Living in Tophet by ilDance

Premiere: July 12th, 2024

Location: Tharros Archaeological Area, Cabras, Sardegna, Italy

CREDITS:

Concept: Israel Aloni

Choreography: Israel Aloni & performers

Performers: ilDance: Arunas Mozuraitis, Victor Persson, Elias Kraft and Elias Khanamidi

Music: Didi Erez, featuring: Fuensanta Blanco, Javier Llanos, Mauro Palmas, Elena Ledda, students of music school Stevan Mokranjac: Ljubica Ilić, Pavla Stanković, Anastasija Kostić, Isidora Pejdo, Aleksa Jović, Dimitrije Ivković, Jovan Petrović

Costumes design and creation: Amanda Wisselgren

Production manager: Hanna Magdalena Gödl

Production assistant: Arunas Mozuraitis

Duration: 30 min

This work was developed in collaboration between the choreographer and the performers in response to the immense knowledge and references that we gained throughout our visits and workshops in Viminacium, Merida and Tharros as part of our research process within the Dancing Histor(y)ies project.

In these encounters we learnt about the incredible histories which are still present and affective through the archeological remains, as well as the vibrant culture and communities which are currently living in these geographic locations.

Through their experiences in these locations, the choreographer, Israel Aloni, became interested in the dynamic of the inbetween. Between the past and the present, between the solid object and the living being, between what happened and the stories that are being told about it and between what is happening now and the stories that will be told about it in the future.

Living in Tophet was created specially and specifically for the archeological site in Tharros with influences from past and present cultures which were and are so vivid in that region. Aloni was drawn to the immense historical and mystical power of the Tophet at the archeological site. Additionally, Aloni and the team were inspired by the extraordinary tradition of the barefoot running men and walking women in Cabras. Whilst demonstrating and practicing very different belief systems and cultures, Aloni was fascinated by the similarity in the powerful spiritual devotion emanated by the people of Cabras through their keeping of this unique tradition over 400 years, and the rituals and ceremonies held for Baal and Tanit at the Tophet in Tharros.

Furthermore, Aloni wanted to find ways to connect the communities in Tharros, Merida and Tharros through the ephemeral experience of a live performance. The soundtrack, the costumes and the movement language in the piece draw on historical and current cultures in the three locations and bring them together to correspond uniquely with the site and the public in Tharros.

Photo: Annemone Taake

Israel Aloni (they/them) is a choreographer, educator, performer, writer, mentor and cultural provocateur.

Aloni’s artistic work often addresses social-political topics and masterfully converses with the public discourse, such examples include; #GHETTO (2017) they addressed the destructive effect of labels and tags on compassion and solidarity, and My Body My Nation (2019) where Aloni attempts to decolonise their own non-white, non- binary and non-conforming physical body from concepts, philosophies and behaviors which have been forced upon it, and their most recent work SCHISM (2022) which deconstructs the very notion of borders.

Their choreographic work has been presented around the world. They have been continuously developing a powerful artistic voice which transcend borders and truly captivates the audience.

Currently, Aloni is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of ilDance, an independent production body which is dedicated to contemporary dance; the architect and international project manager of International Contemporary Dance Collective (iCoDaCo) which has been co-founded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union; researcher in Cultural Transformation Movement Project, a European cooperation project aiming to examine correlation amongst systems of governance and artistic practice in relation to just representation of underrepresented communities; Resident Practitioner at New Education For Contemporary Dance at Härnösand Folkhögskola; Advisory Committee member of IETM – International Network of Contemporary Performing Arts.