Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The iconic Batsheva Dance Company returns to New York with Ohad Naharin’s anti-intuitive yet accessible HORA

• By drediman
• March 2, 2023
• No Comments

This week, Batsheva Dance Company made a welcome return to The Joyce Theater, where it has settled in for a two-week run of Ohad Naharin’s 2009 creation, the fittingly entitled Hora (the dance runs a swift hour). These performances mark the first time the iconic Israeli dance company has performed in New York since pre-pandemic times, as well as the first time the company has performed in the city without Naharin as its artistic director (the auteur choreographer stepped down from the position in September 2018).

The soundtrack for the dance has been arranged by Isao Tomita, whose electronic soundscape includes some of the most recognizable compositions in classical music (e.g., Rodrigo’s “Aranjuez”, Strauss’s “Spruce Zarathustra” or the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries”, Williams’ theme from Star Wars, Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”, and so forth). In many respects, Hora seems an extension and expansion of Naharin’s 2008 pas b/olero (which in fact was just recently danced at The Joyce by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago) in unexpected choreographic animation of canonical music. Interestingly, despite being anti-intuitively set to Tomita’s arrangements, Naharin’s choreography has rarely seemed more approachable than it is here. Indeed, the choreographer finds a certain clarity in movement (not usually the case with his fussier later works), as if consciously editing the piece for easy consumption. Indeed, Hora may just be one of his most accessible and enjoyable works.

No one moves quite like Batsheva dancers, whose organic, natural style oozes sensuality and deadpan cool. Simply clad in black unisex costumes (and looking striking against the work’s garish green set), they performed with strength and total assurance. In summary, Hora at The Joyce finds the company picking up where they left off – dancing magnificently at the top of their game. And despite no longer helming the company’s artistic, Naharin and his unmistakable aesthetic are still very much a part of Batsheva’s DNA, which is not necessarily a bad thing at all.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY: HORA
Dance
The Joyce Theater
1 hour (with no intermission)
Through March 12