Vivaldi Hava Nagila .............................................. Dick Dale Train ........................................................... Goldfrapp Issa Nori ..................................................... Maxim Waratt Favourite Final Geisha Show ................... Chari Chari Flutter ......................................................... Kid 606 Mount Carmel........................................... Rayon AmbientTRUST ........................................ AGF PRIVATEBirds ............................................ AGF YouSTOP .................................................... AGF On ............................................................... Fennesz Na tum jano na hum ................................ Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai Me .............................................................. Seefeel You’re Welcome ....................................... Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

PROGRAMSelected excerpts from works by Ohad Naharin

Anaphase, (1993), Zachacha (1998), George and Zalman (2006), Max (2007), Seder (2007), Mabul (1992), Sadeh21 (2011),

Z/na (1995), Kyr (1990), Three (2005), Naharin’s Virus (2001)

ABOUT THE COMPANY

“It is a privilege to grant dancers at the very start of their careers the ability to become our creative partners. We hand them the Gaga tool box, our ongoing research of many years, and we make it available to them for immediate use. We watch them go beyond their familiar limits on a daily basis to become great interpreters. Often the young dancers of the Ensemble show me fresh, new ways of looking at my own work.” – Ohad Naharin

The Young Ensemble was founded by Naharin in 1990 when he joined the company as Artistic Director, out of an interest in nurturing creative processes, mentoring young dancers, and developing young audiences in Israel. Its unique

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framework comprises independent choreographic support, rigorous studio training, domestic and international touring, and an exemplary school outreach program. The temporary nature of the program’s two-year structure colors it with a wide range of emotions, inspiring the dancers to make the most of their experience and make a significant impact on both their own practices and the execution of Naharin’s choreography. Each year nearly 400 dancers from around the world travel to Batsheva’s home at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv for Ensemble auditions. The Batsheva senior company is composed almost entirely of Young Ensemble graduates.

“Batsheva’s Young Ensemble is unquestionably one of the most magnificent collection of dancers...Beyond their fine and strong technique, their re- enactment of MAX by Ohad Naharin sparkled with freshness, making the work a spectacular display of effortless streaming, and connected the dancing body to something greater, beyond its limits. Any choreographer should feel fortunate to work with such an ensemble, since their implementation of MAX managed to retrieve some preliminary authenticity and innocence, and left a lasting impression on the retina“ -Israeli Dance Critics Circle awarding the 2014 Prize for Best Interpretation to the Ensemble.

SCHOLAR NOTES

What’s New?by Norton Owen

The pursuit of “what’s new” in dance can sometimes seem relentless. Premieres and debuts are loudly trumpeted to stimulate excitement, and it can often be difficult to discern exactly what’s truly novel. Is this the first time a particular dance is being performed in the U.S., or only in the Northeast? Or perhaps the dance has been seen before, but this is the first time a particular company is performing it, or a certain dancer is making his or her role debut. Because the yearning for absolute freshness is so constant, it’s worth contemplating exactly what constitutes something new in dance.

If ever there was an art form existing only in the present, dance is it. Even if the steps are rigidly set and the structure remains fixed, a dance performance is characterized by its live execution in real time. In the words of the great modern dance artist José Limón, “Dance is a moment and then it is finished.” This is so regardless of whether the dance itself is old or new, and this apparent contraction is nowhere more evident than in the world of classical ballet. This discipline derives from only five basic body positions, and there are dozens of steps that are codified and performed each time in much the same way. And yet something utterly new can derive from putting those steps into a different order, altering the speed or timing, employing new music, moving the dancers around in fresh patterns, and changing the performers’ relationships to each other. And so, in a sense, all dancers create something anew each time they perform, whether it is a 19th century story ballet or a first-time event.

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In 2000, after Ohad Naharin had been the director of Batsheva for ten years, he conceived the idea of Decadance as a way of looking back over his first decade of creations for this eminent Israeli company. With a prefix meaning ten and a play on words flirting with the idea of decadence, the title must have seemed like a provocative way to frame a retrospective, and perhaps he initially thought the idea would be a passing fancy. But another decade and a half since the title first emerged, it seems clear that the concept of Decadance signifies an end-lessly fertile field for creativity.

Naharin has been quite candid in declaring, “Decadance is not a new work. It is more about reconstruction: I like to take pieces or sections of existing works and rework it, reorganize it and create the possibility to look at it from a new angle. It always teaches me something new about my work and composition.” This concept is akin to Merce Cunningham sampling his older works in one-time-only mashups called Events, often with different music and scenic ele-ments than those originally employed. And even the trailblazing composer Igor Stravinsky emphasized his reliance on rearranging older work. “Only God can create,” he said. “I make music from music.”

Some might see a certain cynicism in Naharin’s claim that “Everything has al-ready been done.” And yet by constantly reinventing, reordering, refining, and tweaking the ingredients in Decadance, perhaps Naharin is teaching us a time-honored lesson: Everything old is new again.

Norton Owen is Director of Preservation for Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival

COMPANY

Artistic Director: Ohad NaharinExecutive Director: Dina Aldor Associate Artistic Director: Adi SalantEnsemble Director: Matan David Rehearsal Director: Hillel KoganStage Manager: Gavriel SpitzerInternational Tours Director: Iris Bovshover Producer: Naomi FriendEnsemble Technical Director : Yitzhak Assulin Sound: Igal Feldman Stage: Yuval Glickman, Eliav RefaelyWardrobe: Shoshana Or Lavi, Kyle Worsley

The activity of the Young Ensemble in the 2015-16 season is made possible, in part, through support from the American Friends of Batsheva, Bank Hapoalim, Aharon Gutwirth Foundation, the Harkness Foundation for Dance and an anonymous donation in honor of the National Young Arts Foundation, USA.

For more information, contact Lisa Preiss-Fried, Director of International Development lisa@batsheva.co.il or call 212-545-7182

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CenterSeries Programming Committee

Denise Buell, Chairperson, Dean of the Faculty, and Professor of ReligionSandra Burton, Lipp Family Director of DanceIrene M. Castillo ‘16Rachel Chanoff, Director of Programming, CenterSeriesCassandra Cleghorn, Senior Lecturer in English and American StudiesRandal Fippinger, Producing DirectorJohn P. Gerry, Associate Dean of FacultyMarjorie Hirsch, Chair and Professor of MusicMia G. Hull ‘17David Gurcay-Morris, Associate Professor of TheatreAmy Podmore, Professor of ArtNathaniel T. Wiessner, Technical Dir. for Dance & Presenting Production Manager

’62 Center StaffSound & Media Supervisor: ................................................Jim AbdouCostume Shop Supervisor: ..................................................Barbara A. BellTechnical Supervisor: ............................................................Cosmo CatalanoDirector of Programming, CenterSeries: .........................Rachel ChanoffProducing Director: ...............................................................Randal FippingerHouse Manager: ....................................................................Stephanie MendozaAssistant Costume Shop Supervisor: ...............................Samantha E. PattersonTechnical Director for Theatre ...........................................Maia Robbins-ZustAssistant Manager, Performances and Events: .............M. Willa SimonPresenting Production Manager andTechnical Director for Dance: .............................................Nathaniel T. Wiessner

Wardrobe: Wendy Carron and Stella Schwartz

Costume Shop Crew: Hannah Antonellis, Sierra McDonald, Grace Sullivan, Rebecca Williams.

Scene Shop Crew: Samuel Alterman, Jonathan Berg, Claire A.Bergey, Christina Cleroux, Maris Leigh Davidson, Gabrielle Dibenedetto, Anthony Fitzgerald, Aaron Hamblin, Mia Hull, Abraham Kirby-Galen, Russell Maclin, Priscilla Pino, Uygar Sozer, Jackson C. Zerkle, Carina B. Zox

Events Student Staff: Betty Annan-Noonoo, John Charles (JC) Bahr-De-Stefano, Daniel S. Brandes, Khari Dawkins, Nicholas Dehn, Danielle (Dani) D’Oliveira, Tyler P. Duff, William Farabow, John Fives, Naomi Francois, Lydia Graham, Connor Harris, Gabrielle Ilagan, Jessica Kim, Jacqueline R. Lane, Lylia X. Li, Jilly Lim, Paula Mejia, Russell Monyette, Alice Murphy, Tyma Nimri, Nam Nguyen, Emily O’Brien, Amy Qiu, Hannah K. Rabb, John G. Scaletta, Katie Shao, Grace Wetherall, Natalie Wilkinson

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Featured Upcoming Events:

WIND-UP FEST OCT 15TH, 17TH, & 18TH | MAINSTAGE

Wind-Up Fest is an enchanted expedition to the fiery core of nonfiction, guided by the world’s most compelling creators of documentaries, podcasts, long-form journalism, live performance and storytelling. Opening the weekend is Olmo and the Seagull, a journey through the labyrinth of a woman’s mind as Olivia, a free- spirited stage actress, prepares for a starring role in a theatrical production of Chekhov’s The Seagull. Radio 1-2-3 is a thrilling immersion into the land of radio and its possibilities, with performers, journalists, and podcasters; Pulitzer Prize-winner Elizabeth Kolbert joins the directors of Uncertain to discuss the perils of nature out of balance; the Gaudino Fund, the Healy Fund, and the WWII Fund at Williams College bring the groundbreaking documentary the groundbreaking documentary Of Men and War to campus, accompanied by director Laurent Bécue-Renard. And that’s not all: for a full schedule of this extraordinary weekend visit wind-up.org.

THEATRE DEPARTMENT PRESENTS

BLOOD WEDDING WRITTEN BY FEDERICO GARCÍA LORCA

DIRECTED BY KAMERON STEELE

OCT 15TH to 17th | 7:30 PM | CENTERSTAGEOCT 17th | 2:30 PM | CENTERSTAGE

Legendary Spanish poet Federico García Lorca’s masterpiece Blood Wedding (Bodas de Sangre) employs a tragic love-triangle narrative to underscore the widespread misfortune that class conflict and a rigid, hierarchical society can produce. Staged by American director Kameron Steele in a style that is part magical realism, part dance theatre, the production will also feature an original score for violin, cello, and percussion by Ileana Perez Velazquez, a warped runway set by David Gürçay-Morris, costumes fashioned in a bold palette by Deborah Brothers, and a dynamic lighting design by Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa. “Rather than try to replicate the Andalusian society,” says Steele, “this production will take advantage of the CenterStage’s unique, flexible structure to focus on the universal appeal of Lorca’s poetry and iconoclastic worldview.” In our age of globalization, with the gap between the rich and poor growing, and the middle classes, where they exist, under siege, Lorca’s tragedy gives us a chance to explore these global problems through engaging the rifts in our own culture. Friday evening’s performance will be followed by a Q & A.

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For more information go to: http://62center.williams.edu Or Call:(413) 597-2425 Tuesday-Saturday 1 pm to 5 pm

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Upcoming Events:Sonia nazario: EnriquE’s JournEy MainStage Sept 30

Dance DepartMent preSentS: Dancing MatterS 1: a caSe for Dance in HigHer eDucation griffin Hall 4 oct 6

Dance DepartMent preSentS: Dancing MatterS 2: a MoveMent WorkSHop Dance StuDio oct 6

aSian StuDieS DepartMent preSentS: A Moving sound

tai-cHi anD Dance WorkSHop aDaMS MeMorial tHeatre oct 7

aSian StuDieS DepartMent preSentS: taiWaneSe MuSicianS: A Moving sound aDaMS MeMorial tHeatre oct 8

tHeatre DepartMent preSentS: BlooD WeDDing

Written By feDerico garcía lorca DirecteD By kaMeron Steele centerStage oct 15 to 17

WinD-up feSt (WilliaMStoWn filM feStival 2.0)

olMo & ThE sEAgull, Dir. petra coSta anD leaH gloB oct 15 raDio 1-2-3 – WitH Scott carrier, Monica Bill BarneS, anD love + raDio oct 17 uncErTAin, Dir. anna SanDilanDS & eWan Mcnicol oct 17 song FroM ThE ForEsT, Dir. MicHael oBert oct 17 BrEAking A MonsTEr, Dir. luke Meyer oct 17 oF MEn And WAr, Dir. laurent Bécue-renarD oct 18 grEETings on BEhAlF oF ThE PEoPlE oF our PlAnET! WitH SaM green & Dave cerf oct 18

oFF-centerSerieS preSentS: TriuMPh oF FAME WitH Marie-caroline HoMinal centerStage loBBy oct 20 to 22

lecture coMMittee preSentS: MicHael pollen in converSation MainStage oct 20

cap & BellS preSentS: froSH revue 2015 MainStage oct 23 & 24