If you attended Thursdays dance performance by Koresh you were stimulated by the sounds of blaring horn’s of the 40’s and 50’s and moved by pulsating tribal rhythms. The Koresh Dance Company hails from Philadelphia, Penn. The group comprised of Americans and Foreigners had a very eclectic look and style. All of the dancers were obviously classically trained and trained well.

The evening started off with “Sing, Sing, Sing”. This piece was danced by the whole company and was full of energetic movement and loud music. The soloist was a great addition to the piece. He playfully used an old style microphone lowered from the roof and invited the audience into his world and the radio music played at the time.

The first half was comprised entirely of 40’s and 50’s era music. There were many duets and some smaller group pieces. The costumes were ever changing and so was the music.

The second piece was “Fever”, the females of Koresh were clad in white button-ups and did a very sultry dance. The movement was not classical by any means and involved some nearly vulgar moments, but all in good taste. I was very taken with the strong, energetic movement quality of all the dancers.

The next notable piece was “Hit the Road Jack” the combination of the corps of dancers with the two fighting soloists added a very nice dramatic effect. There were some issues here with unison in the corps. The choreography was often repeated with the emphasis based on the words in the song.

The men of Koresh were extremely good partners. They did exactly what they are supposed to do when working with a woman support her and not take the audience’s focus off his partner. However, I was not as equally impressed by the male solo and corps work. They had many issues with unison and they were not technically as proficient as the women.

After intermission we came back to find the company in their white button-up shirts and black pants. There was no music, just an “ok go” given by the lead female. The first minute was done solely to the rhythm created by the bodies moving on stage. Then quite abruptly there was music, a techno pounding aboriginal beat. The movement was very reminiscent of African tribal dances. The main female dancer was captivating with her faster than light pulsating movement. The dancers incorporated sound into the movement which is great to see in more modern works, since it never happens in classical ballet.

The second half of Koresh was one of the most powerful moving works I have seen performed. You don’t have to be a dancer to be moved by a riveting performance of Koresh. If you missed them on Thursday, you missed a great performance. Should you ever be given the opportunity to see them again anywhere take it, you will not be let down.