Heart and soul

The Jerusalem Dance Theater unveils an original evening celebrating the rich cultural life of the city.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
Jerusalem is a city that will not be ignored. The center of the religious world and home to an incredibly diverse community, there is much to be found amidst the ancient streets of our capital. Countless artists have composed, sculpted, painted and designed, based on influences drawn from Jerusalem. This week, the Jerusalem Dance Theater unveils an original evening entitled, Dancing To Jerusalem, celebrating the rich cultural life of the city. The program consists of three original pieces by three choreographers: Point Of View by Vitaly Nivitsky, Adam and Eve by Yaakov Lifshitz and Line Six by Djula Chekberi. All three enjoy their premieres on this special night. Nivitsky hails from the Ukraine, where he received a degree in choreography. Continuing on to Israel, here he danced with the Bat Dor Dance Company and was a soloist with the Israeli Ballet. Lifshitz was born in Russia, where he studied dance with some of Moscow's legendary ballet masters. He was a professor at the Vaganova Institute and choreographed for the St. Petersburg Ballet. Chekberi arrived to Israel from Hungary and has been presenting original works for the past several years. The Jerusalem Dance Theater is a repertory, neo-classical dance company. Established by Tamara Mialnik in 1985, the group's mission is to create a forum where Israeli, Jewish and Jerusalemite artists can showcase their work. As a child of Holocaust survivors, Mialnik strives to recover the culture that was lost during WWII. As such, she has invited many international choreographers to present their take on Jewish art. Dancing To Jerusalem is not only an exploration of Israel's troubled capital, it's also a journey exploring the cultural heartbeat of this land. Dancing To Jerusalem appears at the Jerusalem Theater, (02) 560-5755, on Dec. 27 at 8:30 p.m. for NIS 90, jerusalem-theatre.co.il and at Tel Aviv's Suzanne Dellal Center, (03) 510-5656, on Jan. 4 at 9 p.m., suzannedellal.org.il