Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur 2008 – Rami Be’er’s Ekodoom

Paula Citron
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Ekodoom
Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company
Choreographed by Rami Be’er
Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur
At the Grand Chapiteau
Saint-Sauveur, Quebec
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The mandate of Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur is the presentation of dance and music. The coveted opening slot was given to the North American premiere of Rami Be’er’s riveting Ekodoom performed by Israel’s Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company.

Israel is not a subtle country, and Be’er reflects his homeland’s outspoken, take-no-quarter mentality in his muscular movement. The choreography makes illusions to armies marching, violent personal conflicts, and victimization of the innocent. Power games dominate the duets, while the subtext of the whole piece, as the title suggests, is man-made destruction and devastation.

The stunning soundtrack of harsh German new wave punk rock and droning electronica propels the dance. The shafts of light coming from every direction create pockets of shadows that conjure up a bleak landscape.

The Kibbutz dancers are phenomenally well-trained, and they sail easily through the non-stop, demanding intricacies of Be’er’s tangled web of human misery.

Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur continues in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec until Aug. 10.

I’m Paula Citron, arts reviewer for THE NEW CLASSICAL 96.3 FM.