Two Israeli duets brought their eclectic performances to a major festival in Cyprus, with the support of the Embassy of Israel in Nicosia.
“Dance Waves” is an annual event, organized by Dance Lab Nicosia at the Egomio Cultural Centre, a unique performing arts center in the heart of Cyprus’ capital city. The festival showcases inspiring contemporary dance performances from different countries.
Olivia Court Mesa and Yochai Ginton – partners in life and on stage – performed “I carry, you hold,” a piece that premiered in November 2019, as part of the “Curtain Up Festival” in Tel Aviv and received the Prize for Best Dance Performers 2022 by the Israeli Ministry of Culture.
“Olivia’s work is like saying: There is a woman here. A woman who does everything,” the judges wrote in their motivation for the prize. “As a performer, she not only empowers the feminine side but also overwhelms the fact that inequality is a figment of the imagination of many of us. When she comes on stage, we can only think otherwise. Gravity doesn’t seem to work on this big little woman.”
In Cyprus, the two dancers interacted in an uncompromising space of physical actions with remarkable expressive power.
In addition, Gil Kerer and Lotem Regev performed their piece “Concerto for Mandolin and Strings in C Major by Vivaldi”, which has received several awards in Israel and abroad.
“We gather our own tenderness, stand steady and strong, and dance to the sounds of the mandolin and strings, returning to a primary experience of dancing with humility and joy,” Keren explains. “This choreography is a sort of adult, youthful, childish dance: music and dance as a celebration, as a space of freedom, of simplicity, of virtuosity, of intimacy and friendship.”
Cypriot Deputy Minister of Culture Dr. Yiannis Toumazis and Ambassador Oren Anolik were among the guests, who watched and applauded the performers from Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Spain.
“We welcome the opportunity given to Israeli artists to present their professional work to local audience,” said Ambassador Anolik. “Building more dance bridges between Israel and Cyprus is a way to bring people together”.
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