Direct from Tel Aviv—With the
deft charm of a magician’s wand, Inbal Pinto Dance Company
will transform The Joyce Theater stage into a world of the fantastical
and unexpected when the 12-member company presents the New York
premiere of its full-evening work, "Oyster," April 22-27.
Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak are the company’s young artistic
directors.
Inspired by Tim Burton’s short story,
"The Melancholic Death of Oyster Boy," "Oyster"
straddles the dividing line between a dreamscape and the world of
the real, calling upon the imagination of a child and the mind of
the mature. It is here in this magical universe created by choreographer
Inbal Pinto and director Avshalom Pollak that an opened coat reveals
an illuminated garden of tulips, where the whimsical and the grotesque
tumble sault over each other, playing tag with our imaginations
and sense of reality.
The performers, who combine a witty blend
of modern, ballet, mime and acrobatic movement, alternate as dancers,
marionettes and puppets. A clever use of strings alternately limits
and liberates their movement: One airborne dancer gently floats
above her partner’s head and tip toes along his arm. The cast
of continuingly changing characters also includes a melancholic
white clown, a ballerina muted by the turtleneck covering her mouth,
and a gaggle of men in black tails.
Comprised of a series of vignettes, "Oyster"
is set to an eclectic selection of music including Pagliacci, Astor
Piazzolla, Harry James and Yma Sumac compiled and arranged by Avshalom
Pollak. The witty costumes were designed by Inbal Pinto. The set,
comprised of strings of lights that create a smaller proscenium
allowing for the entrance and exit of the performers, was co-designed
by Pinto and Pollak. "Oyster" was premiered in 1999 at
la Maison de la Danse in Lyon, France.
Inbal Pinto, who received her ballet, modern
and jazz dance training in her home town of Naharia Israel, began
choreographing in 1990, and a year later became a member of the
Batsheva Dance Ensemble before joining the senior Company in 1995.
Pinto also studied graphic design at the Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem.
Her choreographic creations include "Dio-can," "Versus,"
" Mr. Wow," "Chance for 100" (in collaboration
with Avshalom and Yossi Pollak), "Wrapped," "Oyster,"
and the 2002 "Boobies." Pinto participated in the American
Dance Festival’s 1997 and 1998 International Choreographer’s
program. In 2000, Pinto received choreographic awards from the Israeli
Ministry of Culture, the City of Tel Aviv, as well as a New York
Dance and performance Award ("Bessie") for the piece "Wrapped,"
which was performed at the Kitchen in New York that year.
A nationally renown actor since childhood,
Avshalom Pollak graduated from the Nisan Nativ Drama School and
appeared in numerous films and television shows, including the hit
tv series "Florentine." Pollak has performed in several
stage productions at the National Theater Habima, the Cameri Theater,
the Gesher Theater and the Haifa Municipal Theater, appearing in
leading roles such as Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet" and
Cassio in "Othello." "Boobies," his most recent
collaboration with Inbal Pinto, was created in 2002.
Following its Joyce Theater engagement,
Inbal Pinto Dance Company will appear at the Miami Dade Community
College in Miami, FL (May 1). The Company then travels to Germany
for performances at the Tanzhaus in Dusseldorf (May 9-10); Staatstheater
in Wiesbaden (May 13) and Theater der Bundesstadt in Bonn (May 16).
The company will participate in the Kalamata Dance Festival in Greece
(July 17-18). In the fall, Inbal Pinto Dance Company will appear
in Great Britain: in London (October 31 and November 1); Brighton
(November 4-5); Snape Maltings (Nov 7-8) and Glasgow; Scotland (November
11).
At The Joyce Theater, evening curtain times
are at 8pm, Tuesday through Saturday, and 7:30pm on Sunday. There
is also a matinee performance at 2pm on Sunday. Tickets are $35
and are available at The Joyce Theater box office, by calling 212-242-0800
or by visiting www.joyce.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175
Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.
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Please note: As part of The Joyce’s Dance
Talk series, dance writer Kate Mattingly will present a video illustrated
talk about the world of Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak’s
"Oyster" on Monday, April 14 from 6-8pm at Joyce SoHo
located 155 Mercer Street (between Houston and Prince Street). Reservations
are required, please call 212-334 7479.
Leadership support for The Joyce Theater's 2002-2003
season has been received from the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.
Additional support for this engagement was
provided with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts
and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and
with private funds from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Endowment
Fund to encourage the performances of out-of-town companies at The
Joyce Theater.
"Oyster," in its New York premiere, is made possible with
public funds from the New York-Israel Cultural Cooperation Commission,
a joint venture of the State of New York, George E. Pataki-Governor,
and the State of Israel.
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