“shocking, tender and powerful…” —Philadelphia Inquirer
RONEN KORESH ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Roni Koresh is an Israeli-American choreographer whose work presents “a wealth of forceful invention” (Art Burst Miami). Koresh has established a repertoire of over 60 works “rang[ing] from intimate to high-voltage” (Northwestern Press). He develops 2 to 3 new works each year including commissions for notable companies across the country. His work has been supported by Pew Charitable Trusts, the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Jerome Robbins Foundation, among others. 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.
“Earthy, folk-dancey, emotionally direct, physically intense, and ostentatiously eccentric.” – The New Yorker KORESH CHOREOGRAPHY IS IN DEMAND. Commissions by professional companies have included works for MADCO, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Giordano Dance Chicago, GroundWorks Dance Theatre, Las Vegas Contemporary, Odyssey Dance Theatre, Spectrum Dance Theater, the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Dance Celebration, and St. Louis’ New Dance Horizons series.
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).
“excellent, jet-propelled dancers” —Broad Street Review
Koresh Dance Company Koresh Dance Company was founded in Philadelphia in 1991, and is widely recognized for its superb technique and emotionallycompelling appeal. It presents biannual home seasons as the resident dance company of the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, and has toured in over 38 states and 7 countries. The Company's interdisciplinary foundation promotes high-speed attack and gestural diversity drawn from Graham technique, Luigi jazz, classical ballet, hip hop and Israeli folk dance. Guest choreographers including Donald Byrd (Spectrum Dance Theater), Ohad Naharin (Batsheva Dance Company), Robert Battle (Battleworks/Alvin Ailey), Itzik Galili (Galili Dance) and Paul Selwyn Norton have produced works for the company. The company currently consists of dancers Shannon Bramham, Fang-Ju Chou Gant, Joseph Cotler, Micah Geyer, Vanessa Guinto, Casey McIntyre, Krista Montrone, Kevan Sullivan, Robert Tyler, and Melissa Rector, who also serves as the company's Assistant Artistic Director. Koresh Dance Company is supported in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Dance/USA Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the William Penn Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
Koresh School of Dance, Outreach, and Community
“it’s all dance, and it’s all art” —Dance Magazine
“fresh, urgent, and deeply persuasive” —LA Times
The Koresh School of Dance, established in 1993, welcomes over 5,000 students every year to classes at all levels and for all ages. In 2013, Koresh Dance Company reaffirmed its commitment to Philadelphia by purchasing a property in the heart of Center City. There, the school extends dance education and performance resources to its community by presenting emerging artists in bi-monthly Koresh Artist Showcases and providing professional training and performance opportunities to the exceptional dancers of the Koresh Youth Ensemble. In 2013, Koresh launched the now annual Come Together Dance Festival, which presented 33 companies to sold-out houses in its third year. Koresh Dance Company is also committed to community-building and outreach. While on tour, the company provides post-performance discussions, residencies, open rehearsals, lecture demonstrations, master classes and video discussions to its audiences. At home, Koresh Kids Dance brings arts education to economically underserved elementary-school students by partnering with Philadelphia public schools to provide free weekly dance classes, promoting children's creativity as a conduit for non-violence and forming life goals.
“both comical and visually stunning” —The Dance Journal
“fluid elegance, cunning strength, and uncanny storytelling” —Westchester Community College News