Yankalle Filtser | Playing with Fire

A multidisciplinary dance experience connecting dancers, an opera singer, a Shibari artist, and numerous visual artists in a unique space in Tel Aviv.

This creation combines rope work, group dance, and original music into a complete experience that touches on the intense energy of life and war from an intimate perspective.

"The dancers create moments of breathtaking beauty – some of human connection, togetherness, and touching contact, others of loneliness, struggle, falling, exhaustion, and pain… it’s clearly painful, and at the same time so beautiful" – Portfolio Magazine

"Total devotion and precision in every limb and gaze... This space is enchanted with matter, body, life, irony and a wild complexity... Even weeks after what we experienced here, we will keep diving into the burden of beauty and terrible pain... We will forget nothing of this multidisciplinary, multilayered journey" – Galia Bar Or, curator

"Suddenly the magic begins… a spellbinding ritual" – Creative Writing

Yankalle Filtser is a choreographer, dancer, and dance teacher whose work bridges cultures, disciplines, and aesthetics. He trained at Maslool program Tel Aviv, the Jerusalem Academy High School of Dance, DanceWEB scholarship program in Vienna, and Batsheva's excellence program. Recipient of the Navon Prize, he founded the As Is dance festival and served as a BAMAH visiting artist in the USA. He has danced in dozens of projects, including with Batsheva Ensemble and Inbal Dance Theater. His work has been recognized globally, moving between dance and ritual, drawing on autobiography and deep curiosity about the body, intimacy, and connection.

Creation and Choreography — Yankalle Filtser

Dancers — Gali Davidovich, Shira Glinka, Noga Cohen, Stav Moritz, Elia Magnezi, Liya Mor, Yankalle Filtser

Opera Singer — Anna Vorontsova

Shibari — Alina "Witch Salt" in collaboration with Morikai Studio

Live Painting — Edith Codegoni, Shahar Rozenstin, Bambou Djian

Live Sculpture — Grant Garibyan

Live Tattoo — Eitan Goldson and Aviv Summer

Performer — Sofia Levina

Fire Keeper — Lika Filtser

Creative Collaborator — Maya Kahanov

Visual and Costume Design — Sofia Levina

Music Production and Original Sound — Ella Lavie

Lighting Design — Rotem Elroy

Photographing- Sofia Levina, David Scouri, Jenya Tarlovskaya, Hilal Soreq

Production Management — Irit Eilat

Production Team — Alumah Fishman, Hadas Ashboren, Gali Davidovich

Original Art Exhibition — Yam Shalev, Yahel Nevo, Hadassah Marom, Shachar Neuhaus, Kabaim, Serafim Chernyi, Menachem Filtser, Grant Garibyan, Shahar Rozenstin, Bambou Djian, Edith Codegoni

Developed as part of a residency at "Herzl House"

Founder — Yahel Nevo

Co Director — Kabaim

Schedule Management — Edith Codegoni

Created with the support of the Pais Council for Culture and Arts, the Rabinovich Foundation

Special Thanks to Yahel Nevo and Uzi Golan who donate the building for art and culture

Additional thanks to Natalya O. Mellman, Frida Shoham, Niros Gallery

Dancers in Previous Versions — Khaveevyah Hercules, Ella Isman-Liwer, Eden Beckerman, Shaked Werner, Tamar Kalimi, Shoval Bitton, Yume Takojima

Previous Guest Performers — Hailey David, Yulia Plotkin Oz

Additional Rehearsal Direction — Shira Ben Uriel

Previous Production Team — Yuli Lakhman, Gal Ben Tov, Carmel Bar, Odelia Bar Lev

Helpers — Sarah Imfeld, Maya Miller, Hailey David, Sofia Levina

Shibari Development — Marquis Des Cat, Ollie Cage, Daniel Moreh

Artists in Previous Versions

Herzl House Artists Collection curated by Yahel Nevo

Sculpture — Shachar Neuhaus

Painting — Alma Gershuni, Ze'ev Bogomolny, Eitan Goldson, Kabaim Studio

Monoprint — Ariel Gil Greenwald

Photography — Sahar Oren, Nir Hadar

Objects — Shlomi Amar

Metal Sculpture — Yahel and Rami Nevo

"Remnants" Exhibition curated by Faten Abu Ali and Sara Lauan

Artists — Adina Kraus, Razan Shami, Faten Abu Ali, Tal Dota, Sarah Lauan, Dror Hibsh, Avital Shani

Also performed at Fresh Paint Arts Fair, live performances curated by Danna Haras

Costume Collaboration — Comme Il Faut

Special Version created for the Back Yard, Pop Up by Work Off Art, Curated by Yaara Sachs

Thank you, Mom, for keeping the fire.