The Dance Centre And Théâtre La Seizième Present HILLEL KOGAN: WE LOVE ARABS, April 13-15

The Dance Centre and Théâtre La Seizième present HILLEL KOGAN: WE LOVE ARABS, April 13-15, 2023 at 8pm at Scotiabank Dance Centre, 677 Davie Street, Vancouver BC V6B 2G6.

Israeli choreographer Hillel Kogan's award-winning duet We Love Arabs dives headlong into the toughest of questions - how can we co-exist within conflict? Somewhere in Tel Aviv, a Jewish choreographer enlists an Arab dancer to help create a work that will overcome fears and carry a message of peace: but as the work progresses, power struggles ensue. Skewering choreographic fads as well as unconscious bias and misplaced good intentions, the piece unfolds as a corrosively funny takedown of politics, ethnic stereotypes, and contemporary dance itself. Performed by Kogan and Mourad Bouayad, We Love Arabs blends biting political and social commentary with a highly physical movement language, and has been a hit on stages all over the world.

We Love Arabs premiered in Tel Aviv in 2013, earning Kogan the Israel Critics' Circle's Outstanding Choreographer of 2013. The work continues to be performed in Israel and abroad including engagements in New York, Portland, Paris, Munich, Melbourne, Rome, Zurich, Brussels, and more. We Love Arabs is performed in four versions: Hebrew, English, French and Spanish.

Hillel Kogan is a choreographer, dancer, dramaturge and teacher. He was born in Tel Aviv and trained at the Bat Dor Dance Studio and the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York City, and performed with companies including the Batsheva Ensemble, Nomades of Switzerland,and the Gulbenkian Ballet of Portugal. He has created for various dance companies in Israel, France, Portugal and Austria, and regularly collaborates with independent choreographers in Israel. At Batsheva Dance Company, he is Director of Educational Programs. Kogan has been choreographing since 1996 and his works have been performed across Europe, Canada, the US, and Australia. He has received numerous awards including Israel's prestigious Landau Prize. He teaches Ohad Naharin's movement language Gaga, repertoire, and contemporary dance at companies and schools in Israel and around the world.

The Dance Centre was established in 1986 as a resource centre for dance professionals and the public in British Columbia, and has evolved into a multifaceted organization offering a range of activities unparalleled in Canadian dance. The Dance Centre offers programs and resources supporting the professional development of artists, presents public performances and events, manages Scotiabank Dance Centre, one of Canada's flagship dance facilities, and works to promote BC dance.

Founded in 1974, Théâtre la Seizième is the main French language, professional theatre company in BC. Every year, it presents a mainstage season, a young audiences season, a series of drama workshops and a training and dramaturgical development program for local artists. By continuing to produce, present and commission engaging Canadian works, Théâtre la Seizième is a dynamic leader in Western Canadians' cultural and artistic life. Over the years, the company has positioned itself as a major creation and presentation centre on the national cultural landscape.

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