Elles & eux Peoplewhomatter Sharon Eyal Of darkness and light Afreespiritofcontemporarydance,IsraeliSharonEyalelectrifiesstages aroundtheworld.Obsessiveanduncompromising,herchoreography inspiresfashionandinfusesdancers’bodieswithanewkindofmusicality. Shehadantsinherpantsasalittlegirl, suitsme.Isn’tthehearttheultimate saysEyal.“Butthetriptychislike bodyelectric,alwaysonthego.Thisis meaningofitall?” aflowerthatopensupandblooms. howSharonEyaldescribesherself. Myapproachthistimeislessgloomy. “WhenIwasfour,Icouldn’tsleep, Selected variations Heart,body, Itriedtobemoreoptimistic,although Icouldn’teat.Somyparentslooked guts,nerves . . .Eyal’ssignatureis itmaynotsoundlikeitfromthetitle.” forsomekindofactivitythatwould adancefromthedepths,visceral,intu- Intheirtattoo-skin-likesuits,the relaxmeabit.”Hermotherenrolled itive,fullofrage.TheFrenchdiscov- dancersseemtoembodythemany herinadanceclassinJerusalem.And eredherin2017duringperformances experiencesofthehumanheart— that’swhereitallhappened.“Iknew ofOCDLoveattheThéâtrenational broken,cold,pulsating,yearning.They arelikefragmentsofaloving exchange,butwordsfilled withfuryandchaos.Itis Attheageoffour,Icameintomyown.Ifelt auniquemenuoflovingkindness,inwhichtenderness thefreedomI’vealwaysneededtobeableto iseverfurtive. thrive...Danceliterallytookholdofme. Body and soul Eyalwhole- heartedlyagrees.Herchore- ographiesaresteepedin violenceandfury.“Abittoo muchattimes.Butthat’sjust rightawayitwasrightforme.Atthe deChaillot,withloveexpressedasa thewayitis.They’reabitlikeme.I’m ageoffour,Icameintomyown.Forthe kindofOCD.Soonafterthat,she alsotoo . . .”Whenaskedtoelaborate, firsttimeIfeltthefreedomthatI’ve introduced LoveChapter 2,revolving sheadds:“Waitandsee,andyou’ll alwaysneededtobeabletothrivesome- aroundthemisunderstandingsand understand!”SoseeyouinMontpellier. whereandcreateabase.”Laterinthe difficultiesofbeinginlove. Andforthosewhocannotmakethis conversation,shedescribesherartasa Hercollaborativeworkwiththe summerrendezvous,thechoreographer kindoftrance:“Danceliterallytook fashionworldalsomadeabigsplash. willbeinFranceagaininDecember holdofme,that’showIdescribeit.” In2019,MariaGraziaChiuri,Dior’s forahighlypersonalinterpretation artisticdirector,invitedhertochoreo- ofDebussy’s L’Après-Midid’unFaune Falling into a trance Eyalissome- graphaperformancearoundher attheOpéradeParis.“I’mthrilledto timesreferredtoasadancerockstar spring-summerfashionshow,with beworkingfortheParisOpera,”she inresponsetoherfrantic,somewhat modelsanddancersmixedtogether. says.“I’vealwaysfoundDebussy’s dislocatedchoreographysettoDJOri Shewasinvitedtocollaborateagain atmospheresinspiring.Ican’ttellyou Lichtik’selectromusic.Todayshe’sone onamesmerizingsequenceforDior’s exactlywhatitwillbeyet,butitwillbe ofthemostamazingchoreographers Cruisecollection,filmedinMay2020 superb.Ifeelviolencecanalsobebeau- ofhergeneration.BorninIsraelin inLecce,Puglia,thenforthefall- tiful,whenittouchesyourheart.” 1971,shejoinedthefamousBatsheva winter2021-2022collectionatthe companywhenshewas19.Shedanced ChâteaudeVersailles.Thetwowomen Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey of the Heart withthecompanyuntil2008,then hadn’tmetbefore,butinstantly —ToJuly4. triedherhandatchoreographyaspart becamefriends.“Ilovehervision, OpéraComédie,placedelaComédie, oftheBatshevaDancersCreatepro- herart,”saysEyalaboutChiuri. Montpellier.www.montpellierdanse.com gram.“Batshevagavemethefreedom Thisliberatingforayintothefashion —July9,10,12and13. tobemyselfandforgemyownpath,” worldstillinspiresherchoreography. Julidans,Rabozaal,Amsterdam. shereminisces. Thisyear,Chiuriisdesigningthedance www.julidans.nl In2013,withherlongtimepartner, costumesforTheBrutalJourneyofthe Love Chapter 2 FromJuly21 to24. GaiBehar,shecreatedhercompany, Heart,thesequeltoOCDLoveand LycéeJacques-Decour,12,avenueTrudaine, whichshecallsL-E-V.“Theinitials LoveChapter 2.Thisthirdandfinal Paris.www.parislete.fr didn’treallyrefertoanythingin partofatrilogyentitledLoveCycle, L’Après-Midi d’un Faune particular,butinHebrewlevmeans performedJuly 1to4attheMontpellier FromNovember29toJanuary2. ‘heart.’ Thepublicconflatedthe Dansefestival.“Thespiritisclearlyin PalaisGarnier,placedel’Opéra,Paris. two,andIhavetosaythatthisreally theveinoftheprevioustwoshows,” www.operadeparis.fr 50