by Grace Passannante ’20, Staff Writer
This Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 PM in Wellin Hall, Hamilton College will host the Ephrat Asherie Dance Group for the first time. The New York-based dance group, directed by Ephrat Asherie, performs street and social dance. They have performed in a wide variety of locations, including New York City, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, California, and Spain. In addition to their upcoming performance at Hamilton, they will perform at Columbia College Chicago on Oct. 11, as well as at the University of California, San Diego on Feb. 28. The group’s recent repertoire includes “Riff this, Riff that” (2016), which explores the authentic jazz roots of breaking, hip-hop, and house, “Step 4.2” (2014), which is a modern-day pas de deux, and “For Nina” (2013), which pays homage to vocalist, pianist, and civil rights activist Nina Simone.
The performance at Hamilton on Saturday is called “Odeon.” “Odeon” is an intense, hip-hop hybrid work, inspired by the music of Ernesto Nazareth, an early 20th-century Brazilian composer. Asherie’s inspiration for Odeon stems from her desire to collaborate with her brother, Ehud Asherie, a jazz pianist. Ehud plays much of music composed by Nazareth, so the siblings decided to create a performance to go with Nazareth’s music. The music is classical and romantic, with the addition of popular Brazilian rhythms. Asherie says that her brother brings out the percussive sound in the music, which connects to the African-based dance styles that she incorporates in her choreography. The title “Odeon” comes from one of Asherie’s favorite Nazareth songs. The name also represents the Greek and Roman building where people once gathered for performances.
Asherie is a 2016 Bessie Award Winner for Innovative Achievement in Dance. As a New York-based dancer and choreographer, she has presented her work at venues such as the Apollo Theater, New York Live Arts, and Summerstage. She attended Barnard at Columbia College, where she received a degree in Italian. She then attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she received her MFA for her research of the vernacular jazz roots of contemporary street and club dances. Asherie has been a faculty member at Wesleyan University and has set pieces for students at SUNY Brockport, Alvin Ailey Dance Center, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Texas Tech University. She currently teaches at Broadway Dance Center and is a founding member of the all-female house dance collective, MAWU.
Asherie enjoys collaborating with her brother, Ehud, but finds the sibling dynamic difficult to work with at times. Asherie remarks that she and her brother are not afraid to tell each other how they feel, and are both fairly stubborn, which sometimes sparks arguments. She acknowledges, however, that their mutual love for Nazareth’s music makes working together easier and more enjoyable.
The College’s Performing Arts Administrator, Michelle Reiser-Memmer, who books the performing art series in Wellin Hall, attended the Ephrat Asherie showcase in New York City last January and was struck by the interesting variety of dance and Asherie’s ability to work with live musicians. Reiser-Memmer appreciated Asherie’s use of street and social dance choreography and thought that it might appeal to students.
In addition to their performance at the Wellin, the Ephrat Asherie Dance group will host a master class this Friday, Oct. 5, for students enrolled in modern dance classes. Elaine Heekin, professor of Dance and Movement Studies, believes that the master class will introduce students to an entirely different way of moving. It will expose them to a hybrid approach to movement that incorporates breaking, hip-hop, and vogue. The dance group also offers dance classes that are open to all skill levels at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
If you are free this Saturday night, the Ephrat Asherie Dance Group will perform in Wellin Hall. Student tickets are available for $5.
