‘Shared Roots’: Two Approaches to Israeli Dance

The Inbal Dance Theatre and the Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble both do Israeli dance based in religion and folklore, but their “Shared Roots” program at the University of Judaism over the weekend revealed as many differences as similarities.

At 52, Inbal is Israel’s oldest dance company, and on Sunday, its passionate, heroic artists emphasized powerful emotions, distinctive personalities, and the sense that dance is one of the hard-won pleasures of a harsh and uncertain existence.

Founder Sara Levi-Tanai’s narrative “The Story of Ruth” and company manager Ilana Cohen’s impressionistic “Sajarra” may have looked old-fashioned in their reliance on traditional character-dance and pantomime, but the movement always came from deep within the dancers’ bodies and that unstinting physical commitment proved thrilling.

In contrast, the Israeli American Keshet Chaim approach emphasized nonstop celebration, with choreographers Oded Mansura and artistic director Eytan Avisar creating bright, brisk show-dance diversions whether their subject was a Bible tale (“The Queen of Sheba”), a tribute to Spanish Jewry (“From Spain to Jerusalem”) or a depiction of ancient Yemenite culture suddenly exposed to the modern world (“Immigrants of the Magic Carpet”).

A Southland company founded in 1983, Keshet Chaim looked energetic and well drilled but physically shallow.

In addition to three weekend performances in Gindi Auditorium, the local Inbal-Keshet Chaim project included classes, workshops and lecture-demonstrations at the Skirball Cultural Center highlighting the expression of Jewish culture through dance. Since Inbal’s last U.S. tour took place in 1987 (before Keshet Chaim was founded), its visit and example might well inspire the younger company to reconsider the profound movement resources being neglected in its lightweight style and repertory. Shared roots, yes. Equal impact, no.