Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Working on MATKOT

Well, finally, I have some time to write something about the amazing experience of creating MATKOT.
MATKOT was/is an original production by choreographer Nir De Volff, who is originaly from Israel but works in Europe for many years now.
Nir is not the traditional choreographer and although he has extensive background in contemporary dance, nowdays he finds it more interesting to bring a mix of theatre, physical theatre, dance/movement, a very visual stage and other artistic means to the table.
When Nir first aproached me he was intruiged by the way that I move - floreio art, acrobatics, equilibre, etc... He wasnt sure how we can incorporate this into his work, but as a very instinctive and 'gut feeling' kind of person, he decided to give it a go.
I was invited to participate in his new project and was to arrive to Berlin on a quite short notice.
I was also very much 'in the dark' not knowing to what kind of work I am going towards, what will be the creative process or if I am up to the task.

I arrived in Berlin at the start of Nov, and we started working right away. (I actualy went directly from the airport to the studio)
We arrived at the studio complex we were going to work at for the next month or so. It was a very impressive studio, called EDEN, completely new, (I think we were the first production to work there) with excellent flooring, heated and a huge space.














Some props and a prelimenary version of the final stage were already present and I got to meet the other artists.
We were 5 originaly: Nir de Voff, Hyoung Min Kim, Johanna Chemnitz, Ante Pavic and me. After a misfortunate lower back injury and after two weeks of work already, Ante had to drop out of the project.
MATKOT is all about the beach. All the 4 characters have some kind of a connection to the sea/beach and have their own reference to it, but there are also some interelations between the characters as well.
I will not describe too much about the theme, because there is no one theme, and it is not a normal - nerrative theatre or dance piece.
Nir likes to work with dirt. I mean glitches, twitches, jumps, interferance, white noise and unperfect presentations. His core belief is that reality is not perfect, so why should art be any different? Part of this is giving the audience some unresolved matters to deal with. 'Weird stuff' that makes one think, and that also portrays a much more realistic and down to earth piece.
At first, this was very hard for me. I'm am a perfectionist in nature as everyone around me know, and this kind of thing was going against my initial insticts. But then... I chose to let go, learn from it and try to understand a different way to move/create.













Needless to say, this was a very productive experience. In many aspects.
Besides some basic ideas, the whole piece was created by the four of us, in real time- in the studio. Real relationships mingled without visible limits with our 'stage relationships', a joke told outside the studio became another decoration on stage, misheps in the creation process were embraced into the piece.
Nir is not a person who likes to work with traditional acters or acting per se. He believes in bringing something very real (and though, very vulnerable) on stage. A true WYSWYG, (a microsoft coined term - What You See is What You Get) in a way.













Because of my athletic and acrobatic skills and my flow, I was encoureged to use my abilities, but only when it made sense. I was also working with the girls and we developed a trio (movement in threesome) together, which was great, because due to our different backgrounds, it was fresh, interesting, chaotic and not 'dancy-dance'.



























During the whole month we were working hard - 8 hours a day of improvisation, rehersal, movement research, brain storming, and try outs.
I was standing on my hands A LOT, as one of the scenes includes a sort of a synchronized swimming inside our plastic ocean.





I was also using my floreio flow skills and created some original sequences, not forgetting to insert some 'non traditional' movements into the mix..





































In one of the center scenes I am also performing quite an acrobatic solo, using some airborn acrobatics to create a sequence that was used on stage.













After one month of work, we transfered to the theatre in which we were going to present the piece - eventualy - Dock 11 in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin.


















Comming closer to the premiere, stress and tension showed their head, but we all maintained a very professional aproach and were able to remain productive. What did happen, after countless of hours of floreio, equilibre and my own strength and conditioning work, (that I was performing daily after the work on the project was done) was I injured my wrist.
It was in the day of the open dress rehersal, which was with live audience. One day before the premiere. The injury was not due to some accident, but an overuse kind of thing. I notified Nir, and he decided to postpone the premiere in two days. What a mess.
I immediatly started my own rehab protocol, and I was sent to an excellent (but very cruel...) therapist to help me with the condition. I was able to partly recover in two days, and perform in the priemere, but I was still in pain.
The injury got better and better, and by the third performance I was already much better.
To my great delight, my girlfriend Shai and a very good friend - Oren came from Israel to watch me perform. We had lots of fun exploring parts of Berlin together and hanging out.



























All the performances went very well, we recieved good critiques from the local media in Berlin and some theatre owners from Europe showed interest in the piece. Seats were mostly sold out and we had great audiences each evening. Lots of laughter and clapping were going on.














Besides the work on Matkot, I also made sure I continue my own development and practice of my skills. Daily equilibre, floreio and strength and conditioning were thrown into the mix. As soon as I had some more free time I was also taking interesting movement classes and training in local circus centers and acrobatics facilities. Exchanging ideas with local and other foreign movers/circus artists/dancers/acrobats.
I got to know a TON of new people with similar interests and also gave a small workshop of basic floreio art.
The internet and my blog were without a doubt a great tool for me in Berlin. A lot of new connections were made and I am very glad for this opportunities.

I am now in Israel and just finished unpacking, but as it turns out, I am about to embark to Bangkok, Thailand in a few days. Another production, by TOTAL BRUTAL, another adventure, and at last - summer!

For more information about MATKOT and Nir de Volff's work - www.totalbrutal.net
Photos, in the most part, by Bernard Musil.

On another note, my youtube channel has hit lately 250,000 views, in a year time. I am blown away by the response, constant emails I am getting all the time and world wide audience. I have great plans to expand the content I am sharing and will do so, with time.
Stay tuned for some new clips of my daily training, from Bangkok.
See you around, out there,
Ido.

43 comments:

Unknown said...

Welcome back! Sounds like Berlin was a great time.
Have you been to Southeast Asia before? I am actually headed the area for the first time in January.

Ido Portal said...

No, it is actualy my first time in Asia...
Looking forward to it...

Unknown said...

Me too. I am heading to Singapore, India for a short stay in both.

Ms. Anne said...

Wow! Thanks for that incredible post. It is so inspiring to hear about your experience with the production. I finally got some vacation time and thought Id check out your blog to guide my workout today. So, it was nice to read your post. I wish I could have seen the performance in Berlin. Well, Im off to your blog archive....Have a great trip!

Anonymous said...

I really like the approach this project took on. I'm glad you had the chance to be part of it and that it influenced your thoughts on art & movement.

-Charlie

Unknown said...

Ido,

Hope all is well with you and your travels.

About the rehab work you mentioned on your wrist injury...

I sprained my wrist about two weeks before our batizado in late September, but by the time batizado came it was mostly healed, but still sore remedied with stretching. The night after batizado(and workshops), the pain returned to a point where I could no longer really support weight on it. I continued training, but doing so lightly and avoiding putting heavy weight on it. I continued the wrist rehab exercises that you had posted early on in your floreio routines. The pain still remains though not as before. It is the top part of the wrist more on the forearm side. Can you recommend any exercises or other advise? Its been almost 3 months and I've not returned to my regular capoeira routine since october because I fear reinjuring it. I still continue the rehab stretches and light weight training, but it has been frustrating not having my full capability for this long.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

chelsea said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chelsea said...

I am so much entertained with this posts of yours. It's very cool!


Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Trips | Garage Door Repair Frisco

Max said...

Great blog, nice work on the videos and pix, good luck in all your adventures.http://rock-body-fitness.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

It was a great time to read all of the post from this blog.I had such a good experience while reading its.
Web Design Company | Website Designing Companies

Unknown said...

mantap juga air ini

Anonymous said...

Good and amazing article, thanks for sharing your knowledge!
a1 apartments

al3ab banat01 said...

You need to have time to take care of the kids active. Please visit our website and play exciting flash games.
Thanks you for sharing!

al3ab banat01 said...

You need to have time to take care of the kids active. Please visit our website and play exciting flash games.
Thanks you for sharing!
al3ab-banat01
العاب طبخ على al3ab-banat01

Unknown said...


تعتبر العاب طبخ جديدة الاكتر شهرة وطلبا في النت فكل الفئات تحبها منها الصغار والكبار و الاولاد و البنات وهي بداتها تحتوي على عدة اصناف وبعدما اصبحت تعرف نجاحا كبيرا اصبحت منتشرة بكترة بين المواقع والكل يحاول تقديم كل ماهو جديد وممتاز فيها ونحن اليوم نقدم لكم نموذج بسيط منها صحيح ان مدونتنا لها اختصاص في تقديم وطرح العاب بنات لكن هذا لا يمنع من ان نغير قليلا وننوع حتى تصبح لدينا تشكيلة جميلة من الالعاب التي ترضي جميع الاذواق فالعاب الطبخ عشاق ومحبين كتر ويلعوبنها يوميا وقد تساعدهم ايضا على اكتساب مهارات الطبخ في حياتهم اليومية ويمكنهم تطبيق ذلك في الواقع كما ان بعض الالعاب تشرح وتبين طريقة الطبخ و الطي واستعمال الوسائل بدقة عالية وكأنها حقيقية وتحرص ايضا على استخدام كل اداة في وقتها المحدد ووضع التوابل ولوازم الطبخ في وقتها المناسب حتى تكون نتيجة الاكلة جيدة ولذيذة وغير ذلك فهناك بعضها يطلب منك الطي في وقت محدد لان الطبخ ايضا يحتاج السرعة لكي يكون جاهزا في وقته وان تم تجهيزه في وقت متأخر يكون صعب اكله او يكون قد فقد قيمته المعتادة في الكل معتاد على ان يأكل في وقت معيين لهذا فمعيار الوقت في مجال الطبخ يعتبر مهم جدا ولا يجب تجاهله وبالنسبة للمتال الدي قدمناه لكم اليوم هو هذه اللعبة التي تطلب منكم وضع كل شيء بالتتابع والتركيز على وضع كل التوابل اللازمة وفي الاخير ستقومون بطي اللحوم وتقديمها في طبق هذا امر يحتاج وقت وتركيز لهذا عند لعبها يجب التركيز جيدا لكي تتجنبوا التعقيدات وتكون النتيجة مرضية لتعطينا طبق جاهز وشهي ونلتقي في وقت لاحق معة لعبة اخرى جديدة وكان موضوعنا اليوم يقدم نموذج فقط اما العاب طبخ فهي كتيرة ومتنوعة وتزداد يوما بعد الاخر وذلك بفضل كترة المواقع المتخصصة فيها وهي بدورها تحتوي على اصناف وفروع فبعد ان كان موقعنا له تعلق بمجال العاب تلبيس فقط خلال فتحه لكن مع مرور الوقت والسنين بدأ يشمل الكتير من الانواع وخاصة انواع للبنات وهذا ما جعلنا نعطي لنوع العاب طبخ بنات حقه في الايام القادمة وسنضل نعطي كل صنف اهتمام حتى نحصل في الاخير عن الشمولية لنكون تشكيلة جميلة ومميزة ترضي كل الاضواق ولحد الان لازلنا في قيد تطوير المدونة وهناك جهود مبدولة بشكل يومي حتى نوصل لزائرنا الكريم ما يبحت عنه بالضبط بدون عناء او صعوبة ودائما ما نراجع اراء و اقتراحات الزوار في التعليقات التي توجد في كل الالعاب التي نطرحها لكي نحاول قدر الامكان الوصول الى عقل زائرنا العزيز ومعرفة ما يحبه بالضبط وبمناسبة اقتراب السنة الجديدة اكيد ستظهر الكتير من الالعاب الجديدة التي ستكون ممتازة فالجديد دائما يكون اجمل لهذا ما عليكم سوى انتظار العاب طبخ 2017 القادمة كي تستمتعو بها وسنعمل كل ما في وسعنا لكي يصلكم كل الجديد وبهذه المناسبة نريد ان نوضح ان هناك الكتير من الالعاب الخاصة بالطبخ في الاسفل يمكنكم الاطلاع عليها والاستمتاع بها وان اعجبتكم شاركوها مع اصدقائكم فاكيد سنكون سعداء بذلك وشكرا لجميع الاوفياء الدين يزوروننا باستمرار ومرحبا بالجدد ايضا .
وللعب العاب طبخ من هنا
العاب جوني

Brooke said...

Thanks for the blog! Learning how to play table tennis and have been watching as much as I can. Also saw some good ping pong mottos if you want them posted on your blog. I'll leave them here: http://www.bestslogans.com/tag/ping-pong-slogans/

alicetaylor said...

I would like to thank you for your nicely written post

http://word-cookies-answers.com

genius786 said...

Ever you got some answers concerning Friv School 4 which is a term known as Friv4school. There are various other gaming goals like Cooler Math Games and various other yet you can free visit knowledgeadventure.com and pbskids.org gaming districts.

genius786 said...

For CSS, NTS and PPSC jobs you need to prepare for the test. A little bit data you can get here https://ilmihub.com

Krishna Treks said...

Treks Himalaya an indoor outdoor trekking and tours operative company takes you that further way to guarantee you has a memorable trip that you have been dream with Treks Himalaya is part of your choice. Trekking in Nepal is delighted to welcome you tiny but amazing country. Nepal trekking is final purpose for trek in Nepal offers numerous options walking excursion to meet snowy peaks, their foot hills, valleys but however there is amazing for each who hope hiking in Nepal. Nepal as unique combination of spectacular natural trips to most rewarding beautification and cultural display is to walking, trekking, width and the highlight of country. We are specialize in organize Nepal travel activities excursion such as:- Trekking, Helicopter Tour, Peak Climbing, Mountain Flight, Honeymoon Tour, Sightseeing, Rafting, Jungle Safari, Pilgrim’s Tour, Hotel Reservation, Air Ticket, Tibet and Bhutan Tour many more with Treks Himalaya to interact with its generous friendly peoples are highlights of Nepal trekking and is one long term activity that draws repeat visitors. Nepal is final purpose for trekking offers numerous options walking excursion to meet snowy peaks, their foot hills, valleys but however there is amazing for each who hope trek in Nepal hill, mountain area. Trekking is important of Nepal Himalayas on description Nepal of large range of ecological features for Nepal. The country nurtures a variety of flora and scenery. Addition to natural atmosphere is rich Himalayan culture. Many of visitor trek to different part of Nepal every year to experience its rustic charm, nature and culture. Most treks through areas between 1000 to 5185m, though some popular parts reach over 5648 meters. Every travelers knows for trekking from all over the words an exciting experience is your holiday attraction in Nepal lies in its wonderful culture.

Unknown said...

Omrdeals.in is an online platform that
allows people to find offers and the greatest
deals in and around OMR. It is the directory
of the business in and around omr. It helps
internet users to surf the required deals and
offers.

Offers in OMR

شركة فارس الخليج said...

شركة مكافحة حشرات بالباحه
افضل شركة تنظيف بالباحه
شركة كشف تسربات المياه بالباحه
شركة رش مبيدات بالباحه

Dorothy said...

Thanks a lot for the post. It has helped me get some nice ideas. I hope I will see some really good result soon.

run3.me
Basketballlegendsgame.com

على جمال said...

Thanks for accepting the comment. And help to publish my site.
شركة مكافحة الفئران بالرياض
شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بالرياض
شركة مكافحة النمل الاسود بالرياض
شركة مكافحة حشرات شرق الرياض
شركة مكافحة حشرات شمال الرياض
شركة مكافحة حشرات جنوب الرياض
شركة رش مبيدات شمال الرياض
شركة رش مبيدات جنوب الرياض
شركة رش مبيدات شرق الرياض
شركة رش مبيدات غرب الرياض

ركن كلين said...

شركة تنظيف خزانات بالدمام
شركة تنظيف مساجد بالدمام
شركة تنظيف مسابح بالدمام
شركة تنظيف خزانات بالاحساء
شركة تنظيف مساجد بالاحساء
شركة رش مبيدات بالاحساء
شركة مكافحة حشرات بالاحساء
شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بالاحساء

Unknown said...

Its really an Excellent post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks for sharing....

Solar Rooftop
Solar Water Heater
Solar Panel
Solar Module
Energy Efficient
BLDC Fan
Solar Power
Power Plant
Solar Training
Solar Pump

Packers And Movers Bangalore said...

Packers And Movers Bangalore Local Household Shifting Service, Get Free Best Price Quotes Local Packers and Movers in Bangalore List, Compare Charges, Save Money And Time at
Packers And Movers in Bangalore

Dhansingh Gurung said...

The Manaslu trekking is one of the best trekking destinations in the western part of Nepal Kathmandu. The Manaslu Tsum valley trek and Manaslu area are restricted for the foreigner if you want to travel in your once life you should buy a special permit for the Manaslu trek. It is pretty expensive but after entering this area then you will feel wow this is the one of the real-life adventure and real local culture you could get a mix tradition. Here if you want to travel normally you should more than two people with a guide as if you hire porter that is your choice. The Manaslu trek starts from Soti-Khola which is reached after 7/8 hours drive from Kathmandu first day following Trisuli river then the end Budigandaki river viewing agriculture platform and tradition local houses and a lot of green hilly region jungle. This trek normally takes 14 days if include Tsum valley will be more days. The Manaslu area is locally base culture and old traditional ethnic group people living area in Nepal. All the trekking trail follows Budi –Gundaki river till the top of the Manalsu Larke which is (5106m) above the sea level most challenging all of you those travel while you are doing there.

After the top is going downhill which is a long way down inter the Annapurna Region. the Manaslu circuit trek is finished Dharapani where is the last checkpoint for the special permit someone walks till Tall then from there can drive to Besi Shar and to Kathmandu any kind of drive luxury or any kind of bus. This is trekking route you will see specifically view of the top of the high mount Manalsu lot of the other spectacular mountain view so the people uphold the trekking route to doing but the most of people feel on them anxious due to high elevation. When you doing this Manalsu Larke pass trek you should keep positively, of course, everyone can success trip Everest Trekking Routes help 100% trip success so kindly join us teamwork with ETR

Everest Trekking Routes Pvt. Ltd.
Khusibu, Nayabazaar, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: + 977-1-4387202
Mobile : +977-9843451231, 9843467921
Email :info@manaslutsumvalleytrekking.com
Email: info@everesttrekkingroutes.com
URL:- www.manaslutsumvalleytrekking.com
URL:- www.everesttrekkingroutes.com

BixMove Packers Movers Chennai said...

Great Information, Thanks for sharing valuable information,
If anyone wants to hire best Packers and movers services please visit below
packers and movers kilpauk
packers and movers medavakkam chennai

Zumi said...

This is a worth reading blog. Cheers for more.

affordable hotel in bangkok
best budget hotel in bangkok
best hotel in sukhumvit
budget hotel in bangkok
budget hotel in sukhumvit
affordable place to stay in bangkok

Naveen said...

Christian College Bangalore provides Bsc optometry courses. Optometry is one of the most demanded health care profession in recent times. The study essentially involves an advance learning of the clinical skills involved in measuring eyesight, vision-measurement, prescribing corrective and fitting lenses and detecting and treating various eye diseases improve an individual's vision. These are the small sentence about B Sc optometry course. Visit the website of Christian College for know about best Bsc optometry colleges in Bangalore

pokemon said...

I was very impressed by this post, this site has always been pleasant news. Thank you very much for such an interesting post. Keep working, great job! In my free time, I like play game

Dietplanpdf.com
Ketosidedishes.com

Naveen said...

BBA Aviation is one of the most demanded course in India. Here is the best colleges to study BBA Aviation in Bangalore. You can visit the list of colleges with below mentioned link
BBA Aviation colleges in Bangalore

Packers Movers Chennai said...

Packers And Movers Korrukupet Chennai
Packers And Movers Kosapet Chennai
Packers And Movers Kotturpuram Chennai
Packers And Movers Koyambedu Chennai
Packers And Movers Krishnampet Chennai

Findersblog said...

At least you got Arab chat room to chat with Arabic girls and boys without any registration. Chat Rooms in Arab countries are very famous

Saudi Arabian chat, Saudi Arabian chatrooms & Saudi Arabian chat apps for all the people out there searching for local Saudi Arabian

Being Digitally said...

Advanced Digital Marketing Courses in Laxmi Nagar, Delhi , offering advanced digital marketing course for professionals, freshers. ✓ Free Demo Classes ✓ Placement Assistance ✓ Advanced Syllabus/Modules.

Housekeepingservices said...

Thanks for sharing this wonderful information. facility management companies in Delhi NCR

Housekeepingservices said...

Thanks for sharing this blog. facility management companies in Delhi

Housekeepingservices said...


I do consider all the ideas you have presented in your post. They're really convincing and will certainly help others. @facility management companies in Delhi NCR

Sam Patrick said...

Visit Our Website And Get the Best Articles About Healt.

Visit Our Website
Who Said You Cannot Cure Arthritis? Follow These Rules to Cure It now!
Seven Factors That Affect Pain Longevity!

Pharmacy Meds Online said...

Now You Can Easily Buy generic medications online. Also, Click On The Links Below To Get the Best Article About Insomnia And Visit Our Website.

Buy generic medications online
short-intro-about-insomnia
Visit Our Website

Art Attackk said...

Thanks for sharing such a valuable information. I'm very thankful to you that you had given me this opportunity to write on this blog. Art Attackk

Rekane said...

The term Cialis 5mg price in pakistan
pertains to the cost of the medication Cialis, which is commonly prescribed for treating
erectile dysfunction (ED) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men.
The Cialis 5mg in pakistan can vary based on factors such as dosage strength, quantity purchased,
and location of purchase.