Israeli Dance Troupe Batsheva Returns

"Exceptionally inventive, thrilling dance."—New York Times

 

Israel's leading contemporary dance company, Batsheva—an audience favorite at the Wex—returns to Mershon Auditorium Tuesday, February 10 at 8 pm with its latest work by artistic director Ohad Naharin, Three. The evening-length work is divided into three sections and juxtaposes stylized, synchronized movement with liquid beauty and explosive crisscrossing patterns of pure visual pleasure. Lifted by a sonic collage score that ranges from Bach’s Goldberg Variations (in Glenn Gould’s famed interpretation) to Brian Eno’s ambient tidal pull, Batsheva’s remarkable dancers—17 in this production—bring undeniable technical skills and abundant spirit. The San Francisco Chronicle described Three’s display of modern dance mastery as “virtuosity, off-center elegance and physical daring…the dancers’ understated splendor made it impossible to look away.” A video preview of Three can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a3_Utx3frA.

The public is invited to a free pre-performance talk by John Giffin, choreographer and professor in Ohio State’s Department of Dance, at 7 pm in the Wexner Center’s Film/Video Theater.

EVENT INFORMATION: Israeli dance company Batsheva will perform on Tuesday, February 10 at 8 pm in the Wexner Center’s Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St. Tickets are $26 for the general public, $22 for Wexner Center members and BalletMet subscribers, and $10 for students. For tickets, call (614) 292-3535, or visit wexarts.org or ticketmaster.com. A Columbus High 5 promotion offers $5 tickets to local middle- and high-school (those tickets must be purchased at least one day in advance with a limit of 2 per student). The free pre-performance talk begins at 7 pm in the Wexner Center’s Film/Video Theater. The show is 70 minutes with no intermission.

 

ABOUT BATSHEVA

Batsheva was founded in 1964 by Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild and Martha Graham; Rothschild championed Graham’s work in Israel and abroad and supported Batsheva financially during the ’60s and ’70s. Batsheva has toured the world for several decades, performing at the Wexner Center in 1998, 2004, and 2006. The company’s current artistic director, Ohad Naharin, began his career with Batsheva as a dancer and was appointed artistic director of Batsheva in 1990. He has choreographed many of its shows, including Mamootot (2006) and Three, and garnered numerous awards over the years.

Visit http://www.batsheva.co.il/ for more information about the company.

 

EVENT and SEASON SUPPORT:

This event is presented by the Wexner Center in association with BalletMet Columbus.

 

Major support for the Wexner Center’s 2008–09 performing arts season is generously provided by Huntington Bank and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

 

Accommodations are provided by The Blackwell Inn.

 

All performing arts programs and events also receive support from the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation and Wexner Center members, as well as from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Columbus Foundation, Nationwide Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council.

OTHER UPCOMING DANCE AT THE WEX • Japan Dance Now, featuring three contemporary dance groups from Japan, February 19–21. • During the opening days of the exhibition William Forsythe: Transfigurations, dancer Alessio Silvestrin will perform the U.S. premiere of Forsythe’s Monster Partitur April 1–5 in the Wexner Center galleries amidst a sculptural backdrop. Due to limited space, admission is on a first-come, first-served basis (audiences will be standing only). Performances last 20-25 mins.; it will be performed 19 times over the course of the five days.