After dancing for Batsheva Dance Company, Tamir Eting moved to Amsterdam to study at the School for New Dance Development. Today, he describes himself as an Interdisciplinary choreographer working at the intersection of dance, philosophy, installation, and performance. He is one of the residents of the New Adventures program 2021 of ICK-Artist Space. During a one month residency he is working on The Tiniest act. On October 15 & 16, together with Charles Pas, he will present the outcome of the residency as a work in progress presentation at Theatre-studio De Vlugt in Amsterdam. Noa Appelman, intern at ICK-Artist Space visited Tamir in the rehearsal studio and asked him some questions about his work and inspiration. 

What inspires you for this new piece that you are making?  

I started this project at the beginning of the year, with me reading a book: The Passion according to G. H. by Clarice Lispector. This book is about a female figure and her encounter with an insect, but the way it is written and the contents are more philosophical and poetic. I became interested in using this book as a way to think about movement, dance and my body and using this in my physical practices. I was researching a lot of phenomena connected to insects and this book sparked a desire in me to create work that departs from a narrative, a story. The text of the book itself gave me a lot of inspiration to enter the studio and do research.   

This is the second chapter of this piece. I already made a version with two male performers earlier this year and now I am making one with two female performers. I would like to take what I found working with the men and keep on working on it with the women.   

Where does this fascination for insects comes from?  

I am inspired by how insects relate to different plants, the light, the environment, each other and the space. I even find it fascinating to look at insects as a metaphor for movement, or how they have been used in art history.  For me, there is something incredibly fascinating about the evolution of the environment and how insects almost have this ancient feeling. They have been around for so long, almost like they transcended time. Also, the relational aspect interests me very much: how insects are part of environmental processes, how flowers need insects to fertilize and to develop further.  

Additionally, I have always liked to look at how insects carry objects, because I like to work with objects in my pieces. An ant can carry a leaf that is four times the size of its body, that is unbelievable to me. That idea of carrying objects and creating an architecture is something I take with me in my work.  

And is this something that we will see reflected in your work-in-progress-presentation? 

 

On a certain scale, yes. This will be a lot more performative, but certain elements, like the magnification, carrying of objects and reflection will remind of the insect world. We will also work with a lot of material from the book.  

If you had to describe your work in five key words, what would they be? 

 

Can you describe five key words of what you saw of the rehearsal today?  

I can surely try. Let’s see, firstly I found it very aesthetic. For the second one, I don’t quite know how to describe the feeling, it is like confusion, maybe illusion? Thirdly, this may sound odd, but I was very much reminded of waves, every movement is connected, there is a certain kind of flow. I think continuous might describe it best. After that, I was fascinated by how your dancers connected with each other, so connected would be my fourth word. Lastly, I found it very serene and almost comforting to watch. So, in conclusion: aesthetic, illusion, continuous, connected and serene. 

Thank you, I would love to stick to your thoughts.  

What specifically attracted you to apply for the New Adventures at ICK?  

I thought it was a great opportunity to work in Amsterdam and develop a practice. I saw it as a very good platform to research and to connect with other people in the field.  

And what do you hope to learn or take away from your time here at ICK?  

I already learned a great deal working with all the people here. I see this as an opportunity to further learn to understand peoples mind and how people think.  

What feeling or experience do you want the audience to have when they come to watch the Tiniest Act?  

I want to invite the audience to connect to another mode of being and to allow them a space where they can dissolve and reflect on themselves. I do believe in a power of art that can change our way of thinking and seeing things. But I also want the audience to experience something on a sensorial level, how thing affect them, not only theoretically or conceptually, but very much connected to their senses. I also want them to feel very intimate and close to what they are seeing and I would love it for them to enjoy the esthetical experience. Ultimately, I just want them to feel.  

And what can they expect to see? 

They can expect to see very powerful yet delicate ways of moving in a cryptic environment.

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