Dance Review: Batsheva Ensemble Suzanne Dellal, July 10

The dancers were amazing; stronger than ever and more sensitive, their individual personalities shining through.

By ORA BRAFMAN
Batsheva Company 370 (photo credit: Gadi Dagon )
Batsheva Company 370
(photo credit: Gadi Dagon )
The Batsheva Ensemble functions alongside its mother company, Batsheva, so as one might expect the trainees perform pieces from Ohad Naharin’s repertoire, sometimes adapted for schools. But once in a blue moon, they also perform works by guest choreographers, and fortunately, this evening was of the latter variety, and an exciting evening it was.
The company hosted two ex-Batsheva dancers: Danielle Agami, who in the past couple of years has resided and maintains a company in Los Angeles, and Hofesh Shechter, who left a decade ago and now is an associate artist at the renowned Sadler’s Wells.
Hofesh’s career took off with unprecedented acceleration, and now he has found time to give the Ensemble an allmale version of his piece Uprising, which launched his international career in 2006.
The rendition by seven Ensemble members looked as good as any by Hofesh’s own company’s dancers, whom I’ve seen on several occasions. Perhaps because Hofesh’s lexicon is not totally alien to them as he incorporates residues from his days with Batsheva, where he formed his basic body perception.
Lighting design by Lee Curran left the stage foggy and much darker than before, with the few beams slicing the darkness concealing more often than exposing, enhancing the drama and adding a layer to an already strong piece.
The Ensemble’s female dancers also put on a good show in Danielle Agami’s work, Shula, the real surprise of the evening. The dancers were amazing; stronger than ever and more sensitive, their individual personalities shining through.
With intriguing imagination, well-developed craft and an eye for nuance, this budding choreographer may surprise us yet.