A circular evolution of dance as both element and symbol of life is the sustaining metaphor in The Dance of Nothing by the Israeli company formed by Liat Dror and Nir Ben Gal.
This compelling dynamic makes the piece a dance of something, to put it mildly: the setting implies a nomadic context into which simple domestic or personal events are woven with ritualistic intensity.
This evocation of the Arab or Bedouin is indicated in the form of dance, an undulating, sometimes almost violent swaying of the torso and arms with not much foot-work, although what is there is neat.
The Dervish hints are emphasised by skillful instrumentalists and singers whose tone and tempo dictate the narrative interplay: the bread-making initiated by the women is taken over by the men when it becomes more strenuous, at which point it is incorporated rhythmically into the music, stress for stress. The drumming of Yuval Micenmacher is mesmeric.
The hypnotic, almost trance-like sequences can indicate dramatic switches in mood or even place. Thus the joyous eroticism of the less fevered dancing deepens as a single couple prepare for love; the space created for intensities which appear sudden, but which are intrinsic to the dance itself are the best indication of the merits of this piece as a whole.
The lack of a frame (the set is open to the wings and backcloth) loosens the edge of the work, allowing even the most fervant dancers to walk off in a manner which can only be described as - well, pedestrian.
Composition compensates for this: as the smell of sweet hot bread fills the auditorium and the 10 dancers sway in time to the ululating rhythm the audience too is entranced.
(The Dance of Nothing appeared in Cork as part of an international tour.)