January 28 – Cleveland – PlayhouseSquare
The internationally acclaimed Israeli troupe Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company will make its Ohio premiere when it takes the stage at PlayhouseSquare for two performances January 28th and January 29th, presented by DANCECleveland.
A Saturday evening performance on January 28 at 8 pm and a matinee on Sunday, January 29 at 3 pm will feature an evening-length performance of the company’s signature work, Oyster, a magical and mysterious dance work that combines the dreamlike qualities of Italian filmmaker Fellini and the keen intellect of German choreographer Pina Bausch.
Tickets starting at $15 can be purchased by calling 216-241-6000 or online at www.playhousesquare.org. Family Four Packs are also available via the PlayhouseSquare box office – purchase four tickets in Seating Section D to the Sunday matinee performance for just $60 (fees apply, seating is limited). Subscriptions are also available. Subscribe to the final three companies of DANCECleveland’s season (Pinto and Pollak, Ballet Memphis and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) and save up to $30 in ticketing fees. Purchase online at www.dancecleveland.org or call 216.991.9000.
Oyster, created from the innovative minds of choreographer Inbal Pinto and director Avshalom Pollak, takes the audience into a fantastic circus world of wandering street acrobats and oddly beautiful creatures. Described by the Village Voice as part vaudeville and part toy store after midnight, the production is set to music ranging from opera and tango to big-band jazz and throat singing. Pinto mixes dance and movement styles including mime, ballet, gymnastics and modern dance.
Pinto and Pollak founded their company in 1992. Together they have been involved in a variety of artistic endeavors – primarily the creation, direction, choreography and design of unique, award-winning dance performances for their company of 12 dancers-actors based in Tel Aviv.
Pinto, who was formerly a dancer with the BatSheva Company, began her choreographic career in 1990. She won a Bessie for her creation “Wrapped,” and was given Israel’s Ministry of Culture Award for Dance and the Tel Aviv Municipal Award for artistic achievements.
Pollak, who shares the title of Artistic Director/Choreographer/Director with Pinto, was trained as a classical actor and graduated from The Nissan Nativ Drama School in Tel Aviv. He has acted in numerous films and television programs and in many plays at The Habimah National Theater, The Cameri Theater, Gesher Theater and The Haifa Municipal Theater.
Lead sponsor of the Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company presentation is the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection. Other sponsors include: National Endowment for the Arts, Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland Jewish News, George W. Codrington Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Gund Foundation, Hershey Foundation, Kulas Foundation, John P. Murphy Foundation, Ohio Arts Council and Parker Hannifin Foundation.
DANCECleveland is one of a handful of presenters nationally that are dedicated solely to the presentation of modern dance. The centerpiece of DANCECleveland’s programming is its annual performance series that is always surrounded by an array of educational outreach events designed to break artistic boundaries and provide community access to the dance aesthetic and dance luminaries that DANCECleveland brings to northeast Ohio.
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: DANCECleveland educational and outreach programming includes master classes, residency programs, student matinees and pre-performance lectures and post performance Q&A sessions.
