Dancing under rocket fire on the Gaza border
Liat Dror's Sderot-based dance company is staging a new performance that attempts to convey the reality of living under constant attack while trying to maintain our humanity; 'It's my responsibility to put on a show even under rocket fire,' she says
Despite - or perhaps even because of - the ever-present danger for Israelis living near the Gaza border, a dance troupe from the southern city of Sderot is staging a new performance to emphasize on being caught in the crossfire between duty, humanity and the importance of the self.
Liat Dror, artistic director at the Sderot Adama Dance Company along with her partner Nir Ben Gal, says their new show titled "Love is strong as death" attempts to convey what it means to dance under rocket fire and create art under the thunderous roars of the constant air-raid sirens.
"Life near the Gaza Strip is constantly presenting us with difficult questions regarding art, living on the fringes of society and the value of art if it's not placed in a museum or an air-conditioned theater hall," says Dror.
"How do you talk about art without diminishing it, while maintaining its high authentic quality?"
In their latest work, the troupe also uses marching music evocative of the military to express national pride, the importance of serving in the army and how it ties with human desire for personal space.
"This meeting between the two is very real in my everyday life in the studio," says Dror. "It started with my personal experience in the IDF and continued with the very difficult experience of being a parent to soldiers."
Dror says the show tackles the real-life questions of choosing love over war, of dealing with a complex reality and of accepting others - be it spouse, neighbor, or someone with opposing political views.
"Life in Sderot always highlights these questions and it keeps me constantly on alert," she says. "Will we be able to rehearse? Will we get to finish that rehearsal or will the rocket sirens go off? After all, it's my responsibility to put on a show even under rocket fire."
She says the troupe uses recordings of live music from past performances, including laughter from the audience, the creaking of the chairs and the sounds of breathing by those present.
"To me, it's a form of correspondence, both with our past, and with its relevance to what's going on right now in Israel, Sderot, or any place where the gaps are greater than the chance for peace."
