Prominent Israeli Choreographer to Teach at The Juilliard School This Fall

Roy Assaf, an acclaimed Israeli choreographer whose work has been commissioned by the Royal Swedish Ballet and Benjamin Millepied's Los Angeles Dance Project, will serve as a visiting lecturer at the Juilliard School this fall.

The award-winning Assaf, who will be in New York from Oct. 6 to Dec. 15, will teach at Juilliard through the Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artists Program, which is bringing 13 Israeli artists for residencies at top universities across the United States during the 2017-2018 academic year.

Assaf first came onto the dance scene as a performer and assistant of globally recognized dancer and choreographer Emanuel Gat, touring with him from 2004 until 2009. He then created and danced in "Six Years Later," which won first prize in choreography at the Fifth International Choreography Competition in Copenhagen. Assaf is particularly interested in exploring the theme of gender, which he portrayed in the full-length works "Girls" and "Boys," both supported by Israel's Intima Dance Festival and hosted by the Tmuna Theatre. He recently created dance routines for the National Dance Company Wales.

The Visiting Israeli Artists program is an initiative of the Israel Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based academic institute that aims to enhance the study of modern Israel. The institute brings Israeli filmmakers, choreographers, musicians, writers and visual artists for residencies at top universities and other cultural organizations in North America.

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation founded the program in 2008 to foster interactions between the artists and their communities, exposing a broader audience to contemporary Israeli culture.

"What makes the Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artist Program unique and so effective is that it allows members of the host community and the visiting artists to connect in a variety of settings, from formal to informal, over a significant period of time, rather than the more traditional one-off experience," says Marge Goldwater, the program's director.

"As we look back on the last eight years, we see that the success of the residencies has prompted host institutions to find ways to bring Israeli cultural leaders to their communities after the Schusterman artist has left."

Since the program launched, 68 residencies have featured 78 artists at colleges and universities across North America. The artists have included a recipient of The Israel Prize, Israel's most prestigious award; an Emmy nominee; recipients of Israel's highest literary awards, and many winners of Israeli Oscars.

"The Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artists program is the bridge between the Israel Institute's academic and cultural programming. These visiting artists provide more than just classes that teach skills; these artists provide a window into the heart of Israel," said Ariel Roth, the institute's executive director. "Cultural education provides insights into the fabric of a society in a way that other courses cannot and the understanding of students in these classes is deeper and more enriched as a result."

For more details about the Israel Institute, click here.

The Israel Institute works in partnership with leading academic, research and cultural institutions to enhance knowledge and study of modern Israel in the United States and around the world. Founded in 2012 as an independent, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, DC, the Institute supports scholarship, research and exchanges to build a multi-faceted field of Israel Studies and expand opportunities to explore the diversity and complexity of contemporary Israel.

Photo Credit: Keren Kraizer