Fierce. Physical. Emotive. That’s Koresh Dance Company, now thirty years strong, still headed by the dance force of Rittenhouse Roni Koresh. When he’s not floating through the park to La Colombe, or sharing a stoop with friends and a drink, he’s busy creating great dance in his studio on Rittenhouse Square St. And this week, after more than a year of being off stage of the Suzanne Roberts Theater on Broad St., where the company remains the resident dance group, they are set to take the stage once again with a powerful program.
To say that surviving thirty full years and counting as a dance company is a gigantic feat would be an understatement, especially given Corona lockdowns. With opening night this Thursday, October 21, the excitement is in the air and it will be a true celebration. Koresh, himself celebrating a recent milestone birthday, will present TikVAH (“Hope” in Hebrew, his native tongue) as a mix of old and new choreography. Favorites of past creations will come alive once more, along with newly developed material set on his current dance artists.
Sadly, this will be the first premiere that the great Suzanne Roberts herself will not attend. The powerhouse Philadelphia philanthropist, performer and broadcaster passed away last year. To read more about her life, start HERE. It was her driving force that created a beautiful space and opportunity for so many an artist and beyond.
Since the Covid pandemic touched down into our lives in a confusing, sad year of 2020, countless establishments have closed their doors, some temporarily, others forever, still others promising to reopen as something new. Yet here, in all this mess and loss, shines a dance company
brighter than ever with the message of hope. Perhaps because financial hardships are nothing new to arts and nonprofits, many struggling to make ends meet even before the pandemic. The innate acceptance of reality to exist as fundraisers paired with a fierce passion and do-or-die attitude of most professional dancers boosts the resilience of these companies to survive.
Do not miss this chance to see the dance prowess of the city. Through October 24 at 480 S Broad St. Your tickets await you at https://www.koreshdance.org/home-season.