“The music hypnotizes, the movements sneak from the dancers to the image, into the visual art of Cosa Mentale. Digital stardust and [torn] sand settle over the scenery, and you're already nodding off….a dance film that only needs half an hour to transport the entire human race into the realm of dreams.”
-Tanz Digital (link)
“…it was time for a collective rest at the Hotel am Schlossgarten, above Studio Amore. Spectators made themselves comfortable on armchairs, beanbags, cushions and blankets to become part of the stage set, in the middle of which choreographer Max Levy and dancer Stella Covi thoughtfully explored the balance of bodies framed by fluorescent tubes. Their parallel and opposing positions, balances and lifts to meditative sounds seemed to transcend time and space.”
-Stuttgarter Zeitung (link)
“...utilizing the intuition of the experienced trio, Levy hits the bull's eye with Clepsydra. His work is guided by micro-movements (currently so trendy in dance), but brings them into a constant flow that reflects on the natural laws of the theory of relativity, blending the emotional sense of time with the circle of life. The result is an organic image of man: his interweaving transformations, a balancing-act of the expanding and contracting cosmos internalized within a trio. In addition to the ambitious music Levy created for this work, his inspiration from photographic expressions is clear: how six hands come together in front of a body held a powerful aesthetic, like parts of a soul merging into a whole. Such images left permanent impressions...”
-Südwest Presse, Ulm (link)
“What could be the most impressive image from ChoreoLab? The moment in Japanese-American choreographer Max Levy's work when three dancers join their hands, like a pulsing heart expanding as if to become the wings of a butterfly?”
-Neu Ulmer Zeitung/Augsburber Allgemeine (link)
“I found [Silent Bell] very engrossing. I was drawn in immediately by the gestures at the beginning of the piece that are mysterious and seem ritualistic, but also recognizable. The character is clearly on a journey; perhaps reliving lost moments, past conversations, and we’re drawn into his journey. So much so that as the music changes and becomes emotional, it doesn’t overwhelm the choreography. We remain with the figure, with his struggle, and it’s a remarkable solo.”
-Janel Eilber, Artistic Director, Martha Graham Dance Company for Future Dance Festival (link)
“...the sounds drift in such an atmospheric way, the dancers forming figures on the stage to become a complete mass, only to then drift apart again...”
-Südwestrundfunk 4, Radio
“Both evenings sold out, wow. And well worth it in my modest view. Max Levy's choreography is immensely powerful in its downshifting and extreme precision. Very captivating.”
-Claudia Reicherter, Independent; arts-n-stuff.blogspot.com
“...unconventional and introverted are the works of Max Levy. In An Excerpt of a Concept on Ritual and Monotony, Levy and Miyuki Shimizu become two avatars controlled from beyond as they brush past, around, and on top of each other. As Levy sinks and rises from his knees, he simultaneously measures and dissolves time, fading the dim lights on and off like days that pass without notice, accompanied by the gentle sounds of a muffled piano. A poetic study of sadness.“
-Die Rheinpfalz, Ludwigshafen (link)
“Max Levy and Miyuki Shimizu examine forms of ritual and monotony, only shifting their bodies in slight movements as they limit their freedom of movement. The result is clear that even small actions can lead to great change.”
-Mannheimer Morgen (link)
“Max Levy dances with guilty beauty as if on demand, interrupting his own dancing again and again to pause in thoughtful rebellion. Curious...”
-Die Rheinpfalz, Ludwigshafen (link)
“...and a work to challenge the audience delivers as its title promises: An Excerpt of a Concept on Ritual and Monotony. The monotony seems to be accurate, having been controversial in the pre-selection of the Jury for the work of Japanese choreographer Max Levy.”
-Neue Presse, Hannover (link)
“...in his first appearance, choreographer Max Levy opens the evening with Silent Bell, a deliberate, almost meditative solo accompanied by a Lied from Richard Strauss. The dancer struggles and stretches, striking a Buddhist bell in the air as he calls for redemptive release, only to be punished in the cold spotlight.“
-Mannheimer Morgen (link)