This work emerged from the trauma of the October 7 massacre in Israel.
The country was in agony, unable to function, trapped in sadness and guilt.
I found solace working in a soup kitchen, peeling potatoes and sweet potatoes. Over the months, we
made thousands of meals.
The monotonous movement of the peelers and the peels, falling like tears through the day, offered only
silence.
This left us, the potato people, with our peeled selves holding onto each other, hoping for a humane
resolution.
We yearned for truth in war, for the decent spirit of the law to prevail, worried at how often justice
misses its mark.
In this 23-minute work, as the peelings drop to Elgar’s powerful Cello Concerto, out of sight, the potato’s
sweet flesh is exposed.
The hidden faces symbolize us, the peelers, bereft of expression and silent.
But where there is breath there is the possibility of transformation.
The tension in this work lies in the search for voiceless language of connection.
For me, this came through dance, with arms threaded through legs, remaining ever connected, creating
images of hope, consolation and remembrance of what happened
A PEELING provides the framework for exploring this creative solution.
Creator: Sally Anne Friedland
Dancers: Gucci Kohan: Sally Anne Friedland
Dramaturge and rehearsal director: Oded Ronen
Music: Elgar Cello Concerto
Length of work :23 mins
