By COMPILEDJULIE STEIGERWALDPiano Forever competition in Ashdod(photo credit: ASHDOD MUNICIPALITY)CENTERA group of Buddhist monks from China renowned for their martial-arts skill will perform in Tel Aviv in January in a show marking 25 years of Sino-Israeli diplomatic relations.The Suzanne Dellal Center will host the kung fu-incorporated dance performance by 20 monks from China’s famed Shaolin Monastery. The show will run from January 6 to 21.The highly acclaimed group specializes in performing and promoting traditional Chinese martial arts and their namesake 1,500-year-old combat method, which was developed by monks of the Shaolin Monastery and has become one of the largest schools of kung fu.The performance in Tel Aviv is to include several depictions of the multifaceted martial art, including defense of the hill, Shaolin warrior boxing, traditional Shaolin kung fu, five-pointed spears, battle of the Shaolin warriors, and more.Ticket prices range from NIS 249 to NIS 299 and are available at http://www.suzannedellal.org.il/ perfs/0058Jaffa gallery to host lighted cable art showAn illuminated cable sculpture exhibition by artist Debi Oulu is due to open at Jaffa’s Omer Tiroche Gallery on Thursday.Curated by Doron Pollock, the “Penetration” solo exhibit will run through January 26.
The three-dimensional installations in the exhibition represent an abstract portrait of the inner self and depict the opposing forces of light and dark, night and day, and good and evil. According to organizers, the exhibition delves into the philosophical concept of “body” both physically and metaphysically. The illuminated cables found in Oulu’s works are said to represent human bodies with masked faces and exposed souls.Born in the US, Oulu moved to Israel after traveling for a year in the Far East. She worked as a designer and animator, before continuing her art studies under artist Yehezkel Cohen and then at Beit Berl College’s Hamidrasha art school. Oulu continued to develop her art under the mentorship of casting expert Prof. Henry Lee Anderson.The show will run from Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.NORTH Over 300 Arab, Jewish volunteers to become EMTsVolunteer emergency response organization United Hatzalah is set to train more than 300 new emergency medical technicians in the Negev and Galilee regions under the auspices of a project launched on December 20. The venture to train 330 new EMTs in periphery communities in the southern and northern regions will include both Jewish and Arab volunteers.“With the help of the Development of the Negev and Galilee Ministry, we are aiming to add 330 volunteers in more than 30 locations across these areas of the country,” said United Hatzalah director Moshe Teitelbaum at an inauguration ceremony in the northern Arab-Israeli town of Shibli-Umm el-Ghanam.“Sadly, in these areas, it can take ambulances a long time to arrive at the scene of a medical emergency,” he added. “Meanwhile, during that crucial time, a volunteer EMT can arrive with all of the proper medical equipment necessary and begin lifesaving treatment.”SOUTH New Year in the NegevAs 2017 rolls in, various parties and events are taking place in the Negev.The Sha’ar Hanegev Youth Center is to host a New Year’s Eve bash for IDF soldiers serving in the South. The event will begin at 10 p.m. and the entrance fee is NIS 25. Party-goers are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time. Alcohol will also be served.Meanwhile, in Beersheba, the Manga bar will host a party for students from Ben-Gurion University. Entrance is free with a student identification card, and doors will open at 9 p.m.In addition, Kibbutz Telalim will host a high-energy music party.Opening the night will be DJ Rocky Sheitan with a trance set.He will be followed by DJ Scooby Doo with a mainstream set, before DJ Karnaf (Rhinoceros) brings the night to a close with an intimate trance set.Ashdod holds youth piano competitionThe city of Ashdod this week held the eighth annual Piano Forever competition for young pianists.Dozens of young musicians took part in the contest, and the winners will be announced on Monday, January 2, at an award ceremony and gala at the Ashdod Museum of Art-Monart Arts Center. The ceremony, moderated by actress Shira Gera, will begin at 6 p.m.The five-day competition consisted of four age groups: six to 11, 12 to 15, 16 to 18 and 19 to 28.The competition was created as part of a venture by Ashdod Mayor Yehiel Lasry to encourage excellence and develop a platform that would serve as a springboard for the next generation of pianists.Cash prizes that will be awarded Monday by the Ashdod Municipality and the Jacob Bistritzky Foundation are to amount to up to NIS 80,000.