One. One & One by Vertigo Dance Company is a powerful contemporary dance work by Noa Wertheim that explores the human desire to become whole while constantly confronting fragmentation, separation, and the tension between individuality and belonging. Created with Rina Wertheim-Koren, the work moves between the inner and outer worlds, examining the relationship between the self and the other, the near and the distant.
The choreography shifts between explosive physical energy and meditative unison, between virtuosic movement and abstract patterns. Individual dancers repeatedly emerge from the group, only to reconnect with it. The ensemble becomes a living community in which trust and relationships are built, while the fear of losing one’s individuality remains present.
A distinctive element of the performance is the soil covering the stage. As the dancers move, fall, run, and slide across it, their bodies leave visible traces in the earth. The stage gradually becomes a landscape shaped by human movement — simultaneously a desert, a place of belonging, and a physical record of encounters between individuals.
Avi Belleli’s original score, performed with live musicians, combines strings, vocals, and oud, creating an atmospheric soundscape that moves between introspection, tension, silence, and rhythmic intensity. The music and choreography constantly echo one another, reinforcing the work’s central idea of connection.
First presented in 2017, One. One & One was created for Vertigo Dance Company‘s 25th anniversary and was nominated for a 2019 Bessie Award for Outstanding Production.
