As part of a series of lectures, Dr Talia Perlshtein, head of the dance department at the Orot Israel College of Education in Tel Aviv, provided fascinating insights into the development of contemporary Israeli dance. Her lecture ‘Windows of the Soul of Contemporary Israeli Dance’ traced how a globally recognised dance culture has developed from the combination of Middle Eastern traditions and Western innovations.

The focus was on two main trends:

Middle Eastern roots: from Sara Levi-Tanai to Orly Portal

As early as 1949, Sara Levi-Tanai founded the Inbal Dance Company, in which she combined Yemeni music and rituals with modern stage dance. Her work is regarded as the foundation stone for a unique Israeli dance language.

A current representative of this line is Orly Portal. Her choreographies interweave Sufi dance, belly dance and modern techniques, thus building a bridge between tradition and the present.

Western influences: The Batsheva Dance Company and Ohad Naharin

The professionalisation of Israeli dance along Western lines began with the founding of the Batsheva Dance Company in 1964 by Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild. Initially strongly influenced by Martha Graham, the company found its own unmistakable movement language from 1990 onwards under the artistic direction of Ohad Naharin: ‘Gaga’.

Naharin’s works such as Kyr, Anaphase and The Hole not only characterised Israeli dance, but also set international standards for artistic innovation and social reflection.

A multi-layered picture

In her lecture, Dr Perlshtein succeeded in vividly conveying how Israeli dance is constantly reinventing itself through the dialogue between cultural heritage and contemporary aesthetics. We would like to thank her warmly for this inspiring insight!