Internationally Renowned Koresh Dance Company

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 5, 2022

Contact: Maxine Silberstein

713-551-7217 | msilberstein@erjcchouston.org

Internationally Renowned Koresh Dance Company

Returns to Kaplan Theatre Stage
Houston, TX – Dance at the J celebrating 42 years of dance in the Kaplan Theatre presents an exhilarating evening with Koresh Dance Company Saturday, February 19 at 8:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC.

Renowned for their powerful stage presence, Philadelphia’s Koresh Dance Company has been hailed as a vital force to both national and international stages. Koresh Dance Company was founded in 1991 by Israeli born choreographer and artistic director Ronen (Roni) Koresh and his brother, executive director Alon Koresh

  “The best part of me is that I love what I do. I live it. I sleep with it. It is what I am,” said Roni Koresh. Koresh is a choreographer, teacher, and collaborator whose unique blend of ballet, modern and jazz leaves audiences dazzled by the raw passion that is infused into his movement. Since forming the company, Roni has created a vast repertoire of over 40 works and tours nationally and internationally to audiences around the world. Koresh’s work represents his experience of both Israeli and American cultures.  Born and raised in Israel, he received early dance training from his mother, a folk dancer in the Yemenite tradition. He then joined Martha Graham’s Batsheva 2 Dance Company before enlisting in the Israeli army. Koresh integrates each of these influences into his choreography, which draws its strong sense of humanity, sweeping circle patterns, military precision, and Middle Eastern flavor from his life in Israel.

  In 1983, Koresh moved to New York to study at Alvin Ailey, solidifying his strong foundation in ballet, Horton and Graham techniques. He soon began performing with Shimon Braun’s Waves Jazz Dance Company in Philadelphia, where he studied Luigi Jazz and developed the muscular isolations and periods of continuous movement that define his style today. At this time, he also began to draw from club dancing, hip hop, and pedestrian gesture. A consummate observer and movement chameleon, this prolific choreographer builds his movement repertoire from any genre that can best make his point clear. Undefined by any one school of movement, Koresh calls his style simply “Dance.” “If a movement fits, I use it,” says Koresh. “It is about using movement to communicate, not about adhering to a particular style.” And communicate it does, leading audiences to laughter, tears, and awe within a single program.

  Committed to exploring human relationships, perception, and change, Koresh produces contemporary dance that is highly technical and deeply resonant, acclaimed by critics as both innovative and accessible. “Athletic, exuberant, [and] disciplined” (Cincinnati Enquirer), Koresh choreography displays a quick wit, “big-heartedness, and … humor” (Reading Eagle).” As Roni creates and develops his work, he continues to be an artistic resource and leading force in the Philadelphia community.”

   Koresh Dance Company will perform LA DANSE (2019), choreography by Ronen Koresh and lighting by Peter Jakuboski. Koresh Dance Company’s La Danse combines tender, joyful, passionate and humorous interpretations of Matisse’s three permutations of the painting starting with “Le bonheur de vivre” followed by the two versions of “La Danse”. As described by critics, “the movement material is a beautiful mix of earthy stomping, balletic architecture and idiosyncratic gestural detail.” (Palm Beach Daily News). The work is danced to an original musical composition by John Levis and poetry by Karl Mullen. 

 In addition to performance and instruction, Koresh Dance Company is committed to community building and outreach. While on tour, the company provides diverse outreach offerings that connect with dancers and non-dancers alike. Activities including post-performance discussions, residencies, lecture demonstrations and master classes bring dance off the stage and into the lives of audiences across the country. In keeping with community building, Koresh Dance Company was commissioned by Kinder HSPVA to set a work on some of their junior and senior dance students. This piece “Wet Stones” by Ronen Koresh will open the concert. 

 “We are thrilled to have Koresh Dance Company back in the Kaplan Theatre.  His work is said to be “Earthy, folk-dancey, emotionally direct, physically intense, and ostentatiously eccentric.” stated Maxine Silberstein, Dance at the J artistic director. 

 Tickets for the evening concert are $20 member | $30 public | $15 students. Visit www.erjcchouston.org/dance or call 713.551.7215 to purchase tickets.

   Dance at the J is funded in part by the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Patrons of the Arts, a grant from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, the Maurice Amato Foundation, and RBC Wealth Management. Marriott Houston Westchase is the official hotel for Dance at the J. 

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