Salad Days in Israel

One of the things I love about spending time in Tel Aviv is the diet. Every meal has salad.

Israel has one of the highest longevity rates of Western Countries, especially for men. Despite military service and the obvious stresses of living in a country that phases in and out of war and nuclear threats, Israel is right up there with Sweden, Iceland, Italy and Switzerland.

According to studies, several factors account for this long life: great national health care available to all, tight and cohesive family and community, varying migrant genetic mixes in the population, low alcohol consumption, physical activity and diet.

But I believe the daily consumption of fresh vegetables is key. The salad come as a side with every restaurant meal, and the open air markets practically beg you to buy fruits and vegetables with their abundant and beautiful displays.

And when I come back from time spent in Israel, I always start off making more fresh salads for my family. Starting off, yes, at breakfast.


Unfortunately this focus fades after a few weeks of being back, but this weekend I am trying to remind myself and reanimate our diet.



 One of my consistent sources of inspiration is my mother-in-law Shulamit's table. No matter what time of the day we pop in to say "hi," there is always a bowl of fresh fruit or some steamed artichokes or other vegetable dish just waiting to be eaten.  Here is a sample of side-dishes from a Friday night meal we had over winter break:

 Vegetables triumph! So back to the cutting board for today's dinner salad...

Another Dance Night in Cleveland

We saw an unbelievable dance company last night, once again thanks to DanceCleveland.


 photo by Uri Nevo from http://www.kcdc.co.il/en/photos/ifatall.html#galMenu

This was the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company  (KCDC) from, you guessed it, a kibbutz in Israel.

The dance was what I am dubbing a "long form" dance - a novella as opposed to the usual collection of short stories. It was an hour and a quarter long and was the entire program.

It is extraordinary how each dance company we see has their own lexicon of movements and their own personality. The variations in repertoire in today's modern dance world are infinite and an endless channel for creativity. This company was started by Holocaust Survivors and its legacy is continued by the child of survivors, Rami Be'er, who directs the company and plans every detail: sets, music, costumes, lighting. The result is a very cohesive whole.

The piece we saw "If At All" (אמבכלל) is described on their website as "A moving theatrical event in figurative and abstract circles, from the closed form to the open structure. Physical space in motion whose essence is a chain of events of diverse and ever-changing interpersonal relationships."

 I would describe it as "post-narrative" - there is a story-like feel but there is no clear story line - just emotion, action and power. The long form creates a hypnotic immersion experience that pulls the viewer into a lengthy descent into the world of the dancers. The dancers are technically amazing, full of power and fluidity— explosive action and lyrical retreat. Many relationships seem to unfold; circles, duets, solos, groups move to ever changing music. The piece transforms itself as it moves from dark to light, costumes and lighting and music changing throughout, yet part of a unified whole.
 

The video (which is excellent) gives a taste of the experience. Watching the video makes me want to go back and see it again—it is one of those pieces that would continue to work on repeated viewings.

In the Q and A afterward the director, and two of the dancers, spoke overtly of not over-determining the interpretation for the audience but keeping it open, so that the viewer brings their own interpretation to it.

DanceCleveland, as usual, adds their own additional fabulous features to the experience, like buttons and chocolate kisses on the tables afterward and little post-its on each program to fill out and to put up on the wall after the performance in which viewers list three take-aways or their general impression: survival, celebration, athleticism. There is also a twitter gallery in the balcony. The organization is a model for hybrid audience engagement!

Somehow KCDC created a story of survival, love and life through dance—and today it continues to echo within me.