What is Dance In Israel?

DanceInIsrael.com is an online English-language resource about, well, dance in Israel.  It includes written articles, photographs, audio interviews, videos, and more.

Why have an English-language resource?

Because Israel is a part of the global dance scene – and increasingly a recognized center of contemporary dance – it is imperative to have English-language resources for people who do not read Hebrew.

Why make an online resource?

With an online platform, the information on Dance In Israel will be available everywhere in the world, to anyone who has an internet connection.

Secondly, because it is online, Dance In Israel will be a dynamic resource.  It will continue to develop and grow with new content over time.  It will also facilitate dialogue among practitioners, writers, and enthusiasts through comments on blog posts and other interactive elements on the website.

What kind of dance is featured on Dance In Israel?

Dance In Israel focuses on concert dance, an umbrella term for genres of dance which are performed on the concert stage.  Some examples of concert dance are contemporary dance, modern dance, ballet, jazz, and tap dance.

Dance In Israel’s primary focus is contemporary dance, a broad title for the concert dance forms which stemmed from modern dance in the late 20th century.  Contemporary dance (still called “modern dance” in some places) is evolving today in studios and theaters.  It is the predominant form of concert dance in Israel.

About the founders

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About the author

Deborah Friedes Galili is an independent dancer and dance scholar based in Tel Aviv. She holds a BA in dance history from Brown University and an MFA in dance from The Ohio State University.

In 2007-2008, Deborah researched Israeli contemporary dance thanks to a Fulbright grant funded by the U.S.-Israel Educational Foundation and hosted by the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance (JAMD).  Throughout her Fulbright year, she blogged on The Winger and podcasted interviews with Israeli dance professionals on Israel Seen.  Her writing has subsequently been published in Dance Magazine, the Forward, and The Jerusalem Post.  Deborah also lectures about Israeli contemporary dance and is available to speak both in person and via webcam.  She is currently teaching a survey course about dance in Israel for DanceJerusalem, a study abroad program initiated by the JAMD and Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School.  Deborah works in Tel Aviv as an administrator for Gaga and is a certified Gaga teacher.  Her book, Contemporary Dance in Israel, was published in early 2012 in both English and Spanish by Asociación Cultural Danza Getxo.  In 2013, her article about issues of reconstruction in Israeli contemporary dance was published in the anthology Dance on Its Own Terms: Histories and Methodologies (Oxford University Press).  Her article “Gaga: Moving beyond Technique with Ohad Naharin in the Twenty-First Century” was published in the peer-reviewed journal Dance Chronicle in 2015.

Deborah immigrated to Israel in the fall of 2008 and is excited to share what she has learned on Dance In Israel.

You can contact Deborah at [email protected].

About the blog builder

Tal Galili is the “tech head” behind Dance In Israel.  A passionate web activist with a mission to get people online, he has built more than fifteen blogs in Hebrew and English, including the Hummus Blog and Berlin-o-philia.  Tal has also played a major role in organizing WordCamp Israel 2007 and 2008, a convention of bloggers and web-builders who use the WordPress platform.

A blogger by night, by day Tal is conducting research for his doctoral degree in Statistics at the Tel Aviv University and works as a teaching assistant.

You can contact Tal at [email protected].

Special thanks

Much of the content on Dance In Israel was supported by a Fulbright grant funded by the U.S.-Israel Educational Foundation and hosted by the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.   Israel Seen/Steve Ornstein and The Winger/Kristin Sloan generously provided the initial outlets for some of the text and podcasts now on Dance In Israel.  Nitzan Sitzer lent his magnificent voice to the podcast introductions.  Ya’el Morowati deserves credit for Deborah Friedes’s headshot.  Arielle Blattner creatively crafted Dance In Israel’s logo.

Many scholars, teachers, and administrators have provided information and assistance during Deborah’s ongoing research.  Finally, todah raba – thank you – to the choreographers and dancers who have offered their videos, voices, photographs, and above all, their artistry.

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