T'Kia Lanefesh: A Call to the Soul, October 1, 2005, sanctuary of Congregation Emanu El

"The work explores the universal themes of repentance and forgiveness and will be presented as part of Selichot, which marks the official beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days. This new ballet is being set to an arrangement of traditional Hebrew melodies, including the Kol Nidrei for Cello & Orchestra, Op. 47 by Max Bruch." This quote comes from the Dominic Walsh Dance Theater website, and does a better job explaining what this performance is about than I could, as I plum forgot to pick up a program. Choreographed by Dominic Walsh and coming in at a brief 30 minutes, it was more than worth the trip to see this performance, even though it was the only piece on the program. The piece was danced beautifully by 5 women and 2 men; the number of dancers may have been a coincidence, but the seven dancers at times resembled the seven candles on a menorah. The dancers at times encircled the altar at the back of the dias, sometimes to pick up candles, and other times to observe rituals with items used in Jewish worship. Canon was used frequently, but not overused. The dancing alternated between group movement and duets and trios. The choreography and dancing were filled with emotion, grace, and reverence. The movement was more serene than in other dances I've seen by Walsh. Some of the music was recorded, and some performed live by a male vocalist. I hope this piece can be brought to the stage in a future DWDT performance, as it deserves wider exposure for its artistic merits as well as its multicultural aspects. Be sure to catch the company (along with Hope Stone) at this year's Illumination Project performance! And while I'm plugging upcoming events, be sure to also check out Hope Stone's Cooking show on November 5 and 6; see The Dance Card for info.