Since they meet at the Batsheva Dance Company twenty years ago, Sharon Eyal and Léo Lérus have cultivated a close artistic and professional partnership. At the invitation of the OnR Ballet, they co-created a diptych that brings their different sensibilities into resonance. A mix of rigorous technique and raw expression, The Look (2019) is for Sharon Eyal an invocation of Mahatma Gandhi’s mantra, “Nobody can hurt me without my permission”. It speaks to the resilience of the minds and bodies of human communities faced with violence and oppression. Juxtaposed to the futuristic trance of The Look, we have the intimate ensembles of Ici. Léo Lérus’ new creation brings a contemporary twist to traditional Guadeloupean dance and celebrates both the individuality and group dynamics of these radiant dancers.

Louis Geisler