To hell and back: A political ballet for Israel’s age of war

A new dance piece titled 'All Spirits' (Kol HaRuchot) premieres at the Jerusalem Theatre on August 4-5, 2026, as part of the Israel Festival's 65th edition. Created by seven choreographers and featuring live piano by Nitai Hershkovits, the work is a palindrome-structured anti-war ballet inspired by Kurt Jooss's 1932 'The Green Table'. It explores archetypes of war through six tableaux, and runs until August 20.

A new dance piece titled 'All Spirits' (Kol HaRuchot) premieres at the Jerusalem Theatre on August 4 and 5, 2026, as part of the Israel Festival's 65th edition. The work, created by artistic directors Shani Tamari Matan and Moshe Shechter Avshalom, with choreography by Mor Shani, Ariel Cohen, Gilad Jerusalmy, Annabelle Dvir, and Michal Samama, is a single piece assembled from six independently choreographed tableaux, each built around a different archetype or myth of war. The entire piece is structured as a palindrome, moving forward through its six scenes and then backward, reflecting what the creators call 'the infinite militaristic cycle in which we are trapped.' Pianist Nitai Hershkovits performs the score live on stage, as part of the work. The piece is inspired by Kurt Jooss's 1932 'political ballet' The Green Table, and the creators acknowledge envying Jooss's certainty in making political work. They state that 'Life in Israel is a school for war' and that the myth becomes redundant when running to a shelter during a siren. The performance runs until August 20 at venues throughout the country.