Four for Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor
Israeli Missions Around The World Atlanta Press Room Interviews Four for Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor

Four for Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor

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    ​On Tuesday, June 17, ADF and the Nasher Museum of Art will present Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor’s Two Room Apartment. This re-imagining of the seminal 1987 piece Two Room Apartment, which helped put Israeli dance on the map, reflects the relationship of the two dancers as partners in life and in art. The duet was named Best Performance of the Year by the Israeli Dance Critics’ Circle in December 2013.​

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    ​1. What is Two Room Apartment? In what way did the original “help put Israeli dance on the map?” 

    Two Room Apartment premiered in 1987 and introduced pedestrian, everyday gestures and movement, as choreographic material. Until that time the Israeli dance was dominated by the large companies - Bat Sheva, Kibbutz Dance Co. and Bat Dor. After Two Room Apartment the independent dance scene started to flourish, and the dance was a big success in Israel and worldwide.

    Our version is not a copy of the original, but it is based on the original movement structure. We recreated the duet (re-imagined?) to suit our own individual relationship and our own artistic visions.

     

    2.              What do you think defines Israeli dance? How is it different from other forms and genres? 

    Israeli dance scene is a very diverse and varied with a myriad of styles and forms of expression. Generally in the Israeli dance there is a sense of directness, cutting through the issues, no-bullshit kind of attitude, and yet without compromising on the craft itself (technique).

    This is true for Israeli culture in general, but somehow in dance it is more evident than in other genres of stage art.

     

    3.              You just completed a residency in the United States. Can you tell us about that experience? 

    It was an amazing experience working with the dance students of Rutgers university in New Jersey. We found them eager to experiment and to broaden their knowledge and experiences, and to find their individual voices as artists. It was interesting to discover that despite the different background and environment and culture - we have so much in common, and this is always stronger than the differences between the cultures. In the creation process with the students we generated a lot of material through improvisation, which gave the students a lot of freedom to share their inner world with us. We managed to create an environment in the studio that felt non-competitive; it felt like an ensemble of young people working together with each other. It is not to be taken for granted.

     

    4.              What is next for Niv and Oren? 

    When we come back to Tel Aviv we are going to make a production with Israeli dance students - young dance artists in the beginning of their career - that will be based on the process that we underwent with the students of Rutgers in New Jersey.

    Soon after that we have several tours lined up - both in Israel and abroad - so fortunately, we are heading towards very busy times...