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Stretching around through almost every country on every continent, this diverse cultural heritage has contributed to the mosaic that is the Jewish community as a whole today. From ancient times in the Land of the Two Rivers (Tigris and Euphrates) to China, from the centuries old communities in Cochin, India to the destination of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria – the history is long and wide. This is a vast treasure chest into which an artist – a choreographer – can dip his hand and draw out different jewels to set into a necklace of dance.

Dance is intrinsic to the basic human need for communication, within oneself, to others, as well as to forces that humans would like to propitiate and thus control. It is used to celebrate, plead, thank and commend. This basic need gave birth to folk dance from which all other dance forms originate whether it is the highly structured classical ballet or the strictly stylized dance of the Bali Temple dancers.

Folk dance also served to soak up energy that might otherwise be used destructively. Therefore, it incorporates elements of competitiveness – one dancer after another showing off a particular movement. It also celebrates an event whether it is a victory in war, a marriage, or a harvest. It is part of religious ritual to thank or please whatever deities the group venerates, as well as to ready warriors for the coming hunt or battle.

Folk dance encapsulates the group’s view of gender interaction running the gamut from complete separation of the sexes, through discrete interaction (holding hands), to orgiastic culmination.

In addition to keeping all this in mind whilst watching folk dance the reviewer is constrained by the accessibility that is inherent in the genre – it looks as if anyone could get up and do it, because that is its original intent. However, when it is presented on stage rather than in the village square and tickets are sold, then it has to be judged on the basis of value received for money exchanged.

The program presented by the Keshet Chaim Dance Company was nicely varied in choice of epoch and cultural scope. From The Offering depicting the pilgrimage to the ancient Temple, to the Ashkenazic Chassidic/Russian Dance, from wandering the desert in Sababa Ba Midbar through From Spain to Jerusalem to The Yemenites as well as Israel of today in Spirit of Israel, one did get fairly varied view of Jewish history and experience.

The Chassidic Dance with the men costumed in typical shtetl (village) fashion couture (black hats trimmed at the ears with fake earlocks and vestigial prayer shawls) included a Bottle Dance sequence a la Fiddler on the Roof which was fun to see. The Yemenites took us from a marriage in which the bride wears her dowry in the form of coins to a group of dancers clad entirely in funky black, pop locking and hip hopping. I’m not sure how it was connected except the program notes said it was to contrast tradition with modernity.

What I really liked throughout was the costuming; it was both colorful and varied not only dance to dance but also within the dances. I find too often that more professional companies have lost sight of the fact that costume for folk dance and celebration has historically been eye catching. One of the ways people celebrate is to change clothes from the dull work-a-day fare to bright color. My one caveat would be that the use of horizontal striping in some of the costumes, as well as some of the belting tended to emphasize a few less than svelte waistlines.

The music was rousing and had the audience clapping and stamping (particularly the man sitting behind me) and I found my own foot tapping throughout. The seventeen dancers, plus I do believe the artistic director, Eytan Avisar, joining in a couple of times, were spirited for the most part – but Avisar most of all. The “graybeard” out did the youngsters in presentation and commitment.

As mentioned earlier, folk dance in the village square is one thing, but on the stage is quite another. There was an edge lacking in the production values and it showed up in the details. In at least three of the six dances, costume parts ended up on the floor – a belt here, a headpiece there. That’s sloppy and inexcusable. Once is an accident, three times is a symptom.

The hesitation before launching into a particular movement or interaction, and the need for recovery after a turn or jump or finish, betrays lack of certainty. The choreography brought the dancers to the edge of their capabilities and checking to see what the other dancers are doing, shows lack of confidence. Breaking out of character before completely disappearing into the wings – bearing in mind that the audience seated on the sides has an extended view into the wings, shows lack of professionalism. Most of these things are fixable if the artistic direction is interested in detail.

Interestingly, the one time the dancers looked really comfortable was in the hip hop section of the Yemeni dance. Their smiles became broader; the “seams” that sew a dance together were suddenly less visible. The dance was crisp, edgy, flashy, all of which was – for the most part – missing in the rest of the program.

Between each of the dances vocalist Gilat Rapaport sang songs connected with the dance just performed. She has a lovely voice and is an animated performer, “dancing” her songs and showing the ease often lacking in the dancers.

On its face professional folk dance is a contradiction in terms, but not when staged and commercially sold. Then it crosses the line and it is a line that this company, while enjoyable, must address.