Pode Ser speaks to us, via a dancer’s enraged body, about everything that we were, the roles we have played, some assigned; and of what we could have been, perhaps….
A striking solo on the difficulties of being one’s self, that within months gained international recognition. "The Portuguese expression “pode ser” can be translated as “it could be” or “perhaps, perhaps not”. This ambiguity is expressed clearly in the combination of the different dance styles displayed in the solo and becomes all the more powerful through the sincerity of movements and Leïla’s intriguing stage presence.“ P. Verrièle, DanserCanalHistorique
Leïla Ka
FRANCE
Leïla Ka - Originally coming from urban dance, Leïla quickly oriented herself towards a mix of practices and developed her work from merging genres that go beyond the conventions and codes from which they are composed.
After having worked as a performer, most notably for Maguy Marin – where she discovered a danced theatricality that remains an important form of possibilities in her own choreographic work – she launched into the creation of her first piece Pode ser.
In this solo, awarded by 5 international prizes, and performed yet more than 60 times, she flirts freely with contemporary urban dance and theater in an attempt to illustrate the complexity and difficulty of being.
In these times of isolation, we at MASH view our alternative Dance Week platform as an opportunity to continue establishing connections across borders and cultivating spaces for collaboration between Jerusalem dance artists and those abroad. Due to the postponement of the Jerusalem International Choreography Competition 2020, we chose to pair each artist that was selected to participate in the competition with a Jerusalem dance artist, initiating a partnership that we hope will come to fruition when they meet next year in Jerusalem.
Maayan Liebman-Sharon
JERUSALEM
Maayan Liebman-Sharon is a Jerusalem-based choreographer. She holds a B. Dance degree and an M. Mus degree specializing in choreography from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and a B.A. in Occupational Therapy. Maayan’s work has been seen in festivals such as Machol Shalem’s Jerusalem International Dance Week, Israel Festival, Tmuna Theater’s Intimadance Festival, Between Heaven and Earth Festival, the Suzanne Dellal Centre’s 80 Squared, From Jaffa to Agripas Festival, Kelim Choreography Center’s March Hare Festival, Hazira - Dance Arena, the Dan David Award Ceremony, and more. Her work has been presented in museums and galleries such as the Israel Museum, Bible Lands Museum, Haifa Art Museum, Tower of David Museum, Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Museum of Muslim Art, and Moscow Museum. Maayan was a founder and mentor of the American Center’s Ma’amakim Program, which provided artistic mentorship for dance artists 2017-2018 and was sponsored by the American Embassy in Jerusalem. The origins of her creations draw inspiration from collaborations with artists working with different media such as visual art and film. For the past several years, her primary collaboration has been with video artist Yaara Nirel. In 2019 she was the artistic director, curator, and mentor for original creations premiered in Machol Shalem Dance House’s Jerusalem International Dance Week. That same year, she curated the dance program’s pre-premieres in the Jerusalem Biennale, in collaboration with Machol Shalem Dance House and the Biennale. In 2020, Maayan created a new work at the Zagreb Dance Center as part of Machol Shalem Dance House and the Zagreb Dance Center’s Jerusalem Exchange Project. Maayan’s work has been supported by the Rabinovich Fund, the Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem Fund and the Jerusalem Municipality. She is a member of the Israeli Choreographers’ Association.
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