Overgeneralization is a human tendency, a tendency which lies at the core of A Girl.

One girl in red, on a narrow white floor, dancing a dance, exposing herself to stubborn cliches of femininity which appear at every turn. Voices go up to please, to protest, to pacify.  Gestures are minimal. Flirtatious, as if taken from the catalogue of male fantasy. Kisses are thrown into the air, legs are spread apart, tushes rocked from side to side.

Although it might seem that this Girl is the one in the spotlight, there is no mistaking the risk for all those who sit in the dark and observe. There is a risk it may hurt you, embarrass you, outrage you, frighten you, provoke in you a profound need to deny and, above all, expose you, the flesh and blood spectator who sits in front of her and with the expectations and demands of society sitting invisibly, mightily, inescapably upon all our shoulders to the workings of your own mind.

Premiered at OZ Arts - Nashville, tennessee, usa (July 2021)

Performed at:
Polish dance theatre’s BORDERS of Nature - Borders of Culture FESTIVAL - Poznan (April 2024)
Teatro Café Müller - Torino, Italy (April 2024)
Arts on Site - New York, New York, USA(July 2022)
The Blue Room at Third Man Records - Nashville, tennessee, usa (July 2022)
Istanbul Fringe Festival - turkey (September 2022)

Restaging process made possible by the generosity of Roy Assaf Dance

PHOTOS BY ANDREA BEHRENDS, TIFFANY BESSIRE, Istanbul Fringe Festival, JULIAN GARITA, Ben Hoback

Roy Assaf

Roy Assaf was born in Israel in 1982. He has been dancing and creating as long as he can remember. He broke his front tooth at the age of five while dancing on the slippery floor of his family home. At the age of six, he began giving tap concerts for his neighbor, who watched him dance on his concrete balcony from her window across the yard. From 1990 to 1996 he created and performed his own choreography for monthly family gatherings in Jerusalem. In 1997, a morning performance by the Batsheva Ensemble revealed to Roy his desire to pursue a career in dance. At the age of 16 he joined a dance group led by Regba Gilboa at his local community center in Kiryat Gat. Two years later he was drafted into the Israel Defence Forces where, with a vest, helmet and a rifle on his shoulder he danced through the 8-hour checkpoint shifts. In 2003 he met Emanuel Gat, with whom he collaborated closely as both performer and choreographic assistant until 2009. Since 2010, Roy has been developing, performing and sharing his own works around the globe.

Visit Roy’s Website