CASTOR
Castor is the name of a beautiful star shining in the sky. But there are shinier stars, like Castor’s brother Pollux, which is much larger and brighter, and surrounded by planets. Castor and Pollux are the well-known twins from Greek mythology. Their story relates the unusual circumstances of their birth, their unique connection and shared destiny.
The twins were born from two different fathers, to Leda, the queen of Sparta. On her wedding night to the king of Sparta, Zeus arrived in the form of a swan, seduced Leda and impregnated her. She also made love to her husband that night. Nine months later, Leda laid two eggs. From the first hatched Zeus’ offspring: Pollux and Helena, and the second egg contained Tyndareus’ children, Castor, and Clytemnestra.
While Castor was a mortal, Pollux, the son of Zeus, was immortal. Although the twins were competitive, these tensions did not affect their love and loyalty, and they were a symbol of brotherhood and an unbreakable bond, even in the face of death.
Castor is also the Latin name for the beaver, which is one of the most intelligent existing animals, and nature’s most gifted builder (not humans).
Beavers are social animals, without their teamwork and precise coordination, the dams they build would be weak and would not withstand the strong water currents. Each family lives in its own ‘nest’ made of twigs and branches. In the colony there is a social hierarchy, and the beavers collaborate in gathering food, tending to the young ones, and building dams. Viewers are invited to interpret for themselves, make the connections and discern the meaning of the name “Castor” in this piece.
Choreography, Set, Costumes, Sound & Light design Avshalom Pollak | Rehearsal director & Co-creator Michal Almogi Shalmon | Rehearsal director Joseph Aitken | Dancers & Co-creators Zvi Fishzon, Mats van Rossum, Rebecca Laufer, Doron Levanon, Oren Reviv, Patrick de Haan, Shira Arbel, Youngin Kim | Costumes & Styling Shay Lee Nissim | Suits Design Doron Ashkenazi carpentry Gilad Bonneau | Illustration David Polonsky Graphic Design Udi Goldstein | CEO Orly Onn | PR Ifat Shomrony | Marketing Vered Halperin | Music list Nino Rota, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Cage, Krzysztof Penderecki, Meara O’Reilly, Andy Bell & Vince Clarke, Ray Noble
Resilience in the shadow of war (English)