Yaniv Nagar, Company and Stage Manager Yaniv Nagar was born in Tel Aviv in 1971. He began his dance studies at the Beit Danny Community Centre, under the direction of Batya and Ofra Hanoon. He graduated from the Thelma Yalin High School and studied at the Bat Dor School of Dance between 1987 and 1992, under the direction of Janet Ordman and Roz Sobol.Yaniv won recognition as an outstanding dancer within the frame work of the IDF, and was the recipient of a scholarship from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.
Between 1992 and 1996 he was a dancer with the Ballet de Monte Carlo, under the direction of Jean-Christophe Maillot. He joined the Batsheva Dance Company as a dancer in 1996, until 2002. Since 2002 Yaniv is Batsheva Dance Company’s Company and stage Manager. In 2007 he received the Yair Shapira Award for his contribution to dance in Israel.
Photo by Ascaf
Idan Porges, The Batsheva Ensemble Manager Idan was born in Kiryat Bialik in 1983, and graduated from WIZO’s high school theater department in 2001. After completing three years of military service in 2004, he studied physical theatre in Tel Aviv, and graduated from Teatron Haguf School & Stage for Physical Theatre in 2005. From 2005-2007, he was a dancer with Batsheva – the Young Ensemble, and from 2007-2008, he danced in the international cast of Ohad Naharin’s Kamuyot, as part of a project of the Riksteatern. Since 2008, he has freelanced as a dancer in projects at the Klipa Theater and Suzanne Dellal Centre, including Barak Marshall’s productions, Rooster and Monger. He has also performed in works by the Dana Ruttenberg Dance Group, Michal Herman and more.Since 2010, he has been developing his own voice as a choreographer, creating for the Suzanne Dellal Centre and Ensemble Kaet, among others. In 2012, Idan was the manager of the first Gaga teachers training program, and in 2015 he was a Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artist at Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr Colleges in the U.S. Idan has been a Gaga teacher since 2007.
Since 2017 Idan is the Manager of Batsheva – The Young Ensemble.
Photo by Roee Dori
Rani Lebzelter, Rehearsal Director Rani Lebzelter was born in Israel in 1989 and started to dance in Habustan school of the arts in Netanya. From 2009-2010, she studied in the training program for professional dancers on Kibbutz Gaaton, and from 2010-2011, she took part in the Maslool training program under the direction of Naomi Perlov and Ofir Dagan. Joined The Batsheva Ensemble in 2012 and danced with Batsheva Dance Company from 2014-2019. .As a freelance dancer she worked with Guy Shomroni and Yaniv Avraham for a new creation as part of curtain up 2019 and with Noa Zuk and Ohad Fishof for a creation with the Israeli philharmonic. In 2020 Rani became a main teacher in the Batsheva school and repertory manger. Was appointed as rehearsal Director of the company in 2022
Hsin-Yi Hsiang,Rehearsal Director
Hsin-Yi Hsiang was born in Taiwan in the year of the pig. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the United States. Hsin-Yi relocated to New York City and joined LeeSaar The Company from fall 2007-2014.
Hsin-Yi moved to Israel and joined the the Batsheva Dance Company from 2014-2018. Since 2019, she has been working with the choreographer Marlene Monteiro Freitas and performing in her productions- Bacchae, Prelude to a Purge and MAL- EMBRIAGUEZ DIVINA. Hsin-Yi is also the assistant choreographer of Marlene Monteiro Freitas in works- idiota, ÔSS, and LULU. Hsin-Yi is a certified Gaga teacher and a passionate performing artist. In 2023 was appointed as rehearsal Director of the company.
Photo by Ascaf
Gavriel Spitzer, Rehearsal and Stage Manager
Gavriel Spitzer graduated from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in 2000. He was a dancer with the Batsheva Ensemble and the Batsheva Dance Company from 2000-2008. In 2009 Gavriel joined Suzanne Dellal productions, working with choreographers Barak Marshall and Renana Raz. In 2002 he became a member of the Gaga teaching staff and he continues to serve as an instructor today. He has been the stage manager of the Batsheva Ensemble since 2012 and in 2019 became the Ensemble’s rehearsal director. Gavriel is also a teacher in the Ido Portal Israel facility and has been a therapist in the Ilan Lev method since 2008.
Photo by Ascaf
Doron Raz Avraham, Rehearsal Director Doron Raz Avraham was born in Israel in 1984. She started dancing at the age of three and trained for eight years at the School for Contemporary Dance – Haya Zur. In 2000, at the age of sixteen, Doron was accepted to the Batsheva Ensemble. During the next five years, she danced for Ohad Naharin and Sharon Eyal. In 2005, she was appointed the Rehearsal Manager of the company and continued to dance with the group.
Since 2006, Doron has danced in the companies of other choreographers including Emanuel Gat, Anat Danieli, and Dana Ruttenberg. In 2009, she danced in Clipa Theater’s production of the Short Stories of Kafka.
Besides performing, Doron has created her own works which have been showcased in festivals throughout Israel and Japan. Her duet The Lemon of Pink (2005) was presented at the Intimadance Festival at Tmuna Theater, and her trio Hen (2007) was featured in the Shades of Dance Festival at the Suzanne Dellal Centre. Women of the World (2008), a duet, was presented at Hazira Habein-tchumit in Jerusalem.
While maintaining an active schedule as a performer and creator, Doron has been teaching Gaga since 2003. She teaches Gaga/people and Gaga/dancers at locations throughout Israel including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nir Eliyahu, Karkur, and the Zeadim (Steps) school in Kfar Saba. She has taught Gaga to underprivileged students in Schunat Ha’tikva’s Beit Dani and to Ethiopian youth in Yokne’am, and she has led classes at an Arab-Jewish community center in Jaffa. Starting in 2007, Doron taught Gaga courses in the Japanese cities of Tokyo, Yokahama, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. She has also led Gaga workshops at the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland (2009) and at Khadans in Antwerp, Belgium (2010).
Photo by Ascaf
Ella Naveh, School Director Ella Naveh was born in 1989, grew up in Kibbutz Mishmar Hanegev.
Ella started her dance education at Bat-Dor Beer Sheva dance center between the years of 1995-2004 and was a dance major at Sha’ar Hanegev High School.
she studied Shin Sen Do therapeutic movement method at the Medi Win School for Complementary Medicine at the Academic College at Wingate.
She graduated with a B.Ed. in education and dance from Kibbutzim College, and with an M.A in Dance and Movement therapy from the University of Haifa.
Ella started to work at Batsheva school in 2020 and was appointed the school director in 2022.
Photo by Dudi Hasson
Hillel Kogan, Director of Educational Programs / Artistic Director – “Batsheva Hosts” Hillel Kogan was born in Tel Aviv in 1974. He studied at the Bat-Dor School of Dance and at the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York. Hillel was a member of Batsheva – the Young Ensemble from 1995-1996, and he also danced with Nomades Dance Company in Switzerland and the Gulbenkian Ballet in Portugal. Since 1996, he has created 15 works for various companies and festivals in Israel and abroad. Hillel is an active member of the contemporary dance scene in Israel as a performer, choreographer, teacher, and improvisation artist.
Hillel has served as Rehearsal Director of Batsheva – the young Ensemble from 2005 until 2016. From Season 2016-2017, Hillel is the new Artistic Director of “Batsheva Hosts” series, and manages Batsheva’s educational activities for outstanding young dancers. In 2010 he received the Yair Shapira Award for the advancement of dance in Israel. In 2015 was appionted by the Minustry of Culture as Co-Artistic Director of the Curtain Up Festival, and was awarded the prestigious Landau Prize for the Arts.
Ori Kroll, Assistant to the Artistic Director Ori Kroll Grew up in Rosh Pinna. She is a graduate of the dance program at the Thelma Yelin School of Arts. In 2011, she was a participant in Batsheva Dance Company’s excellence project. She joined the Batsheva Ensemble as an apprentice in 2012 and between 2015-2013 was a dancer in the ensemble.
In 2019-2020 she participated as a dancer in a creative process by Noa zuk and Ohad Fishoff.
As of 2019, she is co-producing ‘Hasadna The Dance Workshop’ in collaboration with Yaara Moses. Became the assistant to Lior Avizoor, the artistic director, in 2023.
