The Rite of Spring
艾曼紐 • 蓋特 | Emanuel GAT
The Rite of Spring
2004
Video
35’44”
Courtesy of the Emanuel Gat Dance
This work explores the desire and death in “The Rite of Spring” through the use of Rueda de casino, a Cuban salsa style where pairs of dancers form a circle and dance while swapping partners. While salsa is normally considered as a playful and flirtatious dance, it can also be serious. On the dark stage lies a red rectangular center-stage. Two male and three female, dance a manic, deconstructed, and threatening version of salsa. While the salsa is performed in a casual manner, the whole piece was choreographed carefully. There is not a miss of hands or wobbling steps. Although dancers’ faces do not show any emotions, their movements of swirling, touching, and engaging with one another suggest an intimacy between the partners. Only in the very end is there the apparent hint of the sacrificial scenario from the original piece.
Artist description
Emanuel Gat was born in Israel in 1969. After his military service, he entered the Rubin Academy of Music in Tel-Aviv, with the aim of developing his musical practice. His first encounter with dance was at the age of 23 during a workshop led by Israeli choreographer Nir Ben Gal. Few months later, he joined the Liat Dror Nir Ben Gal Company with whom he created two works and toured internationally. He started working as an independent choreographer in 1994.
During the following ten years, Gat has developed a unique and personal approach to choreography and dance making, through numerous projects, collaborations and creation processes, setting the foundations for his artistic vision and laying the groundwork for his future body of work.