LEVIAH

""My very tight uniform has become a symbol; a symbol of lost dreams and sexual confusion.” LEVIAH is visual memoir about vulnerability, power and powerlessness. Choreographer Reut Shemesh shares a collection of memories from her service in the Israeli military, and brings into awareness a phenomenon that has not often been spoken about: the emotional difficulties and despair that female soldiers experience in junior positions. Many of them suffer from a loss of control, eating disorders, and endure sexual harassment. The work tests the borders between vulnerability and control, the transition from human to mechanic and the collision between present and past. LEVIAH brings into light the effect of political processes on the individual's psyche. Choreography and Text: Reut Shemesh; Film: Reut Shemesh & Ronni Shendar; Dance and Creation: Hella Immler und Reut Shemesh; Music: Simon Baue; Costume: Dario Mendez Acosta; Dramaturgy: Daniel Rademacher; Management: Sandra Jasper; Made possible by: City of Cologne, NRW Art Foundation, Ministry of Family, Youth, Culture and Sport, Academy of Media Arts Cologne, IDAS NRW, TanzFaktur Cologne. Prof. Julia Scher, Prof. Ute Hörner, Prof. Raimund Krumme Prof. Mathias Antlfinger ""A Women's Duo is so incurred, drastic and aggressive. [...] Whoever has been to this place, behind the fence, his femininity stays damaged - this is the conclusion of this production, in which Shemesh encircles her controversial topic individually with expressive dance. A piece that gives an idea of how much the end of naivety is also politically momentous."" Nicole Strecker, Nov. 2015; »Leviah« is big, dark, brave, personal, but not private. Reut Shemesh allows dance to handle the art of dealing with vulnerability without portraying the victim as small and powerless"" M. Suchy August 2016 , TanzMagazine