Concerts

Sunday, February 1st, 2009 at 7:30 PM
KESHET FOR LIFE

Fred Kavli Theater,Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza 

Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble celebrated 25 years as the premier American-Israeli contemporary dance troupe in the United States.  In salute, the troupe presented Keshet For Life: 25 Years and Counting.

Commemorating its evolution from 1983 to the present, Keshet Chaim combined the public premiere of five new works with a retrospective of company favorites.  From adventurous choreography reflecting the contemporary Israeli dance scene to exhilarating folk dances inspired by Jewish life in many lands, Keshet for Life was an evening rich with Israeli culture.  The exciting beats of Middle Eastern drums performed live by Naked Rhythm, aka percussionists Alex Spurkel and Avi Sills, will accompany the dancers. All dancers who are alumni of the company were called on stage for the finale, and there was a post-concert reunion reception.

Under the direction of artistic director Eytan Avisar and Genie Benson, Keshet for Life took the audience on a journey transcending generations of Jewish thought and culture. Touching on its total repertoire, the company showed five of the new choreographies in full, included works by the company's newest young choreographer from Israel, Kobi Rozenfeld, and works by Eytan Avisar, Tsion Marciano, Ilana Cohen (from Israel's seminal Inbal Dance Theatre), Oded Mansura (also from Israel), and Erica Goldman. Composers of the show's original music included Uri Ophir, Sharon Farber, and Itzik Levy and Alon Danin from Nomai Concept.  A rich array of costumes created by Nili Glazer completes an exciting mosaic of dance, music and color.