The Koresh Dance Company, known for their enriching, engaging and unique performances, will be traveling to Hammond to perform at the Columbia Theatre Sunday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m.  Ronen “Roni” Koresh founded the company in 1991 and now assists as choreographer and artistic director.
Koresh combines ballet, modern and jazz dance to create a unique experience.  Koresh founded his dances on evolving movement instead of a specific technique.  Raised in Israel, Koresh began dancing in his youth with the assistance of his folk-dancing mother.
“It’s all highly refined outstanding athletes.  It’s unique movement and control.  It’s really beautiful and powerful,” said Roy Blackwood, director of the Columbia Theatre.  “They are one of the three best contemporary ballet companies in the country.”
Since Blackwood saw the Koresh Dance Company perform live, he knew he wanted them to visit the Columbia Theatre.  
“After the performance, the artistic director and the performers come out on the stage and they sit down casually and they engage in a conversation with the audience,” said Blackwood.  “It’s just wonderful because you can say, ‘What’s this about or where did this come from?’ It’s just a really wonderful give and take where you can get into a personal conversation with them.”
The post performance discussion is only one way the Koresh Dance Company outreaches to communities.  The Koresh School of Dance, located in Philadelphia, helps educate both children and adults in various styles of dance.  The Koresh Youth Ensemble gives young dancers more intensive training and performance opportunities.  The Koresh Kids Dance partners with Philadelphia public schools to educate children in dance.
While on tour, the company also hosts lectures and master classes in the towns they are performing.  Company members of the Koresh Dance Company are teaching an advanced modern jazz master class that will provide assistance in precision, flow and techniques.  Those in attendance can learn choreography from the actual performance as well.  The class is free for all Southeastern students and community dancers ages 13 and up.  Those wishing to observe are also welcome.
The class will be held at the Kinesiology and Health Studies dance studio in room 153 from 11-12:30 p.m. with a question and answer opportunity after.
“I want the audience to enjoy the beauty of contemporary ballet. It is a beautiful art form.  A lot of the time, men are hesitant, but I think what they generally don’t understand is the dancers are as strong and masculine or feminine as any professional sports person because they are professional athletes,” said Blackwood.  “And I want to give them an artistic experience that maybe they wouldn’t have.  That’s part of our mission; to put the finest things on the stage that we can possibly afford to put on the stage-things that people won’t ordinarily get to see and that’s a wonderful and unique experience and when you come away from an artistic experience like that, that’s something you are going to carry with you.  It’s a powerful experience, it’s wonderful.”
Tickets for the Koresh Dance Company can be purchased at columbiatheatre.org or at the box office.  Loge tickets cost $42, orchestra tickets cost $38, balcony tickets cost $34 and Southeastern student tickets cost $16.
“The people who come will love it,” said Blackwood.  “Nobody is going to go away saying, ‘What the heck was that?’   If they come in the door, I don’t care who they are, they are going to enjoy that experience.  It’s just as simple as that.”