Pauline Adamek
The Soraya’s resident dance company Ballet BC returned with a trio of modern ballets that defy description. How do you find the words to capture and convey the experience of these utterly thrilling dance works?
Presented for one night only, (consider becoming a subscriber member for future events), the evening’s program featured three dance pieces. Dramatic lighting, engrossing soundscapes and unusual scenic design (by Medhi Walerski) formed a creative commonality that unified all three dance works:
LILA, a brand new work choreographed by Sofia Nappi.
Lighting for LILA was designed by Matthew Piton; the score includes “Staumauer” by Kangding Ray (David Letellier), “I Would Like” by Deru (Benjamin Wynn), “Sofrimento” by Waldemar Bastos, Bach’s Adagio (after Violin Concerto No. 2), “Un Mundo Raro” by Chavela Vargas, and “Heavens Dust 2” by Michael Wall.
SWAY, choreographed by Medhi Walerski.
Lighting for SWAY was designed by Lisette van der Linden and Pierre Pontvianne with an original score composed by Adrien Cronet.
BOLERO X, choreographed by Shahar Binyamini.
Lighting for BOLERO X was designed by by Shahar Binyamini, with Matthew Piton as Associate Lighting Designer, and the choreography was set to Maurice Ravel’s Boléro, M. 81.
For LILA, choreographer Sofia Nappi crafted a beautiful dance for sixteen dancers.
This was an all-new work by Nappi that proved a riveting and thoroughly engrossing modern ballet. For her conceptual starting point, Nappi used the notion of līlā which is a Sanskrit concept meaning “divine play.” This piece proved a stunning testament to the power of collective movement. Shaping the rhythmic movement of these sixteen dancers, the choreography weaves intricate patterns that balance precision with fluidity, creating an evocative and immersive experience. Nappi’s keen attention to detail and spatial dynamics allows each performer to shine individually while contributing to a harmonious whole. The result is a beautifully layered work that lingers long after the final step.
SWAY, choreographed by Medhi Walerski, received its U.S. premiere at this event.
With its breakdance-inspired movements, this work was a quietly powerful meditation on hope and human connection. Medhi Walerski brought his signature lyrical movement style to the Soraya stage. Inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem “Hope is the thing with feathers,” the choreography wove fluid duets and diverse groupings for seven dancers, creating a contrasting sense of weight and loft, of fragility and strength.
The atmosphere created onstage felt ethereal yet grounded. The vast stage was illuminated dimly with a warm, otherworldly glowing hues, complemented by Adrien Cronet’s richly layered, electro-acoustic score. Highlights included moments of exquisite partnering: long, elongated limbs reaching out, bodies fusing and repelling, echoing the push-and-pull of emotional longing. Walerski’s movement language feels understated yet deeply expressive, selecting nuance over spectacle, and communicating deeply felt emotions. At its heart, SWAY is less about narrative and more about presence. This performance at The Soraya captured that poignancy and elegance, leaving us marveling at beauty underpinned with drama.
The evening concluded with BOLERO X, choreographed by Shahar Binyamini.
Taking an interpretation of Ravel’s famous composition Boléro as his inspiration, the elaborate piece was performed by members of the Ballet BC company who were joined by dancers from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in a sweeping, high-energy performance. All in all, fifty dancers collaborated to present this astonishing work. The pulse and drama of the music, as it builds in intensity, forms the power beneath this extraordinary ballet.
Ravel’s Boléro is already a hypnotic masterwork built on a single, relentlessly repeating melody. Its brilliance lies not in harmonic complexity but in orchestration and crescendo. The central musical theme passes through a kaleidoscope of instruments, each repetition gaining intensity, while the constant snare drum rhythm propells the piece forward. Over its 15–17 minute duration, the music transforms this simple repetition into a mesmerizing, almost ritualistic experience, making it one of the most audacious and enduring works in the classical repertoire. Pair this familiar composition with the pulsing rhythms of fifty dancers onstage, rushing in and out of shadows, and engaging with each other, and you have a dance work that forms a triumphant finale to a blisteringly brilliant evening of dance.
To learn more, you are invited to listen to this interview with Choreographer Shahar Binyamini on the Soraya‘s site.
Ballet BC Program
Composer Maurice Ravel’s Boléro is nearly a century old, yet it remains a constant musical underscoring in our lives. From television commercials to marching bands, the long steady crescendo is mesmerizing and euphoric. In the hands of Israeli choreographer Shahar Binyamini, the pulsating drive and excitement multiply in BOLÉRO X, and this is reflected in the ranks of Ballet BC dancers, tripling their forces. The members of The Soraya’s resident company will be joined by dancers from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance for a work that received emphatic reviews in Montreal and Vancouver, British Columbia, hailed as “breathtaking,” “a triumph,” and “a sweeping expression of joy.”
The polished and mesmerizing SWAY from Ballet BC Artistic Director and French choreographer Medhi Walerski, makes its Soraya debut. With inspiration taken from the lines of Emily Dickinson’s “Hope is the thing with feathers” (1862), SWAY is a sophisticated work for seven dancers where Walerski’s inimitable movement language — infused with elegance and nuance — shines bright.
“Medhi Walerski is one of the great figures in the dance world – dancer, choreographer, and now Artistic Director of Ballet BC. He is known worldwide for his outsized contribution to contemporary ballet, in a professional life that is still in the earliest stages of its unfolding. We are fortunate to have such a vital and robust partnership with Ballet BC and proud to include them as our dance company-in-residence.”
Thor Steingraber, Soraya Executive and Artistic Director.
Program details:
LILA by Sofia Nappi
SWAY by Medhi Walerski
BOLERO X by Shahar Binyamini
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)
18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330
The Soraya’s Dance Company-in-Residence
Ballet BC was named The Soraya’s dance company-in-residence in 2023, ahead of its third visit to the venue, and had two world premieres at The Soraya on May 6, 2023 — Passing by Swedish born, former Nederlands Dans Theater dancer, and award-winning choreographer Johan Inger, and 20 People by Israeli dancer and choreographer Roy Assaf. The company’s most recent performance at The Soraya on Nov. 23, 2024, featured Medhi Walerski’s Chamber and Silent Tides, and Crystal Pite’s Frontier.
The 2025-26 Season marks the company’s fifth engagement at The Soraya.
About Ballet BC
Ballet BC (Ballet British Columbia) is a collaborative and creation-based company based in Vancouver, Canada, currently under the leadership of Artistic Director Medhi Walerski. The company has made a unique and valuable contribution to the development of contemporary dance both at home and around the world. Dancers comprising the Vancouver-based company hail from many nations, including Spain, Italy, Great Britain, France, Israel, and – of course – Canada.
Led by Walerski, Ballet BC is Canada’s preeminent contemporary dance company. Founded in 1986 by David Y. H. Lui, Jean Orr and Sheila Begg, with Annette av Paul as founding Artistic Director, Ballet BC has been at the forefront of the creation, production, and education of contemporary dance in Canada and around the world for almost 40 years. Ballet BC aims to create dance at its most essential: visceral, thought-provoking, and transformative. Attracting top international talent, its twenty dancers are a group of open-minded and curious artists, each unique for their dynamic movement while sharing an intuitive passion for their art form.
The company is deeply committed to creation and collaboration and presents a diverse repertoire that seeks to push the art form forward. Choreographers include William Forsythe, Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, Medhi Walerski, Crystal Pite, Johan Inger, Imre and Marne van Opstal, Adi Salant, Jiří Kylian, Micaela Taylor, Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, and Out Innerspace.
Through its bold and distinctive style and approach, Ballet BC has made a unique contribution to the awareness and development of dance in Canada and around the world. The company performs throughout each season at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre, and on tour at the world’s most renowned stages.
Beyond its performances, the company is a leader and resource in the community through a wide range of education and professional development initiatives, which aim to share the power of dance with the widest audience possible.
About the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for The Performing Arts (The Soraya) is an award-winning, state of-the-art 1,700-seat theatre that opened in 2011 as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC). Through a transformative gift by Younes and Soraya Nazarian, the venue was renamed The Soraya in 2017. The Soraya is located on the campus of California State University Northridge, the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley.
Executive and Artistic Director Thor Steingraber, in his 12th year leading the organization, sums up what makes The Soraya a central piece of Los Angeles arts and culture. “At The Soraya, we hold a high standard of excellence for every performance from a vast array of artistic disciplines, and we hold steadfast to our commitment to the value and impact of the performing arts in community-building, for the Valley’s 1.8 million residents and beyond.”
The Soraya’s 2025-26 Season is a journey through the expansive sounds of orchestras, the freestyle vibes of jazz, the innovations of dance luminaries, and a vast array of global voices. The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to excelling, innovating, and amplifying access for Valley residents, students, and arts lovers across Southern California.
Terry Morgan