THE INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED
BATSHEVA ENSEMBLE,
ISRAEL’S LEADING CULTURAL AMBASSADOR,
MAKES ITS MIAMI DEBUT
OPENING THE ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER’S
SANFORD AND DOLORES ZIFF DANCE SERIES
AS PART OF THE 2009-2010 JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT MASTERWORKS SEASON
Program to Showcase Innovative Choreographer Ohad Naharin’s
Repertoire from a Decade of Dance
Saturday, December 5 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 6 at 2 p.m.
Tickets $25 – $90
Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House
MIAMI, FL November 11, 2009 – Internationally renowned for pushing the boundaries of dance, BATSHEVA ENSEMBLE, makes its Miami debut opening SANFORD AND DOLORES ZIFF DANCE SERIES as part of the 2009-2010 JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT MASTERWORKS SEASON at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County on Saturday, December 5 at 8:00 p.m., followed by a second performance on Sunday, December 6 at 2:00 p.m. Under the visionary direction of Israeli dancer/choreographer Ohad Naharin, Batsheva has become one of the most influential dance companies in the world.
The program will showcase the evening-length work, Deca Dance, a celebration of 10 years of the award-winning choreographer Ohad Naharin’s work. “We are thrilled to welcome this internationally acclaimed dance ensemble to South Florida for the very first time,” said M. John Richard, President and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “The Deca Dance program is a special treat, highlighting the many magical facets of Naharin’s repertoire by sampling selected excerpts from existing works and reorganizing them into a fresh, new experience.”
“This is not dancing that you will see anywhere else,” says The New York Times. “…one of the most fascinating dancemakers on the planet.”
Batsheva Ensemble’s performances on December 5 and 6, 2009 mark the first installment of the SANFORD AND DOLORES ZIFF DANCE SERIES, which features a selection of world-renowned dance companies, including the internationally acclaimed American dance company, The Joffrey Ballet, on March 26 and 27, 2010, and the return of Miami favorite Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from May 20-23, 2010. The three-part series will take place in the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House. The BATSHEVA ENSEMBLE appearance is also part of the Adrienne Arsht Center’s TEL AVIV AT 100 festival of the arts.
One of today’s most influential and daring choreographers, Ohad Naharin began his dance training with the Batsheva Dance Company. At the invitation of modern dance pioneer Martha Graham, he came to New York to join her company as well as study at the School of American Ballet and The Juilliard School of Music. After a year with the Graham Company, he performed with major dance companies in Europe and the United States. His works have been commissioned by The Nederlands Dans Theater, Frankfurt Ballet, Opéra National de Paris, Sydney Dance Company, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. As Artistic Director of Batsheva from 1990 to 2003, Ohad Naharin brought the company into the forefront of contemporary dance. Six years ago, he yielded his role as artistic director to dancer Yoshifumi Inao; he is currently the House Choreographer and continues to be Batsheva’s main creative and inspiring force. In 1998, he was awarded the “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” by the French government, and the 2005 Israel Prize, the most highly regarded award in the country.
“Ohad Naharin is one of the most original and confounding choreographers of our time…Batsheva’s dancers can’t be praised enough…a troupe of ferociously energetic, muscular and expressive artists who meet their leader’s challenge that they all perform as if star soloists, which, much of the time, they are,” says Arts Critic Sid Smith of The Chicago Tribune.
Israel’s Batsheva was founded in 1964 with the personal assistance of the legendary Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva De Rothschild. The troupe has evolved into one of the most influential and sought after dance companies in the world. Its fresh and exciting repertoire comprises works by dance’s leading innovators, including Ohad Naharin. With 250 annual performances in Israel and around the globe, the company is considered Israel’s leading cultural ambassador. Known for its groundbreaking, innovative and emotive productions, Batsheva is applauded worldwide in the most prestigious theaters and festivals, including Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Berlin Festival, and more. International in nature, the Batsheva Ensemble is made up of individually unique dancers from Israel and abroad. Its members are selected annually by Naharin from a competitive pool of approximately 300 dancers. Batsheva Ensemble dancers train daily with Naharin and perform regularly in the company’s seasons in Israel and abroad. Fueled by passion and explosive energy, Batsheva Ensemble is often hailed as the jewel in the crown of Batsheva.
The BATSHEVA ENSEMBLE is presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Israel to Florida, and is sponsored in part by EL AL Israel Airlines. WLRN 91.3 and WLRN TV Channel 17 are media sponsors of the Ziff Dance Series.
CALENDAR LISTING
Adrienne Arsht Center presents
SANFORD AND DOLORES ZIFF DANCE SERIES
BATSHEVA ENSEMBLE
Batsheva Ensemble makes its Adrienne Arsht Center debut, performing Deca Dance, a celebration of 10 years of Israeli dancer/choreographer Ohad Naharin’s work – from its most extravagant to its most intimate and heartrending. Batsheva is one of the most influential, fresh and exciting dance companies in the world; and one of Israel’s leading cultural ambassadors. Under the visionary direction of Naharin, Batsheva has earned an international reputation for pushing the boundaries of dance with intense energy and rich sensuality.
Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 2 p.m.
Tickets $25 – $90
Ziff Ballet Opera House
Adrienne Arsht Center
1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132
For tickets, visit www.arshtcenter.org or call the Box Office at (305) 949-6722.
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, and Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council. Education and Outreach is funded in part by The Children’s Trust. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from private contributions to the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation, Inc. through its Visionary Society membership program and its Encore Circle major gifts program; American Express Company; Arison Arts Foundation; Bank of America Charitable Foundation; City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency; Dade Community Foundation; Funding Arts Network; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Southern Arts Federation, The Cowles Charitable Trust; The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council.
About the Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
The Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is Miami-Dade County’s largest ever public/private-sector partnership, comprised of an $150 million private capital campaign conducted by the Performing Arts Center Foundation and public funding drawn primarily from the County’s Convention Development Tax revenues, as well as the City of Miami Omni Redevelopment District Community Redevelopment Agency. Greatly enhancing the artistic and educational opportunities in South Florida, the Adrienne Arsht Center will have significant and long-term economic benefits for the city and the region.
The Adrienne Arsht Center, designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, includes the 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, a 200-seat black box Carnival Studio Theater, the Peacock Education Center, a restored Carnival Art Deco Tower, and the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts, which unites the Center buildings across Biscayne Boulevard, providing a magnificent setting for outdoor entertainment and informal gatherings. The key members of the design team include theater planning and design consultant Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates, Inc. and acoustician Russell Johnson of ARTEC, Inc., both of whom worked on the project since its inception.
The Adrienne Arsht Center is a Miami venue not only for its three resident companies (Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, and New World Symphony), but also for many smaller South Florida arts organizations that will perform in its theaters on a regular basis, as well as for the finest popular and classical performances from around the world. With state-of-the-art performance facilities in Miami for the first time, the Adrienne Arsht Center offers South Florida audiences the best and most diverse theater, music, and dance—with a dedication to entertain, challenge, and educate all segments of the community. For more information, visit www.arshtcenter.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Daisy Cabrera Eva Bordeaux Silverstein
786.468.2228 786.468.2323
dcabrera@arshtcenter.org esilverstein@arshtcenter.org