–as seen in Asheville Citizen Times / Asheville Scene, March 14, 2025.
The lights are up, the music begins, and shadows flicker across the stage as masked figures move in hypnotic unison. A lone singer approaches, her operatic voice undulating through the darkness. Dancers begin to swirl around her, their movements fluid and haunting — blurring the line between sound and motion, reality and illusion.
This is Koresh Dance Company’s 2023 masterpiece, “Masquerade,” which brings to life a mesmerizing world where hidden identities reveal raw truths, and movement speaks louder than words.
“’Masquerade’ exists like a dream. It could be the 17th century one moment and 2040 the next,” said choreographer Ronen “Roni” Koresh, founder and artistic director of Koresh Dance.
In the months and years following the COVID-19 pandemic, Koresh, like countless others, had masks on his mind. When covering his face in public, he felt a sense of anonymity, and it got him curious about the art of — and reasons for — disguise. For centuries, masquerade balls created a space where social boundaries blurred, allowing people to step outside their identities — sometimes to conceal, sometimes to reveal. Koresh began to create backstories for these masked characters in his mind, dreaming up a world of intrigue where hidden faces gave way to unfiltered expression.
“I envisioned ‘Masquerade’ as kind of a ‘Twilight Zone’ episode — an alternate reality where you don’t know what is real and what is not,” Koresh explained. “Masquerades, in the old days, were thrown in the courts of kings and queens, and while they were masked, it allowed them to be more honest with themselves. When you hide your face, you reveal your heart — though you might not always like what you find.” In the choreographic work, “there are moments of drama, moments of comedy, moments with heart. And then, when the masquerade is over, you have the experience of knowing these people as they really are.”
To create the perfect liminal soundscape for his dancers to embody the surreal, Koresh sought out the talents of American soprano and composer Sage DeAgro-Ruopp, a classically trained opera singer who had been taking dance classes with the company around that time.
“She invited me to come see her perform, and I was just blown away. I told her I would love to maybe work on a project together,” Koresh said, “one where we dance to her live music.” In their finished work, DeAgro-Ruopp acts as “a chameleon” on stage, transforming from a mysterious observer to a central figure in the performance. “She is a representative for different ideas and emotions, heightening whatever is happening at the time. At one point, she represents death. In another, she represents harmony. Her character changes and moves with the story, and she’s so brilliant it draws you in like a magnet.”
Koresh Dance Company brings its unique operatic work to Asheville’s Wortham Center for the Performing Arts for two nights of “Masquerade” on Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22. This is not the first time the Philadelphia-based dance company, which Koresh founded in 1991, has performed in Asheville — their last local performance was in January 2016 — and it’s not likely to be the last.
“Asheville is one of my favorite towns in the United States, and I’m so thankful to be invited back again,” Koresh said. “We’re all so excited to return and lift everyones’ spirits, especially after what you’ve all been through. Asheville has shared so much of its beauty with us, and we just want to share some of that beauty back.”
WANT TO GO?
What: Koresh Dance Company presents “Masquerade”
When: 10 a.m. March 21; 8 p.m. March 21 and 22
Where: Diana Wortham Theatre at the Wortham Center, 18 Biltmore Ave., Asheville
