Ido Gidron | Naomi Katz | Shuvah | Release the Grip

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Shuba is a dance piece inviting the viewer on an intimate and exposed journey into the depths of memory. Through the movement of the body to the music of Bach, the performer confronts the resonating question: who were we once, and who are we today? The solo dissects the concept of "return" – not only as a physical return to a home or familiar place but as a persistent attempt to reencounter the persona we thought we were. The body moves between memories that arise as visual images from the past and the present, raising piercing questions about identity and change: have we remained the same person? What from the past has been lost, and what remains stable and firm within us? It is a journey full of attempts, composed of gradual closeness and revealing fragments of truth both painful and purifying. From the struggle with doubts and various physical paths, a deep yearning is born towards the light and a story of return to safe havens.

Ido Gidron is a dancer, choreographer, and instructor of Gaga and rehabilitative Pilates from Shoresh. He is a graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and served as an outstanding dancer in the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company and Batsheva. Ido collaborated with creators such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Itzik Galili and was invited as a guest artist and teacher to leading institutions worldwide, including the Gothenburg Opera and ZHdK. He was awarded grants for arts and creators (2020–2025), and his works were showcased at "Machol Shalem" (2018, 2025). Today, he performs and teaches globally.

Shuba

• Choreography and Performance: Ido Gidron
• Music: J.S. Bach
• Artistic Guidance: Shlomit Fundaminski
• Rehearsal Management: Naomi Katz and Noam Eldar
• Lighting Design: Harel Yeshurun
• Production: Irit Eilat

The creation premiered at the Between Heaven and Earth Festival in 2025.

Releasing the Grip

Releasing the Grip is a female duet observing the tension between holding on and letting go – between retained strength and vulnerability seeking space. The fist, as a symbol of control and protection, is present in the body and connection: grasping, tightening, and then gradually releasing. Throughout the work, there is an alternating play of leading and leaning, of refusal against responsiveness. Power shifts between the figures, changes direction, builds, and disintegrates. From this movement, an intimate bond is woven between the two women, a bond of dependency, listening, resistance, and compassion.

Naomi Katz (born in Jerusalem, 1999) is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and producer. She is a graduate of "The Program" and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Since 2019, she has performed with companies and creators in Israel and Europe, including ilDance, the Israeli Opera, and Ido Gidron. As an independent creator since 2022, her works were presented at Suzanne Dellal (Tel Aviv Dance, 1|2|3), Tmuna Theater, and in festivals in Germany and Italy. Her artistic research focuses on female identity and the tension between holding on and letting go.

Releasing the Grip

• Choreography: Naomi Katz
• Dancers: Lalan Filiura, Naomi Katz
• Music Editing: Rotem Wiener
• Costumes: Yarden Eshel
• Artistic Guidance: Rachel Erdos
• Dramaturgy: Yael Venezia

The creation was developed and premiered at Machol Shalem Festival 2025 and IntimaDance Festival 2026.

Photo: Natasha Sheknes / Yarden Eshel