The newest dance-theater piece by Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak looks and feels like one of those eerily beautiful, but grey winter days, fitfully seen through whirling snow from the window of a fast moving train. Rich in poetic imagination, interspersed with unique humor and intellectual thought, SHAKER takes its inspiration from the snow-filled glass globes that fill with snow flakes when shaken. On a stage inhabited by tiny figures and maquettes, there are three small grey huts from which the dancers, clad in black or colored bodysuits, appear and disappear mysteriously. Quiet and still at the beginning, the world inside the shaker is magical and enchanted, but not necessarily happy – it has both good and evil, joy and sadness. The musical score is a collage combining great classics like Chopin, Purcell, Gavin Bryars, and Arvo Part, with Swedish folk music and songs from the fifties performed by Japanese pop artists.

Source: Inbal Pinto website

Inbal Pinto was born in Israel in 1969, and began her formal dance training at age 13. She studied graphic arts at The Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem, and worked as a graphic designer for her army service. As a dancer, she first joined The Bat Sheva Ensemble and was promoted to the senior Bat Sheva Company. In 1990, she began her career as a choreographer. She was invited to The American Dance Festival to take part in its International Choreographers Program in both 1997 and 1998. In 2000, she won a Bessie - the New York Dance and Performance Award for her creation “Wrapped”. Pinto also created the choreography for theatrical works, such as "The Chairs" and "Romeo and Juliet". In 2000, she was given Israel's Ministry of Culture Award for Dance and the Tel Aviv Municipal Award for Artistic achievements.

Source : Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company 's website

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inbalpinto.com

Author, filmmaker and video artist Charles Picq (1952-2012) entered working life in the 70s through theatre and photography. A- fter resuming his studies (Maîtrise de Linguistique - Lyon ii, Maîtrise des sciences et Techniques de la Communication - grenoble iii), he then focused on video, first in the field of fine arts at the espace Lyonnais d'art Contemporain (ELAC) and with the group « Frigo », and then in dance.
   On creation of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon in 1980, he was asked to undertake a video documentation project that he has continued ever since. During the ‘80s, a decade marked in France by the explosion of contemporary dance and the development of video, he met numerous artists such as andy Degroat, Dominique Bagouet, Carolyn Carlson, régine Chopinot, susanne Linke, Joëlle Bouvier and regis Obadia, Michel Kelemenis. He worked in the creative field with installations and on-stage video, as well as in television with recorded shows, entertainment and documentaries.

His work with Dominique Bagouet (80-90) was a unique encounter. He documents his creativity, assisting with Le Crawl de Lucien and co-directing with his films Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux and 10 anges. in the 90s he became director of video development for the Maison de la Danse and worked, with the support of guy Darmet and his team, in the growing space of theatre video through several initiatives:
       - He founded a video library of dance films with free public access. This was a first for France. Continuing the video documentation of theatre performances, he organised their management and storage.
       - He promoted the creation of a video-bar and projection room, both dedicated to welcoming school pupils.
       - He started «présentations de saisons» in pictures.
       - He oversaw the DVD publication of Le tour du monde en 80 danses, a pocket video library produced by the Maison de la Danse for the educational sector.

       - He launched the series “scènes d'écran” for television and online. He undertook the video library's digital conversion and created Numeridanse.

His main documentaries are: enchaînement, Planète Bagouet, Montpellier le saut de l'ange, Carolyn Carlson, a woman of many faces, grand ecart, Mama africa, C'est pas facile, Lyon, le pas de deux d'une ville, Le Défilé, Un rêve de cirque.

He has also produced theatre films: Song, Vu d'ici (Carolyn Carlson), Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux, 10 anges, Necesito and So schnell, (Dominique Bagouet), Im bade wannen, Flut and Wandelung (Susanne Linke), Le Cabaret Latin (Karine Saporta), La danse du temps (Régine Chopinot), Nuit Blanche (Abou Lagraa), Le Témoin (Claude Brumachon), Corps est graphique (Käfig), Seule et WMD (Françoise et Dominique Dupuy), La Veillée des abysses (James Thiérrée), Agwa (Mourad Merzouki), Fuenteovejuna (Antonio Gades), Blue Lady revistied (Carolyn Carlson).

Source: Maison de la Danse de Lyon