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 is a mammal of the hominid family, belonging to the species Homo sapiens, although there are those who are convinced he possesses Neanderthal genes. He was born in 1982 in the rural community of Sde Moshe in a place that some call Israel, and some call Palestine. He broke his front tooth at the age of five while dancing on the slippery floor of his family home. At age 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 began creating and performing his own dances for monthly family gatherings in Jerusalem. At the age of 16 he met Regba Gilboa, an educator, dance lover, and believer in people who rooted in Roy the confidence that dance is where he belongs. Two years later, Roy was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces. A fact which never prevented him from continuing to envision dances. And from time to time, when things got tough, he would sway and groove to uplift his spirits. In 2004, he met Emanuel Gat who introduced him to Schubert and for whom he wore his first dress. In 2005 Roy met Anat Inditzky, who loves him for all his shortcomings to this day. Between 2008 and 2017 he met Aya, Nuri, Layla and Jona who continue to teach him about patience, perseverance, and fortitude, among many other things. In 2010, after three years in France, he came back to the place that some call Israel, and some call Palestine. And after one year of idleness, he gathered the courage to make a dance… after which he created another one and another…and another… and continues to this day.

Visit Roy’s Website