Keshet Chaim Gets Lost in Long Program

Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble may mean “rainbow of life” in Hebrew, but attempting to literalize this translation for the New Jerusalem Rhythms program at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre on Saturday proved ill-conceived. And slightly schizoid.

As part of an ecumenical evening of multiculturalism, stuffed with gospel and revival singing, Keshet Chaim’s dance efforts, theatrically directed and choreographed by Eytan Avisar, were sometimes lost in the “we’re all in this together” shuffle. Also performing were the rousing UP Choir (they placed second at the 1995 McDonald’s Gospel Fest), directed by Bob Henley III, and Angel City Chorale, conducted by Sue Fink, the night’s emcee.

While a parade of techies moved equipment on- and offstage in a two-hour program that stretched into three, Fink delivered a superfluous series of promos and pitches as if hosting a telethon. Her troupe didn’t fare much better: Whether singing in Hebrew or the Americana of “If I Had a Hammer,” Angel City Chorale strained at emotions. Their African number, “O Sifuni Mungu,” didn’t get the syncopation or the parlance right.

And the dancing? Keshet Chaim, in trying to bridge generations, presented a range of works from “The Chassidic Soul,” where a traditional bridal party energetically balanced bottles on Cossack hats while effectively executing bent-knee kicks, to the Las Vegas-like “The Queen of Sheba,” in which Silvia Schoffman and Sammy Silberstein paired off in a series of melodramatic if muscular lifts and turns. “The Negev Cowboy,” a kind of Wild West of Tel Aviv finale, featured fringe, square dancing and the rainbow choruses joining together for peace and, well, harmony.