Dancers shake up their snow globe stage

‘ ‘ ‘ Dancers at the Byham will take the idea of creating a world of one’s own to a new level… ‘ ‘ ‘ Dancers at the Byham will take the idea of creating a world of one’s own to a new level by imagining life inside a fantasy world often appreciated only by children and fans of the kitsch ‘mdash; the world of the snow globe. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Shaker,’ a dance performance from Tel Aviv, Israel, will transform the stage of the Byham into a giant snow globe this weekend in Pittsburgh. ‘ ‘ ‘ Created onstage using Styrofoam as snow, the snow globe setting of ‘Shaker’ provides a place where memories, hopes, dreams and fantasies can swirl together in a wonderland that connects its audience in the shared experience of a waking dream and escape into another world. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Shaker’ is composed of three distinct acts, each of which represents a different state of being for the dancers, whose characters live in the snow globe. ‘ ‘ ‘ These characters begin the performance in a frozen state of being, and with each successive act they melt into more fluid states of increased individuality.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Avshalom Pollak, co-director of ‘Shaker’ and co-founder of its company, Inbal Pinto Dance Company, explained why he and co-director Inbal Pinto chose the snow globe as their inspiration. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘In a way, a snow globe is a closed environment,’ said Pollak, ‘and most people look at this object as something very kitschy ‘hellip; It’s a place we can look much deeper inside of it and discover or explore what kind of life we can find in it, what this life is about, if this life wants to break out of it or does it feel comfortable inside of it.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The life inside the snow globe focuses on the desire to be an individual within its closed environment by exploring the balance between the dramatic and grotesque elements of different emotional states. ‘ ‘ ‘ The dancers develop this emotional relationship between the dramatic and grotesque through interactions that represent social relations, including family situations and emotional states. The personal element of these interactions stems from Pollak’s belief that everything people create comes from where they are, who they are, who they meet and what they dream of. ‘ ‘ ‘ One of these stories centers on the image of the ‘tree man,’ represented by a male dancer dressed in the traditional black outfit of the initial frozen state. The tree man grasps two female dancers by their hair as part of choreography that represents both the man supporting the women as well as the idea of the two women being hanged by their hair on his branches or his arms. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pollak explained that ‘[the story] comes inside the piece as a stopping sign, a meltdown of the group of dancers to a more liquid state or more warm state than they had been before.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ This transition in ‘Shaker’ from frozen to liquid state is represented by three separate parts distinguished by the nature of the dancer’s movements, their costumes and the musical selections. ‘ ‘ ‘ In the initial frozen state, each of the 12 dancers is dressed in traditional black outfits that allow for little individuality, and the music is mostly in the typical contemporary vein. In the second state, the outfits become full body suits in one color for each character. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We wanted to keep the costumes very simple and not too complex,’ said Pollak. ‘But still, by using these simple costumes or plain colors, allowing the imagination to go wild … these costumes allow the dancers to be more individual, more free in a way, when they used to dress in the more realistic all-black costume dress and pants.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ As color begins to invade the costumes, dance movements become more fluid and patches of traditional Swedish music begin to mix with the classical music, inserting a more distinct flavor into the snow globe’s world. ‘ ‘ ‘ Full body suits in shades of color with varying textures allow the characters to achieve their freest and most individual state of being in the final liquid state of being. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The inclusion of Japanese covers from the ’60s, arguably one of the most niche musical selections possible, cement the third section as the most open and individual state of being. ‘ ‘ ‘ As fluid, open interpretation unique to each individual audience member is integral to ‘Shaker’s’ meaning, Pollak said it is important to remember nothing is definite about the performance. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I think the wonderful thing is to go and see a performance which doesn’t have a very specific narrative,’ said Pollak. ‘It is to go into it and then have your own kind of world inside of it.’