THISISPAIN Hillel Kogan & Michal Nathan
Witty, funny, spectacular, a blend of dance, text, object theater, and above all, fun, play and lots of beauty.
"Western" art has been flirting for centuries with the exotic image of Spain. Hillel Kogan, a choreographer and dancer in the contemporary dance scene, visits the world of flamenco dance and music as a tourist, and holds a poignant dialog with a flamenco dancer and choreographer - Michal Natan - Around questions of national identity and artistic identity: what is Spanish and what is Israeli, what is Europeanness, what is folklore and what is high art. All this, while casting doubt on the concept of identity itself: in the spirit of queer theory that holds that identity is not an essence but rather a show, Kogan seeks to show Spanishness.
The works of Hillel Kogan (‘Appropriation’, Batsheva) combine dance, text and music in a multi-layered visual language moving between implicit and explicit criticism of the world of art, popular culture and contemporary society. Saturated with sarcastic, reflexive humor, the works expose dance as a political and social agent, mostly a critical observation of the ideologies hidden under the cloak of aesthetics and entertainment, of the artist's craft, and of the complex power relations between the artist and audience.
Choreography: Hillel Kogan, Dancers: Michal Natan and Hillel Kogan, Dramaturgy: Yael Venezia, Lighting Design: Nadav Barnea, Art Director: Leticia Bollo
Launge Talk
After the show, a dialog with the artists at Sela Bar
Hillel Kogan has performed in dance troupes in Israel, Portugal and Switzerland; he has choreographed for groups in France, Portugal and Austria, and in Israel for the Batsheva Ensemble, and managed the Curtain Up festival in 2015-2016. His award-winning works are presented at festivals and on stages in Israel and around the world.
Michal Natan, the artistic and choreographic director of the Israeli flamenco group Compas.
