Batsheva Dance Company

This article is about the Israeli dance troupe. For the Biblical figure, see Bathsheba.

Batsheva Dance Company, 2007

The Batsheva Dance Company (Hebrew: להקת בת שבע) is an internationally acclaimed dance company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was founded by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva De Rothschild in 1964.

Batshva's inception was marked by Israel's growing interest in American modern dance, mainly Martha Graham and Anna Sokolow, and classes in Graham technique began being offered at the time. Some of these classes were taught by Rina Schenfeld and Rena Gluck, who were the company's principal dancers for many years. Bethsabee de Rothschild withdrew her funding in 1975, and the company began to gradually shed the Graham aesthetic that had dominated during the company's early years. It was during this transitional period that the company began to include the works of emerging Israeli choreographers into its repertory.

Soon after Ohad Naharin was appointed artistic director in 1990, he founded the youth company, Batsheva Ensemble, for dancers aged between 18 and 24. Its graduates include the choreographers Hofesh Shechter and Itzik Galili. The ensemble toured the United Kingdom and performed at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2012.

See also

• Dance in Israel
• Culture of Israel
• Piotr Giro

External links

• Official website
• Batsheva Dance Company: From Graham to Gaga
• Getting to Know the Batsheva Ensemble
• “Deca Dance” in Israel
• “MAX” - Connecting to Ohad Naharin’s Choreography
• Batsheva Ensemble in Ohad Naharin’s “Kyr/Z/na”
• Batsheva Dance Company: Ohad Naharin’s “Shalosh” (“Three”)
• Batsheva Dance Company Premieres Sharon Eyal’s “Bill”
• Sharon Eyal’s “Bill” is Back at Batsheva Dance Company
• Archival footage of Batsheva Dance Company performing Deca Dance in 2004 at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
• Ohad Naharin & Tabaimo’s “Furo”