The seven-member modern dance troupe will be performing “Syncopated Being,” subtitled “an evening of dance with rhythms and live people,” at Fulton Hill Studios this weekend.
Yerushalmy found the style of dancing
between the two countries significantly different. In Israel where she studied
modern and ballet, she explains, “the aesthetic is very rough and physical and
theatrical. The critics are very tough.” Here, she sees the dance as “much more
lyrical and conventional. There’s lots of great stuff, but I do feel there’s
a difference.”
The company will present three works.
The recently premiered “Thereness” involves a volatile quartet of dancers holding
hands in circle, exploring the restrictions and dependency of coexistence. More
comedic and quirky, “The Honeymoon Aspect of the Leisure Industry” reveals an
odd world of common social behaviors gone awry. “Syncopated Being” captures
the style of her Israeli roots and shows a duet fiercely negotiating for space.
Yerushalmy brings her work to Richmond
because of family here who will finally get the chance to see what she does.
But she and the company grab onto any opportunity to get out of New York, which
she calls a jungle.
“New York is quite wonderful, but
it’s really good to go somewhere with a different vibe, and we’re always looking
for new opportunities to perform.”
What are her plans for returning
to Israel? Though her family lives in the north which has been spared from violence,
she continually wonders about going home: “I ask myself [about returning home]
every day. This is the worst violence in our country ever. The economy is influenced
by what’s going on, and so is everyone’s mood. I do want to return so I can
participate again in the dance scene there.”
It may be more a question of when,
not if. But until that decision is made, the same question will pursue her,
perhaps appearing in a future work; such struggles provide great creative fodder.
For now, she teaches movement to children and yoga to adults, and the company
presents regularly in venues across Manhattan. And then there’s the occasional
escape to Richmond. S
Netta Yerushalmy’s Dancing People
presents “Syncopated Being: an evening of dance with rhythms and live people”
on March 22 and 23 at Fulton Hill Studios, 1000 Carlisle Ave., 8pm. Tickets
cost $8-$12. Call 236-0900. There will also be an open house of Fulton artist
studios on March 22 prior to the show at 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
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