Batsheva Dance Company performed at BAM this spring.

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on March 8^th was filled with silence as everyone focused on the dancers of the Batsheva Dance Company . The high altitude of the orchestra seats might scare you, however, when looking at the ceiling, the thoughts of pecan pie come to mind. The lights shut off and you stare into the black space around you. As Hora begins, a bright green stage, built like a cardboard box, becomes the center of focus as dancers walk gracefully onstage to sit on a bench. Black colored clothing was the theme presenting a calm yet ecstatic environment from the bright stage. Once the performers walk off the bench, it’s an hour filled with precise movements, with or without the music, and the colorful moves of their body. Arms flail around and legs swish in the air as I try to decipher what is going on. The first musical piece I recognize is the Star Wars “Main Title” which was very enjoyable and fun to follow.

Without music the dancers still managed to stay in sync with one another. You could almost feel how concentrated they were when everything was dead silent and the performers were moving about the stage with accurate movements. The lighting would dim here and there and then all of a sudden brighten as if it were telling the audience to pay attention to this part of their routine. Ohad Naharin from the Batsheva Dance Company has created a piece of art with no clear storyline yet has left enough information for the audience to interpret it in different ways. Watching dance performances isn’t the number one thing on my to-do list and although it’s sometimes hard to comprehend, its something fun to ponder on to try and find the meaning.

Check out a 2009 video of “Hora”: