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The Mandala Olive Project
BY Robert Avila

 

This 60-minute ensemble-driven collaboration is an exploration of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict conceived by Denmo Ibrahim (who also directs and performs) and Amy Mueller. Mixing various statistics, media spin, and firsthand accounts into wistful movement-based scenes and broad comedy, the piece means to acknowledge and transcend the confusion generated over the issue while underscoring universals like the love of home. But it's an intentionally jarring affair that comes over as surprisingly flat, despite a promisingly eccentric opening tour guided by ensemble member and Exit artistic director Christina Augello. Moreover, the theme tends to recapitulate an unfortunate misconception of the conflict as some ancient antagonism between two roughly equal sides with roughly equal concessions owed one another, rather than the very modern predicament of a colonial occupation-expropriation backed by the United States.

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