The Flourishing of Contemporary Dance in Israel Today Ruth Eshel The flourishing of dance in Israel for large companies and in the rich fringe, to national and international media. the last two decades is not self- and between creativity and technique. The "Curtain Up" ("Haramat Masach") evident, and is a sequel of a long and project, an important framework, convoluted path for a nation with a Independent Choreographers supporting productions of independent rather short history of concert dance. experienced choreographers, was For over forty years (1920 – 1964) The development of modern dance established in 1989. Ausdruckstanz was created in pioneer at the beginning of the 90`s flourished conditions in the Yishuv,1 when creativity thanks to the successful timing of The permanent frameworks for Israeli was not supported by technical skill; establishing a number of frameworks, independent creators and the support after thirteen years (1964-1977) of that absorbed, channeled and of the Ministry of Science, Culture and modern American dance influence encouraged the increasing waves of Sports yielded fruit. Following "Curtain when professional companies were achievement of independent fringe Up" (1994) the critic Giora Manor wrote: established, raising technical levels choreographers. The most important, "Something good is happening in the but privileging choreographers from was the establishment of the Suzanne young Israeli choreography field. There abroad that brought an end to local Dellal Center in 1990, under the are always some works which are over creativity; after almost a decade of artistic direction of Yair Vardi. For the affected by known examples, there is fringe development, bringing about an first time, dance had a home that no escape from that. However, in fact, abundance of local creators—finally, provided a forum for achievement, that same spirit of self-creation, of in the 1990s, dance in Israel has which also encouraged and initiated personal expression characterizing the reached maturity. A balance has been frameworks for projects, under Israeli dance in the 1930's and 1940's gained between dance in the leading professional conditions, with exposure has returned, when each dancer is מחול עכשיו | גיליון מס' 14 | אוקטובר 2008 | 63 ארוחת ערב מאת מיה שטרן ותומר שרעבי, צילום: אייל לנדסמן Supper by Maya Stern and Tomer Sharabi, photo: Eyal Landsman required to create on his/her own, and Shamgar with improvisation programs The Leading Dance Companies not only be a skilled performer and a and Sally Ann Friedland (Dance Drama brilliant technician" (Israel Dance, no. 3 Sally Friedland). The soloist dancer Talia In the 1990's the Batsheva 1994, p. 32). Paz put on programs choreographed Dance Company and the Kibbutz especially for her thus opening a new Contemporary Dance Company turned The distinguished, though partial list path for dance performances centered from repertoire dance companies of independent choreographers, who by the performing artist. If in the late into dance companies headed by started creating and performing in 1990's there was a question whether a choreographer with a voice of his the 1990's includes Noa Dar, Anat this was a temporary blossom related own. In 1991, the choreographer Daniely, Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Polak, to one creator or another, this concern Ohad Naharin became the director Tamar Borer, Inbal Ya'akobi, Ido has vanished. In the 2000's a new of the Batsheva Dance Company. Tadmor, Shlomit Fundaminsky, Yossi generation of creators emerged, He reestablished the company's Yungman, Amit Goldberg & Anat Dolev thickening and enriching the activity, presence as an internationally (Da Da Dance), Yasmeen Godder, including creators/dancers such important dance group, his style being Yoram Carmi (Fresco Group), Michal as Shlomi Bitton, Renana Raz, Niv a source of inspiration for many Israeli Hermann & Emmanuel Gat. This list Sheinfeld, Odelya Kuperberg, Ronit choreographers. is joined by senior choreographers/ Ziv, Anat Grigorio, Michal Mualem, Choreographer Rami Be'er has led dancers among them Rina Schenfeld, Arkadi Zaides, Sahar Azimi, Maya the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Nimrod Freed, Mimi Ratz, Amir Kolban Stern, Tomer Sharabi, Idan Cohen, Company to the center of the dance (Kolban Dance), Yossi Tamim, Tamir Sa'ar Magal, Yossi Berg and Hillel map in Israel. Be'er lifted a social and Gintz (Kame'a Dance Company) Anat Kogan, and that is only a partial list. political flag in the 1980's. In the last 62 | מחול עכשיו | גיליון מס' 14 | אוקטובר 2008 decade, his interest in the architectural to prove their connection to the land, and then dancers. Frankness and aspect of dance has increased. its history, and the fact that they were straightforwardness characterize their Israelis, nowadays the choreographers dance which is not polished to the end, Classical ballet in Israel moves along a and the dancers are people who have does not shine as extra fine European different path, detached from modern been born in Israel and live in it. porcelain. dance. In the period of the Yishuv, it even encountered ideological objection. The Israelis are part of a people with an The intensiveness of life, the need to Nevertheless, with vision and adherence ancient and outstanding history, which put on defense masks in view of the Berta Yampolski and Hillel Markman has known within one generation new existential social and political succeeded in establishing The Israeli the holocaust and the miracle of the news repeatedly flooding us, to go Ballet raising dozens of good dancers. fulfillment of the dream of establishing on livings "as if normally" require and Yampolski has been the company's its own State. Yet, reality bites into generate super-energy. They grant sole Israeli choreographer for decades the dream, criticizes it and tries to the Israeli dance inner vitality, which and in fact, the company does not strip it and present it as an innocent stores within it energies on the verge of meet the need of raising a generation and empty tool. Therefore, in Israel, explosion, blocked with ties of restrain, of creators in this genre. maybe more than elsewhere, there is and eventually explode. Therefore, in עבודה עברית מאת רננה רז, צילום: אייל לנדסמן דואטים מאת ניב שיינפלד ואורן לאור, צילום: גדי דגון Duets by Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor, photo: Gadi Dagon Hebrew Work by Renana Raz, photo: Eyal Landsman tension between reality and the contrast to the long and round lines Research dream. Choreographers and dancers of the classical Ballet projecting the are influenced and affected by their security and calmness of the genre, In 1984, director Gila Toledano of surroundings, which finds expression the Israeli dance prefers energies the Israeli Dance Library, initiated the in the text written with the body. which model the body outline from documentation enterprise of the dance within and create sentences in different in Israel, and two years later the Dance What does characterize the Israeli lengths, without a fixed rhythm. These Library was transferred to a specious dancers? In comparison to dancers seem like little pieces of thoughts in and respectable hall in Beit Ariela. in the world, the Israeli dancers are a feverish mind, springing up and In addition, some of the universities generally older. Most of them have declining and alternatively being cut in the country opened courses for completed their military service and short in a sudden fall. higher education studies in dancing, are exposed to the daily political and recently the number of Israelis pressures shared by all Israelis, to the Dance in Israel is mostly expressive studying for their Ph.D in this field has competition of a country blessed with and content permeates through increased. creative talented and ambitious people it, undergoes abstraction and is gathered in a small piece of land. The presented with restrain. In its lyrical and Reflections on locality relative maturity of the Israeli dancers poetic moments, the dance here is in equips them with a "Life history" a state of some glumness of sadness The pioneers who came to the land of – a reservoir of experiences, thoughts and restrain. In the body there is no Israel dreamed about creating Israeli and memories. Their body text is room for dolling up or embellishment. dance or "Mahol Ivri" (Hebrew dance). rich, blunt and impertinent. When It is neither a dance which expresses Contrary to the past, when the people they dance, it seems that there are joy nor a dance which spreads its engaging in dancing came to Israel no partitions between them and the wings to open spaces. It shuts itself from all over the world and desired viewers. The viewers see first people, in rooms, halls or clubs, maybe as self מחול עכשיו | גיליון מס' 14 | אוקטובר 2008 | 61 defense from suicide bombs or maybe has also led to a natural acceptance the pop, the Gipsy and the Yemenite. in order to keep its strength, knowing of the Orient. The integration of Lately choreographer Renanna Raz that it shall be needed, and it cannot Israeli dance into the Orient is not an created, Kazuarot (2007), which draws be dispersed in vain. artificial attempt to deal with eastern inspiration from movement materials figures as was the situation during the of the Druze minority in Israel. The Fashionable topics in the global dance, beginning of the Yishuv period, but a author of these lines has been trying engaging a lot in apocalypse, fear and slow and permeating flow of a cultural for years to create a movement aggressiveness, find their way into the encounter between the Oriental music, lexicon for artistic expression, inspired Israeli dance as well. However, while European and American modern and by the dance tradition of the Ethiopian engaging in them overseas appears to postmodern dance. community. be an expression of general concern about the world's condition, in Israel Integrating oriental belly dance as a The flourishing in Israel embraces these issues receive a close and legitimate component in the modern various aspects of dance, granting it genuine significance.