Koresh Dance to Perform at BIG ARTS February 9

Jan. 29, 2013 - PRLog -- BIG ARTS presents Koresh Dance Company’s “Twenty Years” performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 9.

Koresh Dance Company will present an eloquent and explosive program drawing from their 20 year history. The Company performs emotional blends of ballet, modern and jazz, and their BIG ARTS program will include excerpts from Carousel (1991), Facing the Sun (1992), Negative Spaces (2004), Standing in Tears(2005), Looking Back: The Music of the 40s and 50s (2006), Hidden Drives (2007), Theater of Public Secrets (2008), ev•o•lu•tion (2009), Somewhere in Between (2010) and Through the Skin (2011), as well as Artistic Director Ronen Koresh’s newest works. There will be a talkback with Ronen Koresh and the dancers following the performance.

General seating: $42, Loge: $47, Student: $15. BIG ARTS Schein Performance Hall is located at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. Koresh “Twenty Years” performance Benefactor Sponsor The Ferguson Foundation and Supporter Hazel & David Barber.

In addition to their performance at BIG ARTS, Artistic Director Ronen (Roni) Koresh will visit Bat Yam Temple of the Islands at the Sanibel Congregational Church Friday, February 8 for a special presentation after the 8 p.m. service. The evening will include a video, Focus on Israel, and a discussion led by Roni Koresh.

Roni Koresh was born and raised in Israel. He began his dance education with his mother, a folk dancer in the Yemenite tradition, and a local Tel Aviv folk dance group. Two of his earliest teachers in Israel were Alida Gera and Micha Deri. In 1983, following a three year enlistment in the Israeli army during which he was able to continue his dance training, Roni immigrated to the U.S. He trained at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City and in 1984, he began performing with Shimon Braun’s Waves Jazz Dance Company in Philadelphia.

In 1991 Roni formed Koresh Dance Company, and quickly established an international reputation for highly-technical and emotionally-charged work. Friday’s video and discussion will focus on how Roni’s Israeli roots have influenced his choreography. He will review recent collaborations between the Koresh Dance Company and Israeli artists Ohad Naharin and Itzik Galili. Koresh will discuss his choice to leave Israel and the current state of the arts there. Koresh’s appearance for Bat Yam Temple of the Islands is free, and the public is invited to attend.

With bi-annual seasons in Philadelphia and performances around the country, Koresh Dance Company has received much local and national recognition. Merilyn Jackson writes in The Philadelphia Inquirer, “The finale was typically turbocharged—because when the dust settles after a Koresh concert, you must leave bedazzled.” The company has performed in Spain, Turkey, Israel, South Korea, Mexico and Guatemala. “The dancers of Koresh are technically superb, but even better, they are allowed to be individuals,” says Wendy Perron in Dance Magazine.

The Koresh Dance Company strives to be an artistic force by creating innovative and emotional dance performances, and part of their mission is to connect with new and wider audiences. Their community outreach programs include providing free arts education to underserved youth in Philadelphia.

Koresh Dance Company’s performance at BIG ARTS and community outreach is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Want to read more? Please visit http://www.BIGARTS.org for more event information, including ticket prices and links to artists’ websites. To purchase tickets, stop by BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Road, or call Marks Box Office at (239) 395-0900.