In her work, the Cologne-based choreographer Reut Shemesh, who is originally from Tel Aviv, deals with the peculiarities of her homeland and the role women play in it. In “ATARA” she focuses on the worldviews of women who live according to the requirements of the Jewish Orthodox faith and those who are guided by secular values. As part of her research for the piece, Shemesh spoke with orthodox and secular women in Hamburg, Israel, and New York. Women’s everyday life in orthodox Jewish communities consists of a number of detailed rules and rituals that have a strong influence on family structures, gender roles, sexuality and the female body. “ATARA” poses the question what femininity, female sexuality and the woman’s place in a family and society can be. How do they find their destination or how don’t they? By re-enacting events from the choreographer’s personal life – she grew up in a secular-orthodox mixed family – and incorporating photography, text and movement, an oscillating dialogue between the worldviews emerges. Clichés, prejudices and one's own way of life are brought into question.

Concept, choreography, text, photography: Reut Shemesh
Creation, performance: Hella Immler, Tsipora Nir, Florian Patschovsky
Composition, sound design: Simon Bauer
Dramaturgy: Matthias Quabbe
Mentoring: Anne Kersting
Video, stage, lighting design: Ronni Shendar
Costume: Marie Siekmann
Production assistence: Valerie Witt
Financial dramaturgy: Béla Bisom
Production management: Sabina Stücker

Special thanks to: Hilla Shemesh Rathaus, Florian Egermann.

Production: Reut Shemesh
Coproduction: K3 | Tanzplan Hamburg, tanzhaus nrw
Support: Kulturamt der Stadt Köln, Kunststiftung NRW, Stiftung Zurückgeben, KunstSalon Stiftung / Step Up und RheinEnergie Stiftung Kultur, Hamburgische Kulturstiftung
Further support: tanzfaktur köln, iDAS NRW, Machol Shalem Jerusalem