Thoughts on Gal Gorfung’s ‘Fusion’ by Ori Lenkinski

*Photo by Ella Barak

In the final moments of Fusion, Gal Gorfung’s one-man show directed by Adi Goral at the Israel Festival, he stood on a stool wearing sparkling underpants and earnestly singing The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. The audience collectively held their breath, that is aside from those individuals who chose to sing along. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, leaning forward in their chairs, a humble gesture of support for the artist on stage. And how could they not? Gorfung had just told us that his battle with cancer, which he had shared using various media over the past hour, was not over but, in fact, about to enter a much feared second round. 

In fact, the performance was moved up by two weeks to accommodate his treatment schedule.

In a rare moment of quiet after an hour of movement, lights, props, drag, lip syncing and more, as the audience prepared to part with the piece and applaud, alerts sounded on phones tucked away in bags and pockets throughout the packed theater. People flinched, instinctively reaching for the source of the beeping to check where and when the alarm would sound. Because many of the audience members had traveled to Jerusalem from other areas in the country, it was unclear if the alert was meant for us, seated there in the small but lovely Mikro Theater or perhaps somewhere else like Tel Aviv of Haifa. Amidst this confusion, Gorfung’s face registered peaceful resignation and he kept on singing. Clearly, he has gotten used to life’s plans being thwarted by reality. 

“‘Fools,” say I, ‘You do not know. Silence like a cancer grow. Hear my words that I might teach you. Take my arms that I might reach you,’” he sang as another sound, this time the air raid siren echoed throughout the room. 

“And the sign flashed out its warning,” he continued singing with an ironic smile. As Gorfung sang the last word of the song, the lights went out. The audience leapt to their feet, cheering, crying and attempting to process the surprise concurrence of Gorfung’s personal tragedy with our collective tragedy as a nation. 

How fitting for the Israel Festival, an event that manages to capture the country’s heartbeat each year anew. This is Israel in 2025 where no event is left unscathed and where the seemingly unnecessary information passed on about what to do in the event of an alarm at the start of the show comes full circle just an hour later, leaving audience members sunken in their seats, unsure if they can safely leave the theater or not. 

In any case, no one rushed to leave after Fusion. 

The show, overall, is hard to write about. This is in part due to the immensely tragic story it tells, of a man too young to face too horrid a disease, which overshadows any attempt at artful staging or depiction. It is a tale told in many ways, sometimes clearly, sometimes poetically. It was a combination of so many ideas, images, stories and struggles. The technical elements of the performance, a phone streaming its feed onto the backdrop, microphones and spotlights, seemed to overwhelm Gorfung, who appeared to be in a delicate state. He spoke softly, sometimes inaudibly, admitting that he has always had trouble with words. In contrast to his shy demeanor while talking about his swim team or his grandmother’s habit of screaming inside a closed car, there were incredible outpourings of physical energy. 

Gorfung talked about the American clinic where he received treatment. “The world is full of sickness and sadness but at least my sickness and my sadness got me to travel across the globe,” he said. Gorfung left Israel in an attempt to save his life. Surely many of the people in the audience had considered the same path for different reasons. 

At the clinic, there is a tradition for parting with patients. His voice broke as he recalled the doctors and nurses cheering for him as he banged on the clinic’s gong, signaling the end of his fight with cancer. Moments later he flew across the stage to the sound of Pompeii by Bastille. “How am I gonna be an optimist about this?” the lyrics called out. An impossible question to ask given his circumstance yet the stage was flooded with optimism. A beautiful man, a dancer, doing what he was born to do, blessed beyond belief with the freedom of movement and charisma. 

It was a scene unlike anything I have witnessed before on stage and I felt honored to be there for it.  

“I’m dying,” he told us. “That makes me special.” 

If nothing else, Fusion proved that Gorfung’s prognosis is the last in a long list of things that make him special.

Gal Gorfung presented Fusion as part of the Israel Festival on July 28 and 29, 2025. 

Ori Lenkinski is a Tel Aviv-based dancer, actress, choreographer and journalist. Her work, be it on stage, the Internet or on paper, is devoted to exploring the connection between words and movement. As a dancer, Ori has worked with independent choreographers in the USA, Europe and Israel. Ori’s writing has been published in Dance Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz and others. She is the founder and editor of www.creativewriting.me.  Her choreographic works include The Painting, Portrait #2, The Suit, Meet Me in the Market, Help Desk, Birth Preparation Course, a dance piece, Jackie Pink and Black, Escape Room as well as the dance films Carriage and Expecting. Ori’s works have been presented throughout Israel, North America and Europe.