Annual report 2015 - להקת מחול בת-שבע

‫יצירה — סטודיו — במה‬
2015
Annual Report
BatSheva Dance
Company ‫דוח שנתי‬
‫להקת מחול‬
)‫בת־שבע (ע״ר‬
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ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Opening
‫סטודיו — במה‬
Remarks
— ‫יצירה‬
Dear Batsheva community members,
In 2015, Batsheva marked 25 years of artistic management by Ohad
Naharin. During that time, Ohad and the Company have attained
extraordinary artistic achievements and gained world renown. Ohad
Naharin is a prolific artist of boundless energies, constantly surprising
and innovating. Thus, last June the Company premiered Ohad’s new
piece, ‫״‬Last Work‫״‬, which was received enthusiastically by audiences
and performed for full houses. Almost 30,000 spectators saw the
piece last year, both in Israel and abroad.
Cover: "Last Work" by Ohad Naharin, 2015. Center: Shamel Pitts
One of Batsheva’s guidelines is the diversity of production it offers its
audiences. Together with Ohad Naharin’s works, last December the
Batsheva Ensemble performed Danielle Agami’s newest piece,
”And Still“. The Ensemble also performed Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar’s
”BILL“, in a fresh and exciting version.
The Company’s constant reinvention is also expressed in changes
in its composition. During the last season, five new dancers joined
Batsheva, including three who “stepped up” from the Young
Ensemble, which also celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.
Recall that the Young Ensemble had been created by Ohad Naharin
upon his arrival at Batsheva in order to train youngsters, promote
talent and cultivate a new audience, and it has been steadfastly
loyal to this important mission. In recent years, it has even exceeded
expectations by demonstrating a degree of professionalism typical
of mature and adult companies. The Ensemble put on 67 evening
performances in Israel and 18 abroad. Among other things, it
premiered ”Decadance“ in New York to high critical acclaim.
In recent years, public discourse has been preoccupied with
cultivating Israel’s socio-geographical periphery. Batsheva is no
exception: for many years, it has been performing for diverse
audiences throughout the country, and considers it a calling to
offer contemporary dance to remote rural areas where audiences
have little exposure to this art form. In 2015, about a quarter of the
Company’s performances in Israel were held outside Tel Aviv, and of
all spectators during that year, about 40% were from towns other
than Tel Aviv. The Ensemble also performed frequently outside
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
‫יצירה — סטודיו — במה‬
the city for young audiences, including 32 morning performances for
some 9,000 children and youth in schools all over the country.
One of Batsheva’s characteristics as an international dance company
is the number of foreign dancers. This characteristic contributes
immensely to its unique spirit and achievements. Nevertheless, a
series of laws designed to restrict the employment of non-citizens
in Israel, motivated by the need to regulate the job market as a
whole, make it difficult for the foreign dancers to remain in Israel and
obstructs the Company both artistically and economically. Over the
past year, Batsheva offered financial compensation to foreign dancers
affected by changes in income tax regulations, and at the same time
initiated an amendment to the 1952 Entry to Israel Law. This proposed
amendment may eventually change attitudes towards foreign
dancers and performers in general.
During the past year as well, Batsheva managed to raise about
a quarter of its budget from donations by its friends and loyal
supporters. However, the building of its new home in the Neve
Sha’anan Arts Center requires fundraising on a much larger scale,
even considering the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality’s generous support
for the project. This challenge requires Batsheva to develop new
resource development capabilities both in Israel and abroad, and to
find and cultivate new sponsors and supporters. We are confident in
this project’s success and of the continued support of the Company’s
longstanding and loyal friends.
I congratulate Batsheva and the entire community of its friends and
supporters and wish all of us that this year will be as exciting and
successful as the previous one.
Ittamar Givton,
Chair of the Board
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Opening
‫סטודיו — במה‬
Remarks
— ‫יצירה‬
‫יצירה — סטודיו — במה‬
Dear friends,
This annual report requires us to pause and review the past year. This always
seems very distant because we are constantly in the midst of an intensive
present, where many things happen simultaneously. Pausing, however, offers
an opportunity to look back, and this was a year of very good work in the
studio, onstage and in the office, a year of refinement and improvement,
with many moments of beauty and quality.
The good review of 2015 belongs to everyone – the dancers and artistic staff, the
administrative and technical teams, members of the public council and board,
the loyal donors who believe in us and in our vision, and the large audiences
supporting us, here in our city and throughout the country and the world.
Together with our artistic activities, two significant and noteworthy events
occurred this past year. The first is related to the dancers’ welfare – which
is always a top priority for us – and involves mainly a long-awaited raise
in the senior company dancers’ salaries. This move was enabled by an
extraordinarily generous donation dedicated to this specific purpose.
Another touching show of support enabled us to protect the wages of
our foreign dancers, after a cruel amendment in income tax regulations
applicable to migrant workers affected their bottom line.
The second important development is the considerable progress in the
project of building us a home of our own, the Neve Sha’anan Arts Campus.
We are delighted to inform you that the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality joined the
project as a full partner. According to Mayor Ron Huldai:
“The Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality has made tremendous efforts in
recent years to stimulate urban renewal in Neve Sha’anan and, sees
culture as an important catalyst for such growth. We hope that the
establishment of the Batsheva Campus, the home of one of our most
important artistic and cultural institutions, will generate diverse and
international artistic activity of the highest level, alongside social and
educational activities to benefit the residents of this neighborhood,
the district, and the city at large”.
We are now at the start of the process of raising funds for this project and are
excited to continue and intensify our cooperation with the various municipal
authorities towards its realization.
Happy days,
Dina Aldor
General Director
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
Ohad Naharin
Artistic Director
Adi Salant
Co-Artistic Director
Right: Last Work by Ohad Naharin, 2015. Dancers: Or Meir Schraiber, Olivia Ancona
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ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Creation — Studio — Stage
Creation — Studio — Stage
During Batsheva’s 51st season, the senior company performed
a new, full-length piece by Ohad Naharin: Last Work. The
Young Ensemble performed a new and original piece,
And Still, a new commission by Danielle Agami.
Last Work 2015
by ohad naharin
Premiere: June 2015 —Performed by 18 Batsheva dancers —
65 minutes without intermission — Lighting design: Avi Yona
Bueno (Bambi) — Costume design: Eri Nakamura — Original music:
Grisha LICHTENBERGER — Soundtrack editing: Maxim Waratt
Left: Last Work by Ohad Naharin, 2015. Dancers: Zina (Natalya) Zinchenko, Omri Drumlevich
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BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
Since its first staging, Last Work has been identified by many as another
masterpiece in Naharin’s oeuvre. The Dresden and Montpellier festivals
joined as co-producers in staging this piece, and it was performed in
those festivals immediately after its Israeli premieres. Last Work was also
supported by the New Works Fund of the American Friends of Batsheva.
It was met by the audience with enthusiasm, both in live performances and
social media, and was subsequently invited to multiple performances abroad
in the 2016-17 seasons.
“The finest work i can remember is Last Work... It is the one that
outshines all the others in its uniqueness, freshness and depth”.
Ruth Eshel, ‫״‬Summary of this year in culture‫״‬, Gallery supplement,
Haaretz, September 2015
“This piece is breathtaking for the extraordinary dancing by the
Batsheva dancers, and the way Mr. Naharin can evoke states of
pleasure, pain, madness and a kind of animality –
a sheer state of being in the body – through his movement”
Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, June 2015
Total number of spectators in Israel and abroad in 2015: 28,609
In Tel Aviv: 11,819 — Outside Tel Aviv: 6,130 — Abroad: 10,660
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Creation — Studio — Stage
BILL 2010
by Sharon Eyal
and Gai Behar
And Still 2015
by Danielle Agami
And Still
Premiere: December 2015 — Performed by 18 Young Ensemble dancers
— 30 minutes — Lighting design: Avi Yona Bueno (Bambi) — Costume
design: Eri Nakamura — Stage Design: Amir Raveh
BILL
Performed by 18 Young Ensemble dancers — 30 minutes —Lighting
design: Avi Yona Bueno (Bambi) — Original music and soundtrack:
Ori Lichtik, Sharon Eyal, and Gai Behar — Costume design: Sharon Eyal
and Gai Behar
Danielle Agami was invited by Ohad Naharin to create a new work on
Batsheva – the Young Ensemble, And Still.
Agami danced with Batsheva between 2002-2010. In 2007-2009 she
produced the Batsheva Dancers Create series, and served as Rehearsal
Director for the senior company in 2008-2010. Agami later moved to New
York, where she was put in charge of Gaga USA. She has been invited to
create works throughout the world, most recently by White Bird Music
Center Los Angeles and the Industry Opera. In 2012 she founded her own
dance company ATE9 in Seattle, realizing in full her unique artistic voice as a
dancer, creator, and teacher.
Alongside this piece, the Ensemble performed a shorter version of Bill by
Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, originally produced in 2010.
“Both pieces are enchanting beyond the movement language and
execution. The stage is full, saturated with magic that spills over to
the spectators, enwraps and enraptures them”.
Ruth Eshel, Haaretz, December 2015
Total number of spectators of And Still / BILL in 2015 — 1,832
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
‫יצירה — סטודיו — במה‬
Right: And Still by Danielle Agami, 2015. Dancer: Korina Fraiman
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Right: BILL by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, 2010. Dancer: Etay Axelrod
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ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Batsheva Dancers Create
Performances — Repertoire
PORCH
An evening of creations by
Batsheva – the Young Ensemble
THREE 2005
by ohad naharin
In 2015, Batsheva renewed THREE, Ohad Naharin’s classic 2005 masterpiece,
commissioned for a week of performances by the Paris Opera House in early
2016. The renewal of this masterpiece for the Paris Opera House enabled
the Company to perform it also in Israel. Here, THREE was performed both
in front of new audiences who have not had the opportunity of seeing it
performed live on stage, and in front of audiences that have seen it in the
past and could now revisit it anew.
The Ensemble staged Porch in June 2015 as part of Batsheva
Dancers Create, the traditional annual workshop supported
by the Michael Sela Fund for Cultivation of Young Artists
at Batsheva. The workshop offers dancers production and
marketing resources to stage an evening of their independent
choreography. As in the past, these evenings have attracted
considerable interest and media coverage, and the Ensemble
staged multiple public performances.
Works by Etay Axelrod, Yael Ben Ezer, Chiaki Horita, Ido Gidron, Madison
Hoke, Gil Hacohen, Lenny Hassin, Matan Cohen, Yonatan (Yoni) Simone,
Amalia Smith, Shane Scopatz, Yankalle Filtser, Doron Perk, Kelvin Vu —
Performed by the Ensemble dancers and guests — 80-90 minutes.
The evening was accompanied by an art exhibition in Studio Dalia, where
the dancers demonstrated their skills in additional areas such as painting and
photography.
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Short Film by Etay Axelrod
Muddle by Yael Ben Ezer and
Chiaki Horita
Room No. 1 by Ido Gidron
Green Gown by Madison Hoke
The Bus Fell Off The Cliff by
Gil Hacohen
Four Kings by Kelvin Vu
Lemons And Rhythm by
Lenny Hassin
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Adjustment And Wrinkles by
Lenny Hassin
The Dive by Matan Cohen
Shimmy by Yoni Simone
Hour by Amalia Smith
Nature 1 by Shane Scopatz
Otosan by Yankalle Filtser
Hirhur Amok by Doron Perk
Total number of spectators of Porch in Israel — 733
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
“Scholarly, sexy, precise and incredibly complex”
Sharon Tamir, Mako, January 2016
Total number of spectators of THREE in Israel — 1,074
Right: THREE by Ohad Naharin, 2005. Center: Ian Robinson, Or Meir Schraiber
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ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Performances — Repertoire
‫יצירה — סטודיו — במה‬
2015 Repertoire:
Last Work — THREE — MAX
— Project Secus — The Hole
— Sadeh21 — Decadance —
Kamuyot — Deca’le —
And Still / BILL
Performance Runs
Last Work 2015 — Tel Aviv 32 • Dresden, Germany 3 • Prague, Czech Republic
2• Montpellier, France 2 • Melbourne, Australia 2
And Still / BILL 2015 — Tel Aviv 7
Project Secus 2014 — Tel Aviv 9 • Hof HaCarmel 1
The Hole 2013 — Tel Aviv 30
MAX 2007 — Yavne 1 • Tel Aviv 12
Sadeh21 2011 — Rehovot 1• Amsterdam, Netherlands 2 • Lyons, France 4 •
Pau, France 1 • Quimper, France 1 • Saint-Brieuc, France 1 • Tel Aviv 3
THREE 2005 — Tel Aviv 3
Decadance 2000 — Rehovot 1 • Haifa 1 • Emek HaMa’ayanot 1 • Santiago,
Chile 4 • Vannes, France 1 • Arcachon, France 1 • La Rochelle, France 2 •
Vilnius, Lithuania 1 • Nicosia, Cyprus 1 • Limassol, Cyprus 1 • Williamstown,
USA 1 • New York, USA 8 • Yokohama, Japan 1 • Nagoya, Japan 1 • Kitakyushu,
Japan 1 • Melbourne, Australia 1 • Athens, Greece 2 • Tel Aviv 6 • Herzliya 1
Kamuyot 2003 — Be’er Sheva 2 • Givat Brenner 4 • Nazareth 2 • Rishon
LeZion 4 • schools in Tel Aviv 4 • public performances in Tel Aviv 14 • closed
performance in Tel Aviv 1 • Merhavim Regional Council 2 • Ashdod 2 • Sha’ar
HaNegev Regional Council 2 • Kibbutz Shoval 2 • Hefer Valley Regional
Council 2 • Tiberias 4 • Ma’alot-Tarshiha 2
Deca’le 2012 — Herzliya 1 • Jerusalem 2 • Tel Aviv 8 • Haifa 1
Batsheva Dancers Create workshops 2015 —Tel Aviv 6
Total performances in 2015 — 234
In Tel Aviv: 142 — Countrywide: 48 — Abroad: 44
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
Right: Last Work by Ohad Naharin, 2015
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ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Our Dancers
Our Dancers
Company Dancers
in 2014-2015
Batsheva – the Young Ensemble Dancers
in 2014-2015
Apprentices:
Olivia Ancona, William (Billy) Barry, Omri Drumlevich, Bret Easterling,
Iyar Elezra, Mario Bermudez Gil, Hsin-Yi Hsiang, Rani Lebzelter,
Eri Nakamura, Ori Moshe Ofri, Rachael Osborne, Shamel Pitts, Oscar Ramos,
Nitzan Ressler, Ian Robinson, Or Meir Schraiber, Maayan Sheinfeld,
Bobbi Jene Smith, Maya Tamir, Zina (Natalya) Zinchenko, Adi Zlatin
Etay Axelrod, Yael Ben Ezer, Matan Cohen,
Korina Fraiman, Ido Gidron, Madison Hoke,
Chiaki Horita, Ori Kroll, Yaara Lapid, Doron Perk,
Shane Scopatz, Amalia Smith, Kyle Scheurich,
Kelvin Vu
Gil Hacohen,
Lenny Hassin,
Yonatan (Yoni) Simone,
Yankalle Filtser
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The Batsheva dancers — truly some of the most beguiling creatures I’ve
ever seen on stage…No other company in the world has a physical voice
as strong and singular as Batsheva…individuals who display extraordinary
speed, extraordinary control, extraordinary focus and extraordinary range
with almost dismissive nonchalance”
Brian Schaefer, Out Magazine, USA, November 2014
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Our Dancers
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Our Dancers
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Dancers’ Welfare
Batsheva continued prioritizing and acting relentlessly to ensure the dancers’
welfare and wellbeing – their pay and employment conditions, their physical
and social welfare, their daily work environment, their training as teachers
and their cultivation as performing artists and independent creators.
In 2015, the Company gave its adult dancers a long-awaited raise, made
possible thanks to a dedicated donation with long-term commitment.
The 15% raise will also increase the pension saving factor and the value of
overtime paid to the dancers.
In late 2014, the foreign dancers employed in both the senior company and
the Young Ensemble were negatively affected by a change in income tax
regulations which revoked basic benefits that until then had been awarded
to migrant workers as well. This resulted in a significant reduction in their net
pay, which was particularly painful given their situations as foreigners living
in Israel without a supporting family. Batsheva raised dedicated funds to
compensate them for this loss.
In 2015, Batsheva added an individual accident insurance policy to its
insurance offerings. Consequently, in case of injury during activities for
which the dancer is not paid by the Company, and is therefore under the
responsibility of the National Insurance Institute, the dancer is entitled – in
addition to the NII compensations and income protection insurance policies
– to a monthly payment of up to 4,000 NIS to cover treatment expenses.
This represents a significant improvement in the support network offered by
the Company.
As part of the Company’s daily training routine and diverse educational
activities, Batsheva continued to prepare its dancers for a future career in
teaching. Batsheva also continued to cultivate its dancers’ choreographic
talents in ongoing creative processes in the studio. For more than a decade
now it has also allocated time and production resources to the annual
Dancers Create workshop. Finally, Batsheva continues to be a natural home
to former dancers currently active as independent choreographers.
Batsheva continued maintaining its comprehensive treatment services,
directed by an expert physical therapist in charge of monitoring health,
ongoing treatment, recommendations for preventive treatment, acute injury
treatment and recommendations for post-injury rehabilitation. In 2015, the
Company significantly improved its physical therapy services thanks to a new
agreement with a physical therapy institute that provides a comprehensive
range of services. This improvement enables us to offer a greater number
of treatments easily accessible from the studios, as well as close support
suitable for Batsheva's busy schedule, which often includes overlapping
activities like tours abroad with intensive performance tours in Israel. Further
improvements included renovating the Company’s physical therapy room.
The treatments are provided to our dancers without any limit and are fully
funded by Batsheva.
Kamuyot by Ohad Naharin, 2003. Dancer: Amalia Smith
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Together with ongoing physical therapy treatments, Batsheva continued to
offer its dancers a broad range of treatments, including regular preventive
treatments from various techniques, including Shiatsu, Ilan Lev Method,
acupuncture and medical massage. As in every year, Batsheva also had all its
dancers undergo medical fitness tests and provided each with a customized
health menu on performance days.
The Company dancers’ challenging schedule, both in Israel and abroad, is
maintained with strict supervision of the dancers’ working conditions and
compensation, and compliance with regulations related to working hours,
rest periods and annual leaves.
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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In Tel Aviv
33,304
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BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
Countrywide
22,010
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Abroad
40,580
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ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Total
spectators
in 2015
95,894
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Decadance by Ohad Naharin. Photo by Maxim Waratt
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Community and Education
Community and Education
Batsheva cultivates audiences in geographically and socially
peripheral areas of Israel, in collaboration with local culture
centers and authorities. We encourage and foster talent and
excellence in local dance communities through workshops and
courses, and maintain an extensive network of partners and
professional contacts with various partners throughout the
country. In our Tel Aviv home, we also promote and deepen the
exposure to dance among diverse audiences.
Or Meir Schraiber, Ori Moshe Ofri, Rani Lebzelter, Ido Gidron, Yael Ben Ezer,
Etay Axelrod, Lenny Hassin, Yonatan (Yoni) Simone, Korina Fraiman, and
Yotam Baruch.
Morning School Show Program
The Batsheva Ensemble’s morning show project has long been recognized
worldwide as a prime example of educating in the arts of dance and
performance. In 2015 alone, the Ensemble staged 32 performances of Ohad
Naharin’s Kamuyot for some 9,000 children and youth in schools all around
Israel, mostly sponsored by the Ministry of Education’s National Culture
Program (Sal Tarbut).
Batsheva Excellence Program
Batsheva’s Excellence Project was held for the fifth year. Some 90 young
participants from dance programs in high schools and various institutes
throughout the country were selected. They arrived at the Company’s
studios for several weekly meetings, where they studied Gaga and repertoire
and honed their professional skills for their future careers. Batsheva provided
transportation fare to train and bus stations for students arriving from afar to
enable them to return home safely. It gave three full scholarships to students
Irad Avni, Paz Kagan, Hani Sirkis, and two half-scholarships to Alma Karvat
Shemesh, Reches Yizhaki.
Summer Courses for Dance Students
In July 2015 Batsheva offered two intensive courses for young dance students,
and following the previous year’s success, one course cycle was dedicated
to young dance students from abroad. A total of 161 students took part in
the Company’s summer courses, including 18 foreign students from the
USA, Russia, Holland, Sweden, France, Britain, Japan and Peru. Two full
scholarships were given to students Shai Otolongi and Halla Nasrallah.
Batsheva Day
Batsheva Day is an educational and experiential day at the Batsheva studios
for young students and their teachers. In 2015, Batsheva held 16 such days for
dance schools and programs from all over Israel and the world, including Ort
Alon in Yokneam, Orot Israel College in Elkana, Mosenson Youth Village in
Hod Hasharon, and the ARToffNIA Dance School in Olsztyn, Poland.
Batsheva Studios
The Batsheva studios at the Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theater has
hosted a broad range of activities for diverse audiences, including talks with
dancers, open rehearsals, Batsheva Days, presentations to new audiences
without previous exposure to dance or to the Company’s work, and meetings
with artists from other disciplines.
Performance Tickets for Charitable Organizations
Every year, Batsheva donates about one percent of the tickets to its shows
in Tel Aviv to various charities. In 2015, 220 tickets were donated to several
NGOs, including Yeladim – Fair Chance for Children; Amitim Program for
Integrating the Mentally Ill into the Community; Rett Syndrome Foundation;
Krembo Wings; Adam Teva V’Din (for the environment); and the Good
Neighbor Association.
Benefit Events
In 2015 Batsheva took part in fundraising events for the Rett Syndrome
Foundation and for the Muzot Art School. In addition, Ohad Naharin, the
Company dancers and team members, together with the team members
at Hangar 11 at the Tel Aviv Port, held a mass Gaga lesson in the annual
fundraising event for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).
All courses and educational activities are directed by dancer and choreographer
Hillel Kogan, who has been managing the Ensemble’s rehearsals for over a
decade now. Note that the absolute majority of the Israeli Company and
Ensemble dancers started their career in Batsheva in the annual course for
outstanding young dancers, including Nitzan Ressler, Omri Drumlevich,
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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International Tours — Press — Awards
International Tours — Press — Awards
In 2015, the two companies toured theaters and leading festivals
worldwide. These tours received extensive mainstream and
social media coverage. Batsheva held 44 performances abroad in
2015, for 40,000 spectators in total.
In addition, prior to the Ensemble’s visit in New York, an extended profile of
Ohad Naharin was published in The New York Times’ prestigious T-Magazine.
The major tours during that year were as follows:
•
Sadeh21 tour in Europe, which included performances in Amsterdam,
the renowned Maison de la Danse de Lyon, and in other French towns
(Arcachon, Pau, La Rochelle, Quimper, Vannes & Saint-Brieuc), before a
combined audience of some 11,000 spectators.
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Decadance performances by the Ensemble at the Santiago a Mil
International Theatre Festival, Chile before an audience of 5,000.
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Last Work’s first tour in Dresden, Prague (part of Tanec Praha, the
International Festival of Contemporary Dance and Movement Theatre),
and the Montpellier Dance Festival. This tour attracted extensive media
coverage and included full-house performances before an audience of
7,000.
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Decadance performances at the Joyce Theater in New York. The
Ensemble performed eight times before full-house audiences totaling
4,000 spectators.
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Decadance two-week tour in Japan (Yokohama, Nagoya and Kitakyushu)
and Australia, where the Ensemble performed at the Melbourne Festival,
before an audience of 9,500.
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In December 2015, Ohad Naharin was appointed Honorary Fellow at the
Ruppin Academic Center, Israel, alongside social entrepreneur Ronny Douek.
In November 2015, Tomer Heymann’s documentary Mr. Gaga was screened.
The movie, about Ohad Naharin and Batsheva, was the product of eight years
of work and over 1,200 hours of raw footage edited over four and a half years.
Some 20 team members worked on this film, including researchers from Europe,
USA, Japan and Israel, who located rare archival materials related to Naharin’s
early creative years. At the time of this report, the film is still being screened in
cinemas across Israel. An Israeli-Swedish-Dutch-German co-production, the
film was supported by Channel 8, the New Fund for Cinema & Television (NFCT),
Mifal HaPayis, Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture (New York), and the
Family Robert Weil Foundation.
Mr. Gaga was screened in the international film festivals of Jerusalem,
London, Amsterdam and Florence, and won the Best Documentary Film
Award at the Tempo festival in Stockholm.
In all its overseas performances, Batsheva held Gaga workshops for
professional dancers and developed its professional relations with dance
academies, studios and diverse training institutes. Batsheva was prominently
covered in the international media, receiving stellar reviews in all its tours.
“This piece is breathtaking for the extraordinary dancing by the
Batsheva dancers, and the way Mr. Naharin can evoke states of
pleasure, pain, madness and a kind of animality – a sheer state of
being in the body – through his movement”
Photo by Lisa Preiss Fried
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wrote Roslyn Sulcas, commissioned by The New York Times to cover
the Montpellier Festival. In her report, Sulcas highlighted Batsheva’s
performance out of all the festival’s offerings.
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Batsheva Hosts
The Batsheva Archive
In 2015 as well, Batsheva opened its doors to artists from a variety of
disciplines, as part of the Batsheva Hosts performance series. The following
performances were staged: The General and the Sea by Yonatan Levi; an
evening with three pieces by Hillel Kogan, Basmat Nusan and Gili Navot;
Climax by Yasmeen Godder; and an evening of two works by French
choreographer David Wampach as part of The Diver Festival.
The Batsheva Archive was named Leading Archive of the Dance Category in
the digitization project of the National Library, the Prime Minister’s Office
Heritage Program and Harvard University. The project is designed to salvage
all of Israel’s dance collection, preserve and upload it to the internet for
full public use. The Batsheva Archive will lead a comprehensive project of
locating the collections throughout the country, including private collections
concealed from the public eye. These materials will then be indexed and
digitized on a widely accessible online platform.
Digital Media
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Batsheva Website In 2015, a new website was launched with
improved user interface, online purchasing service and mobile phone
synchronization. Among other things, the website now enables e-tickets
to be received directly in the user’s email inbox. Some 40% of all tickets
were purchased through the website.
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This year, 166,089 different users accessed the website 280,138 times
– an increase of 7% compared to 2014. More than a quarter (28%) are
from abroad, including USA, France, Germany, Britain, Japan, Australia,
Canada, Holland and Italy.
•
Facebook: The number of Batsheva’s Facebook friends increased by
over 40% compared to 2014, and is now 38,200. 73% are from overseas.
•
YouTube: The Company’s YouTube channel has 9,520 subscribers, twothirds of whom are from abroad. It boasts a cumulative two million
views. The past year saw a 36% increase in YouTube views compared to
2014, with an annual 494,833 views.
•
Instagram: Batsheva opened an Instagram profile and reached 10,000
followers in 2015.
•
Batsheva Club: Batsheva maintains an online members’ club with some
18,000 active members, an increase of 20% compared to 2014.
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
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Curtain call at the premiere, Habima Theatre, 1964. Photo by David Ulmar
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Additional objectives of this project are to create an infrastructure for dance
research, turning it into a field of knowledge, and creating a broad dance
community in Israel and the world connected through the internet by a
uniform language. This is part of Israel’s larger Landmarks Project designed
to preserve the nation’s cultural heritage. Given the experience gained in
the Batsheva Archive project and the quality of the product, the entities in
charge of the project decided to start the digitization of the Israeli art world
with the dance area and devote all the resources required for comprehensive
execution to this project. In addition, the project will be accompanied by a
professional advisory committee.
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Ohad Naharin’s 25th Anniversary —
Batsheva — the Young Ensemble's 25th
Anniversary
‫יצירה — סטודיו — במה‬
The year 2015 marked Ohad Naharin’s 25th anniversary as Batsheva’s
Artistic Director. Since his appointment in 1990, he has created an
impressive collection of over 30 choreographic works, many of them world
classics. Kyr (1990), his first piece for the Company, was a trailblazing work
that took the Israeli dance world by storm, and marked his first step as a
leading choreographer and auteur. Batsheva Dance Company has come to
be identified with his ouevre and distinctive idiom. To mark this anniversary,
Batsheva produced a catalogue documenting Naharin’s works for the
Company. The catalogue is distributed in bookstores, academic institutions
and other venues.
The year also marked the 25th anniversary of Batsheva – the Young
Ensemble, the junior company founded by Naharin upon his appointment to
Artistic Director in order to train dancers, nurture talent and cultivate young
audiences. Members of the Ensemble take part in a two-year program
that includes intensive studio work, studying and performing an extensive
repertoire for diverse audiences and international tours. Many members of
the senior company are Ensemble graduates, and many Ensemble graduates
are active dancers and choreographers in the Israeli and international dance
scene.
The Batsheva Ensemble includes 14-16 dancers aged 18-24 selected in
international auditions. In 2015, the auditions attracted 480 outstanding
students from the leading schools in Israel and overseas.
The Ensemble is known across the world as a unique program of artistic
mentorship, education and training. In 2015, the Ensemble put on 67 public
evening performances, 32 morning performances for schoolchildren across
the country, and 18 performances abroad. Among other things, it staged
Decadance for the first time in New York, at the Joyce Theater, receiving
critical acclaim.
“Watching Batsheva’s junior branch, the Young Ensemble...is hardly
a downgrade from seeing the main company. Many of the dancers,
aged 18 to 26, are as superhumanly spry as their counterparts in the
main troupe, if not more so...”
Siobhan Burke, THE New York Times, September 2015
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
Right: Project Secus by Ohad Naharin, 2015. Dancer: Ido Gidron
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ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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‫יצירה — סטודיו — במה‬
‫יצירה — סטודיו — במה‬
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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Ohad Naharin with Batsheva - The Young Ensemble
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Resource Development
In 2015, Batsheva raised 5.5M NIS in donations, representing 26% of its
annual budget. These donations enable the Company to remain outstanding
in all its diverse activities: producing new works, caring for its dancers,
performing a rich repertoire in Israel and worldwide, and providing a variety
of educational and enrichment programs.
Batsheva Circle of Friends
The two friends’ circles of Batsheva expanded in 2015 and now include some
250 couples. Our friends follow Batsheva closely, participating in its various
activities and attending events. In 2015 Batsheva held eight special events for
its friends, including the premieres of Ohad Naharin’s Last Work, performed
by the senior company, and the joint performance of Sharon Eyal and Gai
Behar’s Bill and Danielle Agami’s And Still, performed by Batsheva – the
Young Ensemble. Batsheva also held a family event for the Young Friends
Circle, special Gaga lessons and a tour of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The
highlight was an event in honor of Ohad Naharin’s 25th anniversary with
Batsheva, attended by over 500 guests, at which Tomer Heymann’s Mr. Gaga
was screened.
Created in 2012 at the initiative of Daphi Levy-Weiss, Sharon Podrojski, and
Sigal Mordechai, the Young Friends Circle continues to widen its ranks and is
considered a shining example of modern philanthropy.
Batsheva also expanded its contacts with friends from all over the world and
deepened its existing relations. Throughout the year, Batsheva hosted friends
in Tel Aviv for performances and studio visits.
After the impressive jubilee events of 2014, in 2015 Batsheva deepened its
resource development work in the US considerably. It expanded its American
Friends association, which currently numbers some 125 members, and
increased the amounts donated by more than 300% compared to 2013. In
October, the Company held two events for its friends in New York around
the Ensemble’s performances at the Joyce Theater; the events were attended
by over 300 people.
In Australia, Batsheva held an event to cultivate its relations with its local
friends. The event was held around the Company’s performances at the
Melbourne Festival. In France, a Friends of Batsheva Association was
created under the sponsorship of Le Fondation du Judaïsme Français. This
association was created prior to Batsheva’s performances at the Paris
Opera House in early 2016. In addition to its ongoing fundraising activities,
Batsheva’s Resource Development Department began preparing for the huge
fundraising campaign for the Company’s new home, in the Neve Sha’anan
Arts Campus in downtown Tel Aviv.
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
‫ הלהקה הצעירה‬- ‫שבע‬-‫אוהד נהרין עם רקדני אנסמבל בת‬
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Who we are
31
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Public Council (at the time of this report)
Prof. Michael Sela,
Honorary Chairman
Michael Kenny,
Chairman
Adi Amorai
Avner Barel
Ravit Barniv
Tamar Barnoy-Goitlin
Yoram Blizovsky
Nehama Karpol Burak
Orly Dankner
Ilan de Vries
Nava Dissentchik
Ronny Douek
Moshe Dovrat
Sergio Edelsztein
Mira Eidels
Benny Gal-Ed z”l
(until 2015)
Ittamar Givton
Zach Granit
Gilead Halevy
Michal Helfman
Moshe Hendeles
Dvori Hoffman-Lubitch
Dalia Hurvitz
Adv. Ziv Ironi
Danny Karavan
Etty Kenny
Ron Klajman
Bruno Landesberg
Daphi Levi-Weiss
Ofra Meitar
Sigal Mordechai
Prof. Yael Moria
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Gili Navot
Yossi Nitzani
Dr. Gila Ofer
Sally Oren
Dr. Tsiyona Peled
Sharon Podrojski
Zvi Poleg
Norbert Rubinstein
Yuval Saar
Sara Sela
Rachael Shain-Argaman
Shifra Shalit
Dr. Hadassa Shani
Shaul Shelach
Zeev Sokolowski
Roni Somek
Sandra Weil
Elie Wurtman
Yair Vardi
Roy Vermus
Zvi Ziv (since 2016)
Board of Directors
Ittamar Givton,
Chairman
Ravit Barniv
Tamar Barnoy-Goitlin
Nehama Karpol Burak
Orly Dankner
Sergio Edelsztein
Gilead Halevy
Michael Kenny
Daphi Levy-Weiss
Yossi Nitzani
Shaul Shelach
Zeev Sokolowski
Roy Vermus
Sandra Weil
Observer:
Keren Carmel
Audit Committee
Norbert Rubenstein,
Chairman
Adi Amorai
Yoram Blizovski
Moshe Dovrat
Bruno Landesberg
Zvi Poleg
Legal Consulting:
Goldfarb Seligman
& Co.
Auditors: Brightman
Almagor Zohar & Co.
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Who we are — Batsheva Supporters 2015
Public Support:
Ministry of Culture
and Sport, Cultural
Administration, Dance
Department
Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Division for Cultural and
Scientific Affairs
Batsheva’s Home at the
Suzanne Dellal Center:
Dellal Family
The Dalia & Eli Hurvitz
Foundation – Studio
Dalia, in honor of Dalia
Hurvitz
Kenny Family and
Eastronics – Studio Varda,
in memory of Varda
Kenny
Sokolovsky Family
Long Term Supporter
and Friend:
The Family Robert Weil
Foundation
The Sammy Ofer
Batsheva Fund
The Michael Sela Fund
for Cultivation of Young
Artists at Batsheva:
Sara and Prof.
Michael Sela
Long Term Loyal Support:
Teva Industries
New Works Fund
American Friends of
Batsheva
Anonymous
Nehama Karpol Burak and
Jacob Burak
Iris Hoffman-Frenkel
The Dalia & Eli Hurvitz
Foundation
Arieh Ruttenberg
Lilit and Shmulik Zysman
Dancers’ Wellness and
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
Salaries
Anonymous donors, USA
and Israel
Jonas Grandér with Family
– Sweden
Maya and Avi Lavi and
friends of AllianceBernstein
Holding LP, England
Harel Insurance & Finance
Dr. Lily Naveh and Avner
Naveh
Neta Segal
Dr. Hadassa Shani and Meir
Shani
Adrienne and Jonas Weil
Young Friends’ Circle.
Circle of Friends prints are
funded courtesy of Ora
and Eytan Stibbe
Equipment for the Stage
and Rehearsals
Anonymous
Special Support for the
Event Marking the 25th
Anniversary of Ohad
Naharin in Batsheva
and the Founding of the
Ensemble
Special Support for
Batsheva – the Young
Ensemble
Aharon Gutwirth
Foundation
An anonymous donation in
honor of the National Young
Arts Foundation, USA
Community Outreach
and Education
Bank HaPoalim – Poalim
in the Community
Neta Boxenbaum
Foundation
The Dalia & Eli Hurvitz
Foundation
“Shay le’Israel” – The
Jewish Federations of
North America
Batsheva Circle of
Friends, Israel
250 families, who
support the Company
and participate in its wide
variety of activities. 145
couples are members of
the Young Friends' Circle.
Bank Leumi Private
Banking supports the
In-kind Donations
Atera Networks
Dr. Avraham Bain, Dr.
Daphna Paran, and Dr.
Chaim Paran
Carmel Wineries
Goldfarb Seligman & Co.,
Law Offices
Microsoft Israel
Sa'ar Plinner, Adv.
Benefactors
Daphi and Gigi LevyWeiss
Sigal Mordechai and
Charlie Hava
Rivka Saker and Uzi
Zucker
Sponsors
Bavli Park
Caliente Music
Carmel Wineries
Diesenhaus BTC
Dan Hotels
Harel Insurance
Lexus
Sonigo
Sotheby’s
Suzuki
Who we are — Batsheva Supporters 2015
Company’s Performances
in the Melbourne
Festival, Australia
Besen Family Foundation
Debbie Dadon
Jacqui Scheinberg
American Friends of
Batsheva:
Members of the Board:
Nathan Hevrony,
President
Judy Bernstein Bunzl,
Secretary
May Sanders, Treasurer
(since 2016)
Nurit Kahane
Saul Sanders (since 2016)
Sara Sela
Dr. Andrew Shiva
Liora Sternberg
Long Term supporters:
Jody and John Arnhold
Judy Bernstein Bunzl and
Nick Bunzl
The Goldfarb Charitable
Foundation
The Harkness Foundation
Nathan Hevrony
Nurit Kahane
Robin Preiss-Glasser
Jerome Robbins
Foundation
Liora and
Menachem Sternberg
Special Support of the
2015 Joyce Theater
Performances, New
York in honor of the 25th
Anniversary of Batsheva
– the Young Ensemble
Jody and John Arnhold
The Arnhold Foundation
Laurie M. Tisch
Illumination Fund
Saul and Mary Sanders
through the Joyce Theater
Foundation
Benefactors
Anonymous
BHI – USA, Bank
Hapoalim
Avi and Maya Lavi AllianceBernstein Holding
LP
Linda and Howard
Sokolowski
The Susan Isabel
Foundation
Premier Patrons
The Russell Berrie
Foundation
Alain Coblence
Jack Gindi
Lily and Avner Naveh
Jonathan and Nancy
Littman
Patrons
Anonymous
Deborah and Charles
Adelman
Ilan Cohen
Yoron Cohen and Fiorenza
Scholey Cohen
Tony Felzen
Judith and John Hannan
Marvin Israelow and
Dorian Goldberg
Ilan Kaufthal
The Kirsch Foundation
Charles and Naomie
Kremer
Jeremy Levin and Margery
Feldberg
Karen and Joseph Levine
Eli Milbaur
Evi Musher
Steven Pesner
Lynn Povich
Marcia and Ralph Preiss
Pam Schafler
Lynn C. Schneider
William and Janet
Schwartz
Sanford Zweifach
And many more friends
around the world.
Young Patrons of the
American Friends of
Batsheva
Young Patrons’ Benefit
Chair
Sarah Arison, Ensemble
Premier Benefactor
Host Committee
Nicholas Coblence
Tony Felzen
Joey Lico
Daniella Segal
Tamar Sela
Special Support for the
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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‫יצירה — סטודיו — במה‬
Who we are — Management & Staff
(at the time of this report)
Artistic Director: Ohad Naharin
Executive Director: Dina Aldor
Co-Artistic Director: Adi Salant
Deputy Director and CFO:
Michal Schwartz
Deputy Director of Content and
Communications: Noa Ron
Deputy Director, Development and
External Relations: Dita Kohl-Roman
(since 2016)
Assistant to Executive Director: Inbal
Jacobi (since 2016)
Company and Stage Manager:
Yaniv Nagar
Senior Rehearsal Director:
Luc Jacobs
Ensemble Director: Matan David
Ensemble Rehearsal Director:
Hillel Kogan
Ensemble Stage Manager:
Gavriel Spitzer
Business and Community Relations
Director: Roni Dori
Director of Content and
Communications: Hadar Stav
Sales and Marketing Director:
Reut Ben Yehuda
Website Editing: Hadar Stav,
Guy Bernard Reichmann, Ali Aadi
Customers service manager:
Orian Oscar
Box Office: Ayelet Amir, Tal Gafny,
Michal Givony, Lilach Karni, Yarden
Kum, Shalom Meoded, Aliza Mevorah,
Shimon Rakovsky, Avigail Shafrir, Gal
Sheer, Janette Tuffan
Resource Development Director,
Israel: Keren Reches (until 2015)
Resource Development Director,
International: Lisa Preiss Fried
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
2015 Annual Report
Production: Batsheva Dance Company
Translation: Ami Asher
Hebrew language editor: Nufar Kedar
English language editor: Talia Heiman
Director of Batsheva Circle of
Friends: Guy Bernard Reichmann
External Relations, Department of
International Development:
Talia Heiman
Development Officer, Israel:
Liron Bleiberg
Assistant to CFO: Avital Sarver
Director of Accounting:
Alona Orlyansky
Photos by: Gadi Dagon
Graphic Design: Re-Levant
Printing: A.R. Print Ltd.
Office Manager: Ofra Sellem
Director of International Tours:
Iris Bovshover
Producer: Naomi Friend
Director of Production: Hila Razon
Chief Technical Director: Roni Cohen
Senior Company Sound Director:
Dudi Bell
Senior Company Lighting: Gadi Glik
Ensemble Technical Director:
Motti Katzav
Ensemble Sound: Igal Feldman
Ensemble Lighting: Itzik Assulin
Head of Sewing Department:
Haya Geiman
Seamstress: Olga Zvetkov
Wardrobe Manager: Shoshi Or-Lavi
Production Assistant: Barak Ganor
Location Manager: Moti Amar
Heads of Physiotheraphy:
Dudi Kishban (until 2015),
David Golebowicz, Oded Givon –
Physiotherapy Center Tzahala
(since 2016)
Public Relations: Mira Ann Beinart
House Photographer: Gadi Dagon
Graphic Design:
Hadar Portnoy Nerubay (until 2015),
Re-Levant (since 2016)
Right: Last Work by Ohad Naharin, 2015. Dancer: Iyar Elezra
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ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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35
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‫יצירה — סטודיו — במה‬
-
Batsheva Dance Company
Yechiely 6,
Suzanne Dellal Centre
Tel Aviv–Yafo 6514947
Tel. 972.3.5171471
www.batsheva.co.il
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BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY