The Swan and the Pimp" is the second part in a trilogy of duets dealing with ethics and aesthetics.

Through the iconic and historical image of the dancing swan I seek to reveal the sexuality, seduction and voyeurism hidden beneath the formal and artistic aura of the dance medium The piece is a choreographic journey, wandering through quotes, references and clichés of dance and of the cultural gender discourse. A journey that examines the question of the ideal of beauty as the art of dance delivers it.

Between the image of the woman as a prostitute or a saint, and the image of the male dancer as a man whose masculinity is always in doubt, between a white swan and a black swan, the work adopts a critical look at fifty shades of gray in the dance scene, dancers, pimps and rappers.

The failure of aging body is well depicted in the cliché of the Swan’s Song, a metaphor for the last act of an artist, often in regards to his last creation. In the mythologic ballet 'The Dying Swan', created in 1907 for the ballerina Anna Pavlova by Mikhail Fokine, revolutionary ideas were presented, winning its masterpiece status.

The dying swan does not tell a story. It represents aesthetic movement which asks to be a form for beauty and emotion. The Swan/dancer moves between two poles: the passion to live (anorexically thin, long legs, on tip toes) and the acceptance of losing the battle. In long parts of the ballet, she dances with her back to the audience, hidden from us, quivering on her 'pointes'. The turning of the back to the audience was revolutionary in its time. But it also allows the audience, seated in the dark theater, a chance to pip at her, behind her 'shower curtain', and maybe to hunt her.”

Hillel Kogan