The Joyce Theater to Present Israel's L-E-V in New York Premiere of OCD LOVE

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. will present Israel's acclaimed contemporary Dance Company, L-E-V, making its Joyce debut with the New York premiere of Artistic Directors Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar's OCD Love from January 11-15.

Tickets range in price from $10-$56 and can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street. For more information, visit www.Joyce.org.

In 2013, after choreographing a string of critically acclaimed original works for renowned dance companies around the world, Sharon Eyal (a former company member, associate artistic director, and house choreographer for Batsheva Dance Company) joined forces with her long-time collaborator and multimedia event designer Gai Behar to create L-E-V. Joined by DJ and musician Ori Lichtick, L-E-V has quickly emerged as one of the hottest tickets in dance in all of Israel.

L-E-V makes its Joyce Theater debut with the New York premiere of the company's latest work, OCD Love. The piece draws its inspiration from poet Neil Hilborn's OCD, which has been viewed over 12 million times on YouTube since he first performed it at a poetry slam in 2013 (watch the video HERE). OCD Love is an obsessive-compulsive take on love, in which L-E-V's six Batsheva-trained dancers move to a live, original electronic score to create a unique and unforgettable evening of dance that could be equally at home in a dance club or opera house, as it is in The Joyce's intimate Chelsea home.

Performances of The Joyce Theater's presentation of L-E-V will take place January 11-15 at The Joyce Theater (175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street) according to the following schedule: Wednesday at 7:30pm; Thursday and Friday at 8:00pm; Saturday at 2:00pm & 8:00pm; Sunday at 2:00pm. Curtain Chat, a free post-performance talkback with the artists, will take place on Thursday, January 12. This enlightening discussion is open to all patrons attending that evening's performance. Tickets range in price from $10-$56 and can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street. For more information, visit www.Joyce.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

SHARON EYAL (Dancer, Creator, and Co Artistic Director ) was born in Jerusalem. She danced with the Batsheva Dance Company from 1990 until 2008 and began choreographing within the framework of the company's Batsheva Dancers Create project. Eyal served as Associate Artistic Director of Batsheva between 2003-2004, and House Choreographer of the company between 2005-2012. In 2009, Eyal began creating pieces for other dance companies in the world: Carte Blanche- Norway, Royal Swedish Opera, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Tanzcompagnie Oldenburg, Germany, GoteborgsOperans Danskompani, Nederlands Dans Theater. In 2013, Eyal launches L-E-V with her long-time collaborator Gai Behar. Eyal is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2004 Ministry of Culture Award for young dance creators and the 2009 Landau Prize for the Performing Arts in the dance category. In 2008, she was named a Chosen Artist of the Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation.

GAI BEHAR (Creator, Co Artistic Director, and General Manager) played a big part in the Tel Aviv nightlife scene as a party planner and was a curator of multidisciplinary art events from 1999 to 2005. Gai joined Sharon in co-creating Bertolina in 2005 and has collaborated with Sharon Eyal ever since.

ORI LICHTIK (Sound Artist) is a multifaceted musician, drummer, and creative DJ. Since their first collaboration with Bertolina, Lichtik has created alongside Gai and Sharon throughout the choreographic process, reflecting off of the dancers' movements, and as often inspiring and prompting them with the tone and pace of his percussive sounds and rhythms. The compositions result in precise sets that structure the works. Each live show is then improvised with fresh layers of digitally manipulated effects, creating a unique sound experience for every event. One of the founding fathers of the techno scene in Israel, he has created, produced, and spinned musical productions, techno raves, and various other music and performance events since 1996. During the last decade Lichtik has taught and coordinated the DJ Department of Music, college for musical productions.

The Joyce Theater Foundation ("The Joyce," Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a nonprofit organization, has proudly served the dance community for over three decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and The Joyce renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, it was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. The theater is one of the only theaters built by dancers for dance and has provided an intimate and elegant home for over 400 U.S.-based and international companies. The Joyce has also presented dance at Lincoln Center since 2012, and launched Joyce Unleashed in 2014 to feature emerging and experimental artists. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding commissioning and residency programs. Local students and teachers (K-12th grade) benefit from its school program, and family and adult audiences get closer to dance with access to artists. The Joyce's annual season of about 48 weeks of dance now includes over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 150,000.

Photo Credit: Regina Brocke