27 March, Főnix Arena Debrecen
7 pm
Set, costumes: Judit Gombár
“The set of values established in the Old and New Testaments is founded on the commandments from God that Moses brought down from the burning bush. The prophet parted the Red Sea, brought water from a rock and rescued his people from slavery. For 40 years, he attempted to bring order to his people in the Sinai desert, but was unsuccessful – this is the privilege of the Almighty, and it is the responsibility of each individual to improve his or herself.
It was one of the great joys of my childhood when my grandmother Amália Guttmann, the fifth child in an impoverished Jewish farming family, recounted the scriptures as a countryside legend, telling me how Moses was taken to the Pharoah’s court as a child. Here, the powerful leader issued a simple instruction to his servants: ‘Put two plates before him, with embers in one and gold in the other. If the babe reaches for the gold, sentence him to death, if he extends an arm to the plate of embers, he shall live.’ The little boy’s natural instincts drew him to the plate laden with gold, but a guardian angel blew his hand towards the embers and he was spared. This is one of the greatest legends of human history, and the start of a dramatic journey for Moses and his people. The Ten Commandments hewn in stone remain the definitive laws for those who wish to satisfy the Lord Almighty:
I am the Lord your God. Do not have other gods before me.
Do not use the name of God in vain.
Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Honour your father and mother.
Do not kill.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not bear false witness against your neighbour.
Do not covet your neighbour’s home.
Do not covet your neighbour’s wife or any of his belongings.
This dance theatre production brings to life a world of wonders and the inner struggle of Moses and the thoughts and turmoil of man’s efforts to satisfy the Lord.
My grandmother’s last story was of a request to the Almighty from Moses, who was a very old man by the time his people reached the Promised Land: ”I only wish to be a bird on a tree, let me behold your wonderful gift.’ The Lord rejected Moses’ demand: ‘No! No! And no!’
It is a response worth thinking about…”
Iván Markó
Presented by: Palace of Arts, National Dance Theatre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDN0qWaQQCY&feature=player_embedded
Tickets: 1 900 Forints, 2 900 Forints, 3 900 Forints
Student tickets: 1 000 Forints, 1 500 Forints, 2 000 Forints
