Choreographed by famed Tel Aviv choreographer Ronen Izhaki, Ka’et Ensemble is a seamless post-modern dance that combines the movements of daily prayers, religious chants and synagogue attire as performed by five Orthodox men. The group was in town for the Singapore Arts Festival in May, performing two nights in a row. The crowd pleasers had 100% attendance for both shows.
About the group:
Ka’et Ensemble is a cooperative creative group of the graduates of “Kol Atzmotai Tomarna” Dance-Theater School, who wish to authentically express their cultural and social identities through dance, and bring their unique voices to the artistic and cultural dialogue of the contemporary dance world.
The men of Ka’et (a Hebrew acronym that means “timely”) are not professional dancers. In their 20s and 30s, some have families; all have day jobs — one is a rabbi at a yeshiva, another works with runaways from ultra-Orthodox homes. But when they made their debut in the fall at the Lab, an important alternative space in Jerusalem, and afterward in sold-out concerts elsewhere, their lack of performing experience didn’t matter. They presented an astonishingly intense dance, “Highway No. 1,” with movement, costumes and sound score taken from Jewish religious practice.
Who else has been raving about Ka’et?
“...a slender peace is being brokered between the religious and secular in an unexpected arena,
contemporary dance...an astonishingly intense dance, ‘Highway No. 1,’ with movement, costumes
and sound score taken from Jewish religious practice.”
- Janice Ross, The New York Times
“ ...Ka’et Ensemble stands before a breakthrough, probably a global one. To that I can only add: Hallelujah!”
- Hora Brafman, Tanz Magazin
For more information on the Ka'et Ensemble, click here