Israeli choreographer Hillel Kogan brings together the materials of his creations in a process that begins with improvisation. He is intrigued by the meeting of virtuosic movement and improvisation using text, writing and vocalization: performative tools for observing social and political phenomena. He questions conventions regarding the stage and the dance form, choreographic methods and processes, dancers and the act of dancing. This workshop will experiment with the tools he draws upon during the creative process, extracting strategies and applying to them new content that is relevant to the participants: questioning the medium itself and the artistic and social conventions surrounding spoken word and body.
This workshop is designed for professional dance artists and choreographers.
Hillel Kogan is a choreographer, dancer, dramaturge and teacher. He was born in Tel Aviv and trained at the Bat Dor Dance Studio and the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York City, and performed with companies including the Batsheva Ensemble, Nomades Dance Company of Switzerland,and the Gulbenkian Ballet of Portugal; in Israel he has worked with Renana Raz, Dana Ruttenberg, Yossi Berg and Oded Graf, and others. At Batsheva, he is Director of Educational Programs, and Artistic Director of the Batsheva Hosts performance series. Hillel has been choreographing since 1996 and his works have been performed across Europe, the US and Australia. He has received numerous awards including Israel’s prestigious Landau Prize, and was named the Israel Critics’ Circle’s Outstanding Choreographer of 2013. He teaches Gaga, repertoire and contemporary dance at companies and schools in Israel and around the world.