Where to Check Out Israel’s Thriving Dance Performance Scene

March 7th 2015

There’s so much more to Israel than ancient ruins and holy sites. Israel is a vibrant, cosmopolitan, innovative nation that loves its tech, leisure, commerce, lifestyles, gastronomy and culture. Israel has received much international acclaim in recent years for many of its cultural exports, but perhaps no Israeli artistic discipline is as universally praised as dance. Here are our top picks for where to go to check out Israel’s thriving dance performance scene.

Haven for Contemporary Dance 
The Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre, located in the quaint Neve Tzedek neighborhood of Tel Aviv, is all about promoting contemporary dance in Israel. Hosting half a million visitors each year, the Suzanne Dellal Centre might even be the most frequented venue in Tel Aviv. With four performance halls and an average of 750 performances annually, visitors can choose from several dance performances here on any given day. The Bellini Italian restaurant (not kosher) and Café Café (kosher) offer visitors dining options on the grounds of the Dellal Center.

Classical and Neo-classical Ballet
The Israel Ballet company was founded way back in 1967, but it wasn’t until 2004 that the ensemble set up camp in its own facility, located in North Tel Aviv, with an auditorium that seats up to 300. Today, the company’s 30 dancers come from the ranks of Russian immigrants, native Israelis and professionals from outside of Israel. Ballet truly transcends language, and the company tours internationally on a regular basis. Additional performances take place in cities throughout Israel. A classical ballet school for aspiring dancers is also housed in the Israel Ballet facility.

Hot Summer Dancing 
Karmiel, located between Akko and Safed in Israel’s Galilee region, hosts a three-day festival of dance each year in
July. Operating since 1988, Israeli folk dance formed the core of The Karmiel Dance Festival in its early years. Today, a wide variety of international choreography and movement styles are exhibited during the festival’s approximately 80 dance recitals, workshops and open public dancing sessions. A summer course for Israeli folk dance instructors is a distinctive and identifying feature of the festival. Some 5000 dancers and hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world descend upon Karmiel’s amphitheater, soccer stadium, arena and Performing Arts Center.

Add a dance performance to your itinerary and step into Israel’s colorful cultural scene.