BODY THAT STANDS

BODY THAT STANDS is a 60-minute dance performance for three dancers that explores the multi-layered notion of resistance. In a world where resistance is both a necessity for survival and a potential catalyst for violence, this piece deconstructs the term to reveal its nuances. Through movement, spoken text and minimalist scenography, BODY THAT STANDS explores how acts of resistance shape our physical, emotional and social landscape.

Drawing on the political and cultural tensions rooted in her Israeli-German identity, choreographer Smadar Goshen explores resistance not just as a reaction, but as an inherent force in life. From pushing against gravity to confronting the psychological and political dimensions of resistance, the work explores where acts of strength give power and where they blur the fine line to aggression.

Wrestling, leaning, carrying, holding, dropping, screaming, protesting - throughout the piece, the dancers embody the intersections between the power to resist, the need for control, vulnerability and desire, constantly forming an intense interplay of power and powerlessness. Parallel to the moving human body, construction and deconstruction unfold on stage through an evolving scenography. As the performers shape and are shaped by their environment, the performance emphasizes the duality of opposites that can be both formative and destructive, inviting the audience to reflect on their presence in their own lives.

BODY THAT STANDS observes opposites to reveal the complexity of our existence and the structures that sustain it.