The short film Studio Visit with Noa Dar is available to watch at the top of the page.
Noa Dar, a distinguished choreographer, and dancer, has influenced the Israeli dance scene with her distinct, insightful, and creative contributions. In 1993, she established ‘The Noa Dar Dance Group’ in the heart of Tel Aviv, providing a nurturing environment for her artistic journey. Through this platform, Dar has orchestrated over 30 innovative pieces, collaborating with a myriad of creators from various creative disciplines.
Guided by her relentless pursuit of unexplored expressive forms and ideas, Dar’s repertoire spans from intimate solos to grandiose productions. Her work includes performances tailored for young audiences and site-specific performances. She constantly pushes boundaries, blurring the lines between performers and observers and exploring the experiences of the individual body as it interacts with its physical and social environments.
During rehearsals for her piece, Skin, I had the privilege of interviewing Dar. The dancers, Noa Shavit, Mor Nardimon, and Noa Shilo, engage in a delicate dance, testing the boundaries of the female body and challenging both themselves and the audience.
Skin is an artistic venture that delves into the layers of the body, spanning its internal hollows and exposed surfaces. It scrutinizes the fluid boundaries of our physical and emotional existence, examining how we interact with external spaces and respond to the presence and touch of others.
The performance unfolds in a ring-shaped space, which breaks down the division between performers and spectators, creating a shared experience punctuated by exposure and protection, vulnerability and safety.
Skin poses critical questions: How open are we to touch? What pain thresholds do we consider reasonable? How do we navigate our interactions? The viewing experience can be uncomfortable, but it invites viewers to become partners in the unfolding drama.
Recently, Dar has returned to the stage, with her own body becoming the centerpiece of her exploration. She uses it as a vessel to probe concepts such as time and change, offering fresh perspectives on these universal themes.
In the accompanying video, Dar shares insights into how she perceives the body as both a vessel of emotion and a sanctuary for escape. This introspective exploration marks another chapter in Dar’s ongoing journey to push the boundaries of choreography and dance, inviting us all to join her on this illuminating path.
The featured video Studio Visit with Noa Dar is part of the web series Yotsrim by Shachaf Dekel. Yotsrim includes five seasons and 73 episodes. The series won the Best Documentary award at the NYC Web Fest in 2019.
