RENEWAL

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The whole world is searching for ways to live greener. One group of dancers in Jerusalem is finding a solution. Renewal is a reflection on art and environmental action. 

The film profiles the Vertigo Dance Company in their pioneering Eco-Arts village on the outskirts of Jerusalem. 

The documentary explores Vertigo’s unique, accessible methods of green living. 

 Renewal features captivating scenes of the Vertigo company in performance and rehearsals, and in their ecological pursuits including gray water recycling and permaculture.

 The process of becoming more sustainable forces these dancers to reconsider their art, their values, and their place in the world.
 
 

Synopsis

Contemporary ballet and environmental activism do not often go hand in hand. The Vertigo Eco-Arts Village, however, is a place where dance and ecology come together. The Eco-Arts village is an extension of the Vertigo Dance Company, the celebrated Jerusalem dance group founded by Noa Wertheim and her husband, Adi Sha’al. 

Renewal provides new perspectives on the Middle East by showcasing Jerusalem’s distinctive dance culture. The documentary features captivating scenes of the Vertigo company in performance and rehearsals, and in their ecological pursuits including gray water recycling and permaculture. 

Investigating sustainable living, the film provides tangible examples of accessible ecological practices – all while asking larger questions about art, family, and nature. How do we continue to sustain ourselves? 

Screenings

Premiere

February 1st, 2015, New York, Lincoln Center, Dance on Camera Festival 

May 3rd, 2015, Los Angeles, MOCA, Dance Camera West

October 8, 2015, New York, JCC Manhattan, Moderni: Short Film Program

October 10, 2015, San Francisco, Brava Theater, San Francisco Dance Film Festival 

January, 15th 2016, New York, Harkness Center 92nd Street Y, Out of Israel Dance Festival

August, 27th, 2016, Vancouver, Cascadia Dance and Cinema Festival

October 11th, 2016, Eugene, Oregon, Northwest Screendance Exposition

July 20, 2021, Bucharest, Romania, Creart Dance Cinema Screening

Press

Jewish Journal