|
|
July 16, 1999/3 Av 5759, Vol. 51, No.41
Ballet troupe relates cultural history through dance
MARCELLINE BLOCK
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
As a professional dancer performing in classics such as "Giselle," "Romeo and Juliet" and "Swan Lake," Julian Fisher felt cultural pluralism was missing from traditional ballet.
After a visit to Israel, Fisher became actively interested in combining his love of dance with his Jewish heritage. The pursuit of his goal "to really add diversity" to ballet led him to found the American Jewish Ballet in New York City two years ago.
"Around Christmas time, all one sees or hears about ballet is 'The Nutcracker Suite,' " says Fisher, the artistic director of the troupe and a self-described "young Jewish kid from Brighton Beach."
"We have the talent and ideas to do something different, something that any Jewish or non-Jewish person would be happy to see."
The first ballet company in the United States entirely devoted to Jewish themes has garnered praise during the past couple of years, but now it is facing a financial crisis.
The ballet's first program, "Jewish Perspectives," consists of four dances, each highlighting an aspect of Jewish identity.
"Dilemmas of the Day," the first dance of "Jewish Perspectives," choreographed by Fisher, chronicles an American Jewish girl's first trip to Israel. Her initial glimpse of the Holy Land is one of political turmoil, dramatized in a dance between an Israeli and a Palestinian soldier, each carrying his respective flag. Israel's religious freedom is shown through the young girl's encounter with a priest and Catholic worshipers. "Dilemmas of the Day" makes use of comic elements as well as symbolic music and lighting to highlight the girl's realization that the Jewish Bible is enjoyable to read.
The second part of the program, "King Solomon's Decision," depicts the ancient tale of two mothers fighting over one child. Fisher portrays King Solomon, whose "decision has set a precedent for justice and law throughout the millenniums," notes the "Jewish Perspectives" brochure.
The section titled "In Remembrance" depicts the grief of a mother who lost her child in the Holocaust. There is a juxtaposition of the jazz and dancing of 1930s Germany, banned by the Nazis, with a train delivering Jews to a concentration camp. Yellow Stars of David are worn on the chests of dancers' black leotards. Once confined in the camp, dancers wear shredded prison uniforms. Eventually, all the prisoners die, except for one who is liberated as she is about to be shot by a Nazi guard. At the end of the dance, the concentration camp victims appear as angels who help the survivor cope with her altered sense of reality.
"L'Chaim," the final section, celebrates life and love through the rituals of Jewish marriage. The romantic ending brings a warm closure to the program.
The American Jewish Ballet's second program is no less ambitious in showing how history has shaped much of Jewish identity. It highlights the past 1,500 years of Jewish history in Spain, paying homage to the biblical, historical and intellectual traditions of Jews living on the Iberian Peninsula.
The first ballet, "The Zohar," deals with the mystical book of kabbalah. "The Edict of 1492" demonstrates the relationship between Jews and the rulers of Spain, particularly Queen Isabella, who expelled the Jews in 1492. The same year, Christopher Columbus launched his ships in search of a new route to India. The plot of "The Edict of 1492" highlights Jews' accomplishments in Spain to demonstrate how Jewish and Spanish history are entwined.
The third act in the program sets to music the words of three great medieval Jewish figures: philosopher Moses Maimonides and poets Samuel Ha-Nagid and Judah Halevy. "Ladino (The Celebration)" makes use of Ladino (the native tongue of Spanish Jews).
Fisher is now working on a new program for the ballet's next season based on the story of Esther called "
Purim." Yet whether the American Jewish Ballet will survive to dance the Purim ballet is uncertain, as the young company is facing financial problems. According to Fisher, the company is $3,500 in debt. Recently, fiscal woes forced the troupe to cancel some performances. The ballet was invited to perform in Cuba but was unable to cover the costs of travel. And some of the American Jewish Ballet's grant applications to Jewish cultural groups have been rejected, surprising Fisher, he says.
"We've touched people," he says. "We are doing something which has never been done before, and we're incorporating new and young artists."
|
