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Rooster by Barak Marshall

Barak Marshall2009

Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre

Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre
Tel Aviv, Israel

A co-production of the Suzanne Dellal Centre and the Israeli Opera, “Rooster,” is a work for 12 dancers and an opera singer. Dance, theatre and opera come together in “Rooster,” a work which, according to Marshall, relates artistically to Greek mythology, Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” the Bible, and the Y. L. Peretz short story “Bontsche the Silent.” According to Marshall, the story describes a man who was “Very kind and silent, no one noticed him in his lifetime and no one paid attention when he died.” Marshall views the story as a “warning about not asserting yourself,” saying, “trust your desires and act on them.” The Hebrew word for rooster is “Gever” which also means “man,” an association that has resonance for Marshall who describes the rooster as “ferocious yet also incredibly vulnerable.”

Marshall tells these stories through small "vignettes" interspersed between explosive, high-energy dance routines. The twelve strong dancers create patterns onstage while simultaneously moving quickly and using many small, articulate hand gestures. Their movements propelled the progression of Marshall's stories, and their intensity was the highlight of the show.
Marshall, an American Israeli choreographer who has previously choreographed for the Batsheva Ensemble and is known for his show "Monger", presented much more than a modern dance concert in "Rooster". There were many times where Marshall's use of humor had the entire auditorium laughing.

The literary influences in the work are powerfully balanced with Marshall’s intensely physical choreography, nurtured in a rich cultural context. Marshall states that he is thankful that he “was able to be raised with an appreciation for the richness and resources of my own Mizrahi culture,” adding that “I am getting my dancers to move ethnic.”

Details

  • Title: Rooster by Barak Marshall
  • Creator: Barak Marshall
  • Date Created: 2009

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