Monochrome
Monochrome, is a reflection on Maya Mizrahi's teacher and mentor, Ilya Gaft’s experience as a principal ballet dancer in the Soviet Union. Ilya graduated from the Leningrad Choreographic Academy under the direction of Alexander Pushkin and Agrippina Vaganova. He went on to become a principal dancer, primarily performing in the Mikhailovsky Theater (formerly the Maly Opera Theater), and in the Mariinsky Theater as well. Ilya's philosophy and artistry has been one of Maya's biggest influences as a dancer, artist, and person.
Videography and editing by Amalia Roy, and sound design by MacKenzie Kugel featuring Palemote, by Slow Meadow.
“This film juxtaposes the audio reflections of an aged ballet dancer with the highly intricate and nuanced movement of a young performer to explore longevity and the power of art. The work is simple, yet full of complexity and finesse.”
- Kathleen Kelly, ACDA Adjudicator
“The dancer is completely absorbed with the world of sound and light and is not consciously concerned with the camera. For this reason, the viewer feels as if they are inside of the work with the performer.”
- Andrea Woods Valdes, ACDA Adjudicator
“This is a person with passions and desires, he (Ilya Gaft) is not simply a wonderful dancer. This is a person who is expressing something to me about their own interaction with their craft...”
- John Crawford, ACDA Adjudicator
Selected for the Beyond the Proscenium Dance Conference, a virtual conference hosted by UMass Amherst/Five College Dance Department focusing on scholarly and creative research in dance.
Monochrome was created in conjunction with Maya Mizrahi’s written thesis for Amherst College on the relationship between ballet and propaganda in the Soviet Union. Her thesis was awarded the Gregory Call Research Fellowship, and Monochrome received the Raymond Keith Bryant Prize from Amherst College for best performance of 2021.
