HOT WALK

English

At the intersection of climate change, aging, and parenthood, HOT WALK explores both the pain of change and its healing properties. It is a performance of a conversation (in English) between two women from different backgrounds. They move on two treadmills in a space that mimics a futuristic gym, surrounded by images of a picturesque landscaped park through which they appear to walk. Meanwhile, their conversation revolves around heat, wandering from the battle against the aging female body and its increasing warmth as fertility declines, to the looming extinction caused by global warming, and other "hot" topics like desire, anger, grief, and motherhood.

Speech, Dance, and Setting
As an audience, we witness an alternately dryly comic and unsettling interplay of conversation, movement, and gestures in a simulated outdoor space. The conversation unfolds in five cycles, interspersed with intervals during which dance takes on an increasingly prominent role. The choreography of voice and body is highly detailed in rhythm and musicality, diction, and articulation. This creates the illusion of a lively, spontaneous exchange between the women, though one that is entirely artificial and mirrors the landscaped perfection and controlled aesthetics of the park.

Gradually, speech, movement, and staging become intertwined: walking becomes dancing, speech becomes singing, and the park transforms into an entirely different place. A gateway opens to a future we can only begin to imagine.

"Keren Levi, who lives and works in Amsterdam and is known for her cross-media performances, combines presumed women’s issues and environmental issues, the indoor and outdoor climate, in an interesting way. Climate change, signs of aging, and parenthood intersect in an unusual manner." - Rheinische Post

"Keren Levi has succeeded in creating an artistic dystopia in which both the layered approach and the performances of Esther Mugambi and Hillary Blake Firestone are convincing." - WN Münster

Keren Levi

Keren Levi has been creating multidisciplinary dance performances since 2004. Her work is presented in theaters and festivals in Amsterdam and various cities across the Netherlands. A recurring element in her oeuvre is creating different types of work—both for adults and younger audiences—rooted in a central idea.

With a playful and inventive combination of abstract concepts and technology, Levi sparks the imagination of adults, children, and young people. Her performances have received numerous awards, such as the BNG Prize (2006) for Territory, the Zilveren Krekel (2011) for couple-like#2 (young audiences), and the Dioraphte Prize at the Nederlandse Dansdagen (2013) for The Dry Piece.

As in Territory and The Dry Piece, the theme of perception—combining multiple perspectives and manipulating video imagery—plays a significant role in HOT WALK.