EARTH (female)
A duet for men, inspired by the poetry of Rachel Bluwstein, one of the first Hebrew female poets in modern times. The spirit of the piece comes from images of Jewish pioneers in Palestine at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the early days of Zionism the Zionist movement led mostly by men, treated the earth of the Holy Land as a female waiting for redemption. They aimed to create a new Jewish male model - one who will leave his books in Europe and will work in the fields. A Jewish man that plants, seeds and conquers. This new male needed to adapt masculine, Arabic and “Maccabean” qualities (the Maccabees were a group of Jewish rebel warriors 167- 37 BC), and to shed all characteristics that are considered feminine and weak - those that belong to the exiled Jewish man.
On stage, in the structure of poetry and plowing, two men try to completely submit their bodies and minds to these masculine images and strive to conquer the earth. From sunrise to sunset they work, and the only sounds that fill the space are their heavy breaths of hard labor, and the echoing sounds of two bodies slamming against each other and into the ground.
The piece explores the price we pay and what we earn by devoting ourselves to specific gender roles and one ultimate "male model." In small hints EARTH (female) offers alternatives of compassion and softness that one can learn only from Mother Earth herself.
Performed by: Tomer Giat and Gilad Jerusalmy
Premiered: Dance Arena Festival 2017 Hazira - The Interdisciplinary Arena Jerusalem
Artistic Director: Sahar Azimi
Filmed by Daniel Pakes & Ophir Ben Shimon Teaser edited by Omri Shapira
