Be by Mayumana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Be by Mayumana is a theatrical event combining music, movement, acting, dance and rhythm. The show was created and directed by Boaz Berman and Eylon Nuphar.
The production premiered in New York City at the Union Square Theatre, a 499-seat off-Broadway theater, on Tuesday, March 13, 2007.
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[edit] About the Creators
Boaz Berman
"Since each member of the group came from a different field of the arts,we had to bring them all to a common level - to turn dancers into drummers, drummers into actors, people into performers, individualists into a group." - Berman
Boaz Berman was born in Tel Aviv. Like each member of Mayumana, Berman has developed talent and skill in many disciplines of the arts and athletics. "Berman studied music at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Afro-Cuban percussion in New York. He was a member of the Israeli Thai boxing team, participated in surfing competitions in the U.S., worked as a diving instructor at a diving center in Tel Aviv and is a certified skipper. He played and recorded with leading Israeli and international artists. Berman writes music for films and continues developing new ideas for Mayumana while taking part in the daily artistic management of the shows and performing in them." - From Playbill online article by Kenneth Jones ([1])
Eylon Nuphar
"We looked for mischief and a spark of madness together with the mandatory rhythm. Aside from creative inspiration, a lot of skills were required to do what we pictured in our heads." - Nuphar
A New York native, Eylon Nuphar moved to Israel when she was six years old. A student of many disciplines, she studied music and theatre in high school while developing athletic skills in gymnastics and long distant running. Later she studied photography and cinematography, working professionally as an editor. She also studied music, specializing in oriental styles and percussion. She and Berman created the idea of Mayumana in 1996 and through the group have developed other shows including Adraba and Be. Recently Nuphar has been working on a documentary, a photography exhibition and personal essays about her experience as a survivor of breast cancer.
[edit] About Mayumana
Mayumana (pronounced my-YOO-ma-nuh) is a performance group which specializes in percussion, dance, gymnastics, singing, and musicianship. Their shows are comparable to Stomp or Blue Man Group but with uniquely Israeli qualities. They perform regularly at their home theater in Tel Aviv and have also created several tours internationally playing to more than 2 million people in Europe, 1 million in Israel and 700,000 in South America.
Although Mayumana officially began in 1996, they did not grow widely popular until performing at the 1998 Israel Festival, the annual national showcase for the performing arts.
The name Mayumana is derived from the Hebrew word meaning "skill" or "proficiency". Many skills are demanded of the performers in each Mayumana theatre troupe such as coordination, sight reading, flexibility, drumming techniques, and discipline in dance and yoga.
[edit] The Cast
The original cast includes Boaz Berman, Sharon Ben Naim, Alba Bonal Garcia, Eva Boucherite Martin, Vicente De Andres, Silvia Garcias De Ves, Michael Feigenbaum, Ido Kagan, Yael Mahler, Taly Minkov, Reut Rotem, Ido Stadler, Aka Jean Claude Thiemele, and Hila Yaffe.
Boaz Berman is the co-creator, co-director, and performer. He was born in Tel Aviv and studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. He performed and recorded with leading Israeli and international musical artists. He also wrote music for film. He has developed, managed, and performed in three shows by Mayumana. These include Be as well as Adraba, a show for children, and Bejuntos.
Sharon Ben Naim is from Or-Akiva in Israel. He worked for three years as an entertainer in a holiday resort. He performed in both Adraba and the Mayumana Show.
Alba Bonal Garcia is from Barcelona. Trained in Flamenco dance, she joined Mayumana in 2006.
Eva Boucherite Martin is one of Mayumana's leading Flamenco dancers. Originally from Spain, she has performed in many dance companies including Rafael Aguilar, Antonio, Noevo Bniet Espanol, Marquez, and Joaquin Cortes.
Vincente De Andre is originally from Madrid. He holds a degree in Music Education and played in various bands. He joined Mayumana 6 years ago.
Silvia Garcias De Ves is a native of Palma de Mallorca. She was involved with gymnastics for a decade and then became a sports teacher. She always had a love for dance and rhythm. She saw a Mayumana show in 2004 and soon after decided to be part of Mayumana.
Michael Feigenbaum is originally from Switzerland. He always had the talent and passion for rhythm, beat-box, and break dance but was studying to be a mechanical engineer until he joined Mayumana.
Ido Kagan plays keyboard, guitar and percussion. He is one of Mayumana's original founders and cast members participating in its very first show.
Yael Mahler studied many forms of dance in college: modern, ballet, jazz, hip-hop and more as well as rhythm and drumming. She joined Mayumana in 2000
Taly Minkov spent her youth in both Mexico and Israel. Taly studied dance and vocals in New York and theater in Israel. She toured through Europe with musical productions before joining the company.
Reut Rotem began in classical ballet and then trained in gymnastics. At 16 she was a singer/dancer/actor in a youth group which performed on TV and throughout Israel. She has been a member of Mayumana since 1999.
Ido Stadler has been drumming since the age of fifteen, and in addition to performing, he teaches rhythm classes to Mayumana on tour.
Aka Jean Claude Thiemele is originally from the Ivory Coast. He worked as a professional dancer there and throughout Africa. He toured throughout the world with his national dance company and then moved to Spain where he formed the Tam Tam Karibu Group.
Hila Yaffe was a member of Israel's gymnastic team for ten years and held the National Champion title for five years in a row. She practiced modern dance with Tnuatron, a modern dance group, from the age of fifteen.
Scenic design by Nizan Refaeli
Costume design by Neta Haker
Lighting design by Eyal Tavori
Sound design by Amir Schorr
Mayumana's Be is presented off-Broadway by Marc Routh, Thomas Viertel, Steven Baruch, Roy Ofer, NBO, Pamela Cooper and Annette Niemtzow.
[edit] References
Be by Mayumana Playbill
Playbill online ([2])
Lighting and Sound International online ([3])
