Olivia Court Mesa- Naked men
The performance include partial nudity
Naked Men is a duet for two men, reflecting on the faces of power and vulnerability in a patriarchal world. In a time when men run wars and leadership often mirrors domination, the piece questions what strength truly means. Set against the complexity of the Middle East, it becomes a physical and emotional inquiry into how we can voice struggle and redefine masculinity — not through control, but through sensitivity, empathy, and play. Within their shared body language, the performers build a new terrain where tenderness and courage coexist, and where the human body becomes a site of transformation and hope.
Olivia Court Mesa is a Chilean-Israeli independent dance artist with nearly three decades of experience in performance, choreography, improvisation, and teaching. Her choreographic language combines physical intensity and intricate partnering with emotional precision, exploring contrasts between vulnerability and resilience. Based in Israel since 2010, her creations are deeply shaped by her life as a foreigner across Chile, Germany, and Israel.
Her works have been presented internationally at festivals such as Tanec Praha, Fuori Programma, Gdańsk Dance Festival, and Santiago OFF, among many others. She has also created commissioned works for companies including Scapino Ballet Rotterdam.
Recipient of multiple awards, she was named Best Solo Performer by Israel’s Ministry of Culture and Sports (2017), received Best Performance for her duet I Carry, You Hold (2022), and won four prizes at the RIDCC in Rotterdam, including the XL Production Award (2022).
Since 2012, she has collaborated with Yochai Ginton, creating, researching, and developing The Common Body – an approach to physical real-time communication taught in companies, schools, and dance programs in Israel and abroad. Olivia is a member of the Israeli Choreographers Association, Artistic Director of CCHIL, and a mother of three daughters.
Credits
Choreography Olivia Court Mesa
Creative Collaborator Yochai Ginton
Performers: Yochai Ginton and Teo Yoav Birenboim (original cast: Noam Ben Israel)
Music :Anouar Brahem
Sound Design: Roey Hason
Lighting Design: Nadav Barnea
Costumes: Rosie Canaan
The work was supported by the HaPais Council for the Culture and Arts and premiered in 2024, as part of the Curtain Up Dance Festival.