Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company Makes Israeli Debut

Image by Rosalie O?Connor

By Ruth Eshel March 31, 2011

Crossposted from Haaretz

Image by Rosalie O?Connor

The Aspen Santa Fe ballet company is currently on its first visit to Israel, at the invitation of the Herzliya Performing Arts Center. The American repertory company, which consists of 12 dancers, uses classical ballet techniques to support solid modern dance. A refreshing troupe, Aspen Sante Fe exhibits refined taste, expressed in its choice of dances and the group’s stage presence — free of theatrical effects, allowing viewers to concentrate on the dancers’ bodies and the lucid compositions.

The common denominator in the first and third pieces, created especially for Aspen Santa Fe, is the emphasis put on the dancers’ capabilities: the long lines of the women with their lovely muscular legs, raised toes and arched heels; the pirouettes; and the pas de deux, featuring an abundance of lifts and perfected transitions. All the dancers are good, but this is especially true of the women.

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