HEAVEN

Spiritual enlightenment, religious martyrdom, sexual fulfillment, or material wealth—through the yearning, demanding dance of the ten performers on stage, these themes take shape: sometimes naively fantastical, then brutally direct, or superficially quirky. […] HEAVEN is dance theater that invites both reflection and contemplation.

The search for heaven on earth is, for Weizman and Haver, a cross-religious endeavor—though it seems to be less about spiritual enlightenment and more about the liberation of the body. [...] To the backdrop of often thunderous sound collages, wonderful movement patterns emerge. [...] In the end, the kingdom of heaven is nothing less than peace on earth.

Guy Weizman and Roni Haver are realists: Humans are not heavenly beings, even if they wish to be. And their ideas of paradise are mostly decidedly worldly, even when they appear superficially religious. [...] In 70 fast-paced minutes, the piece explores the multifaceted visions of paradise—religious, political, and deeply human. [...] The Oldenburg company proves to be a resilient and confident ensemble.