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Gurit Kadman earned fame as a pioneer of Israeli folk dancing. Born Gertrude Lowenstein, Kadman joined the Wandervogel, a youth movement that focused on German folk culture.
Hilde Sofer Holger’s choreography incorporated her interest in religion, politics, and the natural world, and provoked important discussions about the role of dance in the public sphere.
Hailed by the New York Times as “One of the most articulate and compassionate of social commentators in the arts today,” choreographer Liz Lerman has drawn inspiration from such unlikely sources as the US defense budget and a Department of Energy report on nuclear waste.
One of the most important choreographers of Israeli movement theater, Oshra Elkayam-Ronen distinguished herself by approaching stories from unusual angles, such as a feminist retelling of the story of Adam and Eve.
From her debut at age nine through her performances in her late seventies and teaching into her late eighties, Deborah Bertonoff made dance her life’s work.
Told first by her parents that dancing was immodest and then by Israeli settlers that dancing was bourgeois, Mia Arbatova defied her critics and became a pioneer of ballet in Israel.
Dancer and choreographer Margalit Oved’s performances blended elements from many cultures, including the Yemen of her childhood, the Israel of her adolescence, and the Los Angeles of her adulthood.
Meredith Monk’s avant-garde, mixed-media creations blend music, dance, film, and live performance to explore the collision of past and present, from the Black Plague to the AIDS crisis and from the medieval ghetto to Ellis Island.
Dancer and choreographer Bella Lewitzky was as famous off stage as on, thanks to her battles for freedom of expression against both the House Un-American Activities Committee and the National Endowment for the Arts.
A renowned dancer and choreographer, Hadassah Spira Epstein was a pioneer in introducing dance traditions of other cultures to the American public through her fusion of ethnic dance forms.
A passionate dancer, Marika Gidali used the more theatrical elements of dance to communicate the history and current struggles of her adopted homeland, Brazil.
Annabelle Gamson’s performances of Isadora Duncan’s choreography were remarkable both in their own right and for the fact that Gamson performed them in her forties, at an age when most dancers chose to retire.
Maya Deren became one of the most important avant-garde filmmakers of her time for her use of experimental editing techniques and her fascination with ecstatic religious dances.
Sophie Maslow blended classical, modern, and folk traditions in her dance and choreography and drew inspiration from politics and modern folk music to create vibrant new pieces that engaged audiences in new ways.
Pearl Lang was the first dancer Martha Graham allowed to perform some of her roles, and brought elements of the ecstatic poetry and dance of Hasidic and Sephardic Jewish traditions to her own critically praised work as a dancer and choreographer.
Anna Halprin was one of the founders of postmodern dance, but her focus has been on dance as a healing art, creating companies for dancers living with HIV and AIDS.
