Foil play
Aluminum Show
With acrobatics, dance and puppetry, Israel’s Aluminum Show at Victoria for two weeks in March
By Masada Siegel, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer, February 2010
Sometimes inspiration falls right at your feet. Just ask Ilan Azriel, creator of The Aluminum Show.
After a successful stint with his one-man puppetry show called Dollbeat, the native of Dimona, Israel decided to create a full show with industrial materials.
“During one of my visits to an industrial materials store,” Azriel says, “an air-conditioning flexible pipe fell off the shelf to my feet. I was immediately taken by the flexibility, color and movement of the pipe and bought 10 yards.”
He brought the piping to special effects creator Yuval Kedem to experiment with the material.
This was the beginning of The Aluminum Show, first performed at the 2003 Israel Festival in Jerusalem; since then, The Aluminum Show has twisted and turned around the globe.
The Israeli-based troupe will be in Dayton March 9-21 at the Victoria Theatre as part of its Broadway Series.
The Aluminum Show combines special effects, acrobatics, jazz and modern dance, and puppetry.
The air-conditioning flexible pipes inspire a large part of the show and are brought to life by the performers as creatures in a strange world.
“There are also materials that acquire volume on the stage during the show and aluminum sheets that are used to build figures, wrap people and many more surprises,” Azriel says.
At first, Azriel primarily used materials thrown away by factories. As the show developed, he had some of the factories develop specific materials for The Aluminum Show, for both performer and audience safety and to provide more creative options.
Azriel has danced with Inbal Dance-Theatre in Tel Aviv and the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company (KCDC). He says the nature of The Aluminum Show sometimes makes it difficult to differentiate between the set pieces and the actor-dancers.
The performers and audience must learn a new visual language.
“Even the most professional and experienced dancers are challenged,” Azriel says.
“The performers must also have excellent orientation since in many cases they have limited vision during the performance, for example when they are inside the aluminum tubes. The challenge is to see how far we can push the boundaries when taking a material from one context, in this case everyday industrial materials, and to give it a whole new meaning in the context of entertainment. The Aluminum Show is meant to dazzle the senses.”
And amid the movement and imagination, the show is also interactive, with some audience participation.
The Dayton performances wrap up The Aluminum Show’s first U.S. tour, which began in January.
The Aluminum Show, March 9-21 at the Victoria Theatre. Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call 228-3630 or go to ticketcenterstage.com.
Aluminum Show to take part in Federation’s can drive matching challenge
Foundation to match all March & April donations to Federation Food Pantry
Ticketholders to the Aluminum Show are asked to bring canned goods with them to the Victoria Theatre, to be donated to the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Food Pantry, which serves the entire community. These contributions will be matched through the Challenge to Fight Hunger program.
The Feinstein Foundation of Cranston, R.I., which is dedicated to the alleviation of hunger, has selected the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Food Pantry as a participant in its 2010 Challenge to Fight Hunger project.
According to Federation Grant Writer Simone Lotven Sofian, from March 1 through April 30, the Feinstein Foundation will match each one pound donation to the Federation Food pantry with a monetary contribution, up to a maximum of $40,000.
“The Feinstein contributions also apply to cash donations to the pantry,” Sofian said. “The more donations that come in from our community, the more we stand to receive from the Feinstein Foundation.”
For 13 years, Alan Shawn Feinstein, founder of the Feinstein Foundation, has distributed $1 million annually among anti-hunger agencies across the United States to increase their food donations. Feinstein is the founder of the Center for a Hunger Free America at the University of Rhode Island, which also administers the food challenge program.
— Marshall Weiss
To donate to the Federation Food Pantry
The Federation Food Pantry, which serves the general community, is in constant need of the following items: canned beans, canned fruit, canned pasta sauce, canned soup, canned vegetables, cereal, pasta, peanut butter, tuna, and toiletries (toilet paper, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.).
In addition to the Victoria Theatre during the run of The Aluminum Show, drop-off barrels are located at Beth Abraham Synagogue, Beth Jacob Synagogue, Temple Beth Or, Temple Israel, the Boonshoft CJCE, Covenant House, Federation’s offices, and Hillel Academy.
The Federation Food Pantry also accepts monetary contributions to purchase food. E-mail Information@jfgd.net for more information.
Aluminum Show workshop at Covenant House
On Wednesday, March 17 at 2 p.m., Aluminum Show cast members will present a workshop with residents at Covenant House, the Miami Valley’s Jewish resident and respite care facility. This special program is presented in partnership with the DJCC and the Victoria Theatre Association. The event is open to the community at no charge. For more information, call Janice Kohn at Covenant House, 837-2651.
