Land Slugs
Noa Dar & Michal Samama
Photo by Tamar Lamm
Noa Dar, choreographer and dancer whose rich body of works has been recognized for its originality, depth and Inventiveness. After 10 years of dancing with different companies in Israel and abroad, Noa Dar returned to Tel-Aviv in 1993 and created "Fragile", her first full-length piece, along with establishing ‘The Noa Dar Dance Group’ as a supportive framework for her artistic activity.
Since then, she created more then 30 works in collaboration with artists from different creative fields.
Always searching for new expressions of contents and forms, her works ranging from solos to large-scale productions, works for young audiences, site specific works and installations.
Dar explores the experience of the individual body when it comes into contact with his physical and social environments, often blaring boundaries between performers and spectators.
In her latest works, along with her return to performing, her own body became an arena for reexamining notions like temporality and transformation.
Dar’s creations have been commissioned and presented by leading festivals in Israel and elsewhere such as ‘The Israel Festival’,‘ Tokyo Int. Dance Biennale’, ’Oriente Occidente’, ‘Rencontres int. de danse contemporaine’, ‘Santiago de mille festival’, ‘Sziget’, ‘ Shanghai Contemporary Dance’, ‘Holland Festival’ and many more.
She has won numerous prizes, among them are the Lottery’s ‘Landau Prize’ for her artistic contribution, The ‘Rosenblum Prize’ for outstanding artists and the Ministry of Culture's ‘Creation Prize’ for her body of work.
Established in 2006, ‘Noa Dar dance group studio’ in central TLV, serves as her creative home and a space where broad communities can meet with diverse expressions of body, movement and dance.
Michal Samama creates works at the intersection of dance, performance, and the visual arts, moving between the stage, the gallery, and the public space. In 2021-2022 Samama presented her work at the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art, Manofim Jerusalem Contemporary Art Festival, The Center for Digital Art (Holon), Intimadance Festival, Diver Festival, Arttour Festival Tel Aviv, and more. In past years she exhibited her work at the Petach Tikva Museum of Art (solo show), Sommer Gallery, Kav 16 Gallery, HaKibbutz Gallery, as well as platforms such as Diver Festival, Curtain Up festivals, Musrara Mix, Intimadance Festival. Her work was presented in numerous spaces in New York and Chicago, including: The Chocolate Factory Theater, Judson Church, New York Live Arts, Aspect Ratio Gallery, Sector 2337, EXPO CHICAGO, 6018 North, Defibrillator Gallery and more. Samama received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She was a 2011-2013 Artist-in-Residence at Movement Research in New York.
About the show
*“Land Slugs” takes place along the street. It exists at the ground, sidewalk altitude, a location that is normally visible only from the viewpoint of human feet and four legged animals. Two performers bring their body in its entirety into close, intense contact with the texture and topography of the surface we step on, without giving it a second thought: cement, asphalt, vehicles, dirt, insects and vegetation. From their leveled perspective, they challenge the conventions and perceptions of the body in public space.
Each performance of “Land Slugs” is a unique variation that responds to the particular environment in which it takes place. “Land Slugs” was presented in numerous venues including: "Intimadance" festival in Tmuna Theater, Tel Aviv Museum of Art as part of "The Square" residency program, The Center for Digital Art in Holon, "Manofim" Festival for Contemporary Art in Jerusalem and at the "Art-Tour" festival in Tel Aviv. Noa Dar and Michal Samama have been collaborating since 2020 and created together, in addition to “Land Slugs”, the work ״Come lay down״ that premiered in 2021 at the "Diver" Festival for Contemporary Dance, and has since been regularly presented at the Noa Dar dance group's space.
Duration- 30 min
Photo by Carmel Hertman
Credits
Creators and performers: Noa Dar and Michal Samama
Premier: IntimaDance Festival 2021, Tmuna theater, TLV
Artistic Directors: Anat Katz and Erez Ma'ayan Shalev
Photographer: Carmel Hertman