My Body My Nation

My Body My Nation looks at the correspondence between the self and the body. It is a one-person, multidisciplinary performative act, where the ownership over the physical body will be examined from social, political and ethical standpoints.

In the era of campaigns such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, Aloni would like to interrogate the archaeological and anthropological identities of our physical body.

By exposing and sharing autobiographical elements from Aloni’s life and drawing on current political and social phenomena, My Body My Nation attempts to decolonise the body from the cultures and manners that have been imposed on it.

“You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.” – Mahatma Gandhi

My Body My Nation was created in creative residencies in The Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.

Choreography and performance: Israel Aloni
Dramaturgy: Keren Rosenberg
Previews: Amsterdam, Melbourne, Bornholm
Premiere: March 25th 2019, Bristol, UK
Photos: Megan Van De

“… MY BODY MY NATION is a development from oppression to freedom. The clothes. The body. The nation is a prison. Piece by piece. Layer by layer. They throw off the chains. Until they stand naked and weak. Until the body melts together. To re-emerge with strength and pride. Like a phoenix, the body is set free with lightness and elegance…

Israel Aloni is a gifted performer. A formidable dancer. Supple, flexible and intense in their extreme body control.”

– KOP kultur, Denmark. August, 2021