Koresh Dance Company, Philadelphia’s third largest dance company, takes the stage at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, home of the Philadelphia Theatre Company. Performances begin Thursday, April 30th and continue through Sunday, May 3rd, 2009. Programming for Koresh Dance Company’s 2009 Spring Season includes a new work by Roni Koresh, and Paul Selwyn Norton, a rising figure on the Dutch dance scene.
ev•o•lu•tion by Roni Koresh: Language and art have remained essential to human nature throughout the ages. The need for human expression is as universal as the need for replenishing ourselves through procreation. Expression is fundamental to the reasons for our existence and to understand that expression in its purest form is to understand ourselves. Roni explores this subject and more through his intricate choreography set to music by Franz Perter Shubert, Pete Nemlok, Fariborz Lachini, Greg Smith, John Vosbikian – and more.
Pieces of 9 by Paul Selwyn Norton: “Pieces of 9” is representational on my recent focus on “music for dance”. I believe that it is important that composers have just as equal a standing on stage as the choreographer. Their music should not only serve the choreographer’s vision’ but should be also resonate with the same respect and vitality as the dance. These pieces are my thanks to the great work of John Cage, Jose Luis Greco and Elmer Schönberger.
The Choreographers
Ronen Koresh, Choreographer/Artistic Director
Ronen (Roni) Koresh, born and raised in Israel, was initiated into the dance world through the tradition of Yemenite folk dancing. Following comprehensive study with Martha Graham’s Batsheva Dance Company, he became intent upon pursuing a professional career in the discipline. At age 21, he arrived in New York City to study with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and soon after he joined Philadelphia’s then internationally acclaimed jazz dance company Waves.
In 1992, Ronen Koresh (Roni) fulfilled a lifelong dream with the help of his brother Alon Koresh and founded the Koresh Dance Company. Now in its sixteenth anniversary season, the company is known as a leading force on both the national and international scene. Roni has brought in renowned choreographers such as Donald Byrd, Robert Battle and Itzik Galili to create works on his company. After founding his company, Roni set out to accomplish yet another goal: he opened the Koresh School of Dance in 1993. His studio has become a mecca for dancers throughout the dance community. Although Roni is busy touring and rehearsing his company, he remains dedicated to teaching not only at his studio, but also at The University of the Arts, where he has been a professor of dance since 1986. His teaching experience ranges from ballet residencies to modern jazz classes in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Most recently, Roni’s work has been commissioned by Derryl Yeager’s Odyssey Dance Theater in Utah, the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, Brandywine Ballet Company in West Chester, PA, Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle, and Dance Celebration, a co-presentation of Dance Affiliates and Penn Presents, at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. Roni’s expertise is frequently requested throughout the country as he is invited to be a guest artist and speaker at various venues and festivals, including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the Northwest Dance Project. For his innovative and explosive choreography, Roni has received fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts.
Paul Selwyn Norton, Guest Choreographer
Paul Selwyn Norton, born in 1964, was raised in Africa and the West Indies. He has danced for Beppie Blankert, Amanda Miller/Pretty Ugly and William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. His career as a choreographer began in 1992, when he created “Johnny Panic” for the opening performance of the Cadance Festival. He has lived and worked in both Australia and Israel. He currently resides and works in Amsterdam. After many successful years working under the auspices of Korzo Theater Productions, he is now the artistic director of the no apology production company and Duda Paiva Puppetry and Dance. no apology is a foundation that aids in the continuity and development of his work, but also has an extensive educational and outreach program in the community. Paul teaches master classes in movement and text improvisation, and has set up workshops and festivals all over the world, most notably Moscow, Sydney and Tel Aviv. Paul has been commissioned by Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Galili Dance, Moscow Chamber Ballet, Danceworks Rotterdam, Kristina de Chatel, Ballett Frankfurt, Batsheva Dance Company, Chunky Move Australia and Korzo Theatre Productions. He has also won prizes such as Phillip Morris Finest Selection in 1997, Moscow Golden Mask for Excellence in Choreography in 2001, Grande Prix and Public Prize or Best Creation Ostrava 2005 and Best Creation at Talin Puppet Festival in 2007. The advisory board for Phillip Morris Finest Selection this award writes: “Norton’s choreography reveals itself in a love of very refined construction that resolves an apparently unpredictable chaos into beautiful order. All the usual dance rules are thrown overboard. It is work that amazes intrigues and excites. Norton does not strive for slick packaged dance, but rather he researches all the possibilities of the body’s expressive voice, and he melts theses into a crisp and thrilling dance vocabulary.”
5 CHANCES TO SEE KORESH
Thurs, Apr 30 at 8pm with a post-performance Q & A, Fri, May 1 at 8pm, Sat, May 2 at 2pm, Sat, May 2 at 8pm with a post-performance Q & A, and Sun, May 3 at 7pm
THEATER
The Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia
www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org
TICKETS
Tickets are $20, $25 and $30. Senior citizens and students with ID get $5 off. Tickets go on sale at Philadelphia Theatre Company’s box office, 215-985-0420, and the Koresh School of Dance, 215-751-0959.
- Mascher’s Fresh Juice Returns June 17 & 18 - June 2, 2022
- Review: Dancefusion Elemental Forces - September 26, 2017
- Macaroni Necklaces and Jazz Squares: Dancer and Choreographer Rebekah Rickards - July 27, 2012
