The Israeli-born, New York-based choreographer Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie is the artistic director of her self-named dance company, Ephrat Asherie Dance. She calls herself a b-girl, and she makes work that is infused by her many experiences in social dance. Asherie premiered Odeon at The Joyce along with a crew of multi-faceted dancers: Manon Bal, Teena Marie Custer, Val ‘Ms. Vee’ Ho, Linda ‘LaNaija’ Madueme, Matthew ‘Megawatt’ West, and Omari Wiles who took on many styles and easily blended each of them. There was fast footwork, the six step, a cypher, and even more moves from the hip hop lexicon. But Asherie adds her own twist. Her brother, Ehud Asherie, with musicians Eduardo Belo, Sergio Krakowski and Ranjan Ramchandani) complimented the dance and musical ride, mixing samba, jazz, house, vogue, plus some ballet and contemporary forms. Although she doesn’t steal the limelight, Asherie, a total team-player definitely stands out, but everyone is there with her. The crew moves as a comfortable unit, but leaves room for each to shine. From the rhythmic clapping that develops and passes through each body part, to floating bodies that land firmly then glides through pattern upon pattern of cannon and suspension, everything step is taken into account. Let’s hope that this is just the beginning and there will be more.
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