Hadassah (dancer)

Hadassah
Spray-paint portrait of Hadassah by Solomon Souza
Born
Hadassah Spira

(1909-12-30)December 30, 1909
Jerusalem, Ottoman Palestine
DiedNovember 18, 1992(1992-11-18) (aged 82)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Dancer, choreographer, dance instructor
Years active1938–1988
SpouseMilton Epstein
Career
Former groupsKenji Hinoke Japanese Dance Company
Hadassah and Company
DancesClassical Indian dance, Javanese dance, Balinese dance, Jewish dance

Hadassah Spira Epstein (December 30, 1909 – November 18, 1992), professional name Hadassah, was a Jerusalem-born American dancer, choreographer, and instructor specializing in Indian, Javanese, Balinese, and Jewish dance. Credited as a pioneer of Indian and Israeli dance in the United States,[1] her choreography reflected both aspects and styles of ethnic and folk culture and her own deeply-held spiritual beliefs. Her signature dance, "Shuvi Nafshi" ("Return O My Soul") (1947) was based on a verse in Psalm 116.

Hadassah began performing in New York City in 1938 and made her professional debut as a solo artist in 1945. She performed through the mid-1970s. She was widely praised for her choreography and performance; an obituary in The New York Times described her as "a performer of special eloquence".[2] She opened her own dance company in 1950. Later she taught many students in the United States, and was a faculty member, board member, and chairperson of the Ethnic Division of the New Dance Group, the largest school of dance in New York.

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