tanzmainz

Soul Chain
Sharon Eyal, Gai Behar

Inspired by the strong emotions surrounding love, Soul Chain combines ballet and electro in an exciting contemporary dance performance. tanzmain's 17-member ensemble embodies a swarm full of energy in an extremely challenging choreography that won the prestigious German Theatre Prize DER FAUST in 2018.

Even though Soul Chain is about love and longing, you should not expect too much romance! Rather, the movements are animalistic and pure, the dynamic group of dancers moves with the highest discipline in rhythmic unison, in which a parade of minute yet complex variations presents itself, showing how we are all united in our differences. As choreographer Sharon Eyal says, one can often see within same things how different they actually are. In Soul Chain, the contrast between the group and the individual becomes an expression of her love for the absolute uniqueness of each individual.

Good evening to all,

We're absolutely thrilled to kick off 2024 by welcoming the contemporary dance ensemble of Germany's Staatstheater Mainz's to Danse Danse for the very first time.

This evening highlights the extraordinary work of Sharon Eyal. You may recall our first encounter with her work in 2007, Bertolina: each performance was of the highest quality and left us speechless.

To our delight, she does it again with her creation for the dancers of the sensational contemporary dance ensemble of Germany's Staatstheater Mainz, Soul Chain. These extremely talented artists display an impressive mastery and incredible ability to capture the unique essence of the choreographer's universe.

In collaboration with Gai Behar, Sharon Eyal created movements existing in perfect harmony with DJ Ori Lichtik's electrifying score, immersing us in an atmosphere that is both animal and ethereal. A parallel universe of subjugating emotional intensity!

We look forward to sharing this experience with our audience, and wish you a wonderful artistic (re)discovery.

Enjoy the show!

Territorial Acknowledgement

Danse Danse acknowledges that we are gathered on the traditional and unceded territory of the Kanien’keha:ka Nation. We honour the continued presence of Indigenous peoples on the Tiohtiá:ke (Montreal) territory, which has long served as a meeting place for exchanges between nations. With respect for the links to the past, present and future, we thank the Indigenous peoples for reminding us of the importance of living in harmony with ourselves, with each other and with nature, and we are grateful for the opportunity to present works of living art at Tiohtiá:ke.

When confronted with love of life, we may sometimes find a big loneliness in ourselves, an absence of reciprocal emotions in the face of such huge passion.

But this loneliness is in us all. Everyone lives their own life and ends it alone.

There are in fact big emotions contained within the body. I don't believe their story needs to be told, but rather shown through actual expression, through the body itself, through its muscles.

Soul Chain is a creation about desire. You see the pain, the sweat, that inner world trying to find its way to the outside. Its power grows more and more, becomes freer, as the dancers' bodies slowly tire.

For me it's all about the humans who are standing here. How they look at you, how you look at them, how they look at each other. Sometimes it's impossible to see emotion through the eyes, but you know it is there, you can feel it under your skin.

Essentially, it's all about love, about love for others, for yourself, for the space which surrounds you, love for everything. Love is the tissue that holds everything.

I don't plan any scenes. Rather, I feel what is right in this moment, intuitively, almost like an animal.

— Sharon Eyal, choreographer.

A Staatstheater Mainz production

Choreography Sharon Eyal.
Co-creator Gai Behar.
Costumes Rebecca Hytting.
Composition Ori Lichtik.
Stage and Lighting design Alon Cohen.
Assistant to the Choreographer Rebecca Hytting, Tom Weinberger.
Rehearsal Director Natalia Rodina.

Dancers Elisabeth Gareis, Daria Hlinkina, Shani Licht, Cassandra Martin, Nora Monsecour, Amber Pansters, Réka Rácz, Maasa Sakano. Zachary Chant, Paul Elie, Finn Lakeberg, Christian Leveque, Frederico Longo, Jaume Luque Parellada, Cornelius Mickel, Matti Tauru, Lin Van Kaam.

Director tanzmainz Honne Dohrmann.
Production Manager Lisa Besser.
Collaborator of Dance Directorate and Touring Manager Hannah Meyer-Scharenberg.
Assistant of Dance Directorate Julia Kraus.
Stage & Sound Set Up on Tour Luka Curk.
Light Set Up on Tour Dominik Hager.
Stage Manager on Tour Matthew Tusa.

World premiere October 28^th, 2017.