Hadassah | |
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![]() Spray-paint portrait of Hadassah by Solomon Souza | |
Born | Hadassah Spira December 30, 1909 |
Died | November 18, 1992 New York City, U.S. | (aged 82)
Occupation(s) | Dancer, choreographer, dance instructor |
Years active | 1938–1988 |
Spouse | Milton Epstein |
Career | |
Former groups | Kenji Hinoke Japanese Dance Company Hadassah and Company |
Dances | Classical 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.