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Thursday, January 12th, 2012 3:30 PM

Connecting through Israeli arts

Israel is often portrayed in conventional and social media as a nation of conflict - conflict with neighboring countries, conflict between tradition and modernity. These messages and images do a vast disservice to the thriving 21st-century nation that is Israel.

One of the most flourishing aspects of contemporary Israel is its role as a source of world-class art.

Art provides a common language, spoken by every culture. Through art we can update more › the outdated images and expand the lexicon used to describe Israel. The Jewish Federation's Cleveland Israel Arts Connection was created to expand cultural horizons and bring people together in new ways that can lead to greater understanding on many levels.

The Cleveland Israel Arts Connection encourages arts organizations to offer cultural opportunities by Israeli artists. The goal is to identify, enhance, create and promote unique ways to experience Israel's finest - right here at home.

Instead of succumbing to sound bites, tweets and status updates, we can paint Israel with the brush strokes of artist Michael Kovner; view the land through the lenses of contemporary photographers and videographers; listen to ancient melodies updated by Ladino singer Yasmin Levy; experience new sounds from the rock band Hadag Nachash; challenge our minds with the words of author Amos Oz; and dazzle our senses with the movement of Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollack and the drama of Ami Dayan.

Through art, headlines can be more than those of war, terror and infighting.

Partnering with Cleveland's leading arts presenters and venues enables us to open the doors to a wider audience from Greater Cleveland. Presenting art where art belongs - theaters, galleries, museums, and concert halls - legitimizes the offerings. Israeli art and culture is truly world-class and belongs in world-class venues.

The Cleveland Israel Arts Connection augments the cultural opportunities presented by others in the Jewish community and expands arts outreach to include all area residents. By encouraging secular institutions to showcase Israeli arts, we are able to reach new audiences that may be unfamiliar with the unique contributions of Israeli artists. We can build on their familiarity with specific arts organizations to introduce audiences to new and exciting experiences.

The Cleveland Play House, the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, Nighttown restaurant, SPACES Gallery and DanceCleveland do not simply bring in artists because they are Israeli, but rather because they are renowned artists who happen to be connected to Israel.

The Cleveland Israel Arts Connection presents art with fresh and uncensored perspectives. As seen recently in "Hugging and Wrestling," MOCA Cleveland's exhibition of contemporary Israeli video and photography, many contemporary Israeli artists embrace the history and spirituality of the land, while others grapple with present-day challenges.

We strive to present these varied viewpoints while creating opportunities for discussion and learning, allowing the audience to fully appreciate the experience. The artists are accessible and ready partners in such activities.

Prior to her performance at The Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection sponsored a workshop by Yasmin Levy to explore the history and music of Ladino culture. Visual artist Efrat Klipstien participated in the community-wide Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration during her residency at SPACES Gallery. And bracketing upcoming performances on Jan. 28-29, Avshalom Pollak will speak to audience members about the work of the Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company.

The Federation is also committed to nurturing the next generation of Israeli artists. Through work with the Israeli consulate, international organizations and foundations to identify up-and-coming artists, we have facilitated residencies for young visual artists, theater directors and choreographers and introduced local students to the creative process through master classes.

Our Cleveland Jewish Arts Connection (CJAC) is a sub-group of the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection that creates special opportunities for younger members of our community to experience the arts.

In addition to building strong relations between the Jewish and non-Jewish communities, the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection also provides pure enjoyment of the arts. In the past few years, we have seen capacity audiences at many concerts and lectures. We strive to make these opportunities accessible, and many are offered free or with substantial discounts.

We encourage you to join us on this exploration of Israel through the eyes of its poets, dancers, artists and dreamers. Together, we can present the vibrant, 21st-century Israel that we know and love.

Roe Green and Erica Hartman-Horvitz co-chair the Jewish Federation's Cleveland Israel Arts Connection.

cjn-connectingthroughisraeliarts.pdf

Roe Green and Erica Hartman-Horvitz
http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/opinion/article_3e624348-3d5e-11e1-af5f-0019bb2963f4.html

RELATED COMPANY: Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company (Israel)

Sunday, January 1st, 2012 6:00 AM

Dance highlights of 2011 in Cleveland

Dance makes its presence known in Cleveland only in spurts, but there was much to savor in 2011. Our local companies had a productive year -- several celebrated milestones -- and audiences were treated to everything from classical ballet to dance of the most contemporary kind.

Aszure Barton & Artists: The New York dance company, presented by DanceCleveland, made a disarming Cleveland debut in October with a program that revealed its more › artistic director's uncanny ability to devise works in which the dancers' personalities are key elements in the narrative scheme of things. In two pieces, "Les Chambres de Jacques" and "Busk," the company engaged in whimsical and dark scenarios sparked by striking images, daring physical feats and intriguing thematic ideas.

Dancing Wheels: The Cleveland company for dancers with and without disabilities celebrated its 30th anniversary with an action-packed extravaganza in June at the Agora that included an appearance by Gloria Gaynor performing her signature song, "I Will Survive" -- twice. But the evening's highlight was the world premiere of Dianne McIntyre's "Dancing on a Dream," an affectionate and exhilarating work saluting the life and career of the company's indomitable artistic director, Mary Verdi-Fletcher.

Eifman Ballet: Classical ballet doesn't make many appearances in downtown Cleveland these days. So it was startling to encounter the charismatic artistry of the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia, in May in artistic director Boris Eifman's grandiose full-length work, "Don Quixote, or Fantasies of a Madman." The production, set in an insane asylum, put a bizarre spin on Cervantes' beloved tale, but the dancing was so disciplined and animated that the company easily won over a ballet-deprived public.

GroundWorks DanceTheater: David Shimotakahara's modern-dance company can be counted on to come up with new and intriguing ideas in motion. Two works stood out in 2011: Shimotakahara's sensitive adaptation of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" and Lynne Taylor-Corbett's "Hindsight," a tribute to Akron rocker Chrissie Hynde and her band, the Pretenders. The former condensed the beloved tale into a sweet and sweeping narrative. The latter used Hynde songs to evoke scenes of cheeky fun and poetic intensity.

Inlet Dance Theatre: The Cleveland dance company led by Bill Wade celebrated its 10th birthday in November with a program of revivals and a fine world premiere, "Let Go." To music by Ryan Lott, Wade's frequent collaborator, the piece explores issues of alienation and acceptance through a series of intimate and ensemble episodes. The work runs only 10 minutes, but its impact is powerful. The program included Wade's "Stone by Stone," a touching study of the need to connect and make a difference.

Joffrey Ballet: The noted Chicago dance company made its third summer appearance with the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center in works by Julia Adam, Lar Lubovitch, Christopher Wheeldon and George Balanchine, whose "Stravinsky Violin Concerto" was particularly admired by freelance writer Mark Satola: "Balanchine's understanding of Stravinsky's playful and emotionally complex score resulted in a finale that was delightfully contrapuntal and, in the two pas de deux, profoundly moving."

Rioult: The New York dance company made a winning Cleveland debut in April in works set to music by Ravel and Bach. Artistic director Pascal Rioult's version of "Wien" (danced to Ravel's "La Valse") is a dark, expressionistic glimpse into a society on the verge of collapse, while his take on Ravel's "Bolero" treats the dancers as robots pining for liberation. States of nature are suggested in "Views of the Fleet World," a series of inventive pieces set to music from Bach's "The Art of the Fugue" that showed the Rioult dancers at their gleaming best.

Verb Ballets: The Cleveland modern-dance company had an exciting year in 2011, including the move to its first permanent home (Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights). On the premiere front, Verb presented Antonio Brown's buoyant "Continuum" and Ginger Thatcher's feisty update of "Billy the Kid." The latter shared an American program with excellent revivals of Martha Graham's "Appalachian Spring" (set to music by Aaron Copland, also composer of "Billy the Kid") and Hernando Cortez's "Chichester Psalms" (with music by Leonard Bernstein).

pddancehighlightsof2011incleveland.pdf

Donald Rosenberg
http://www.cleveland.com/musicdance/index.ssf/2012/01/dance_highlights_of_2011_in_cl.html

RELATED COMPANY: Aszure Barton and Artists

Sunday, December 18th, 2011 1:00 PM

Jewish Federation helping to bring Israeli artists to Cleveland

The Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company from Israel, a colorful troupe featuring ballet, contemporary dance, mime and acrobatics, will perform at the Ohio Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 28, and Sunday, Jan. 29.

The show is presented by Dance Cleveland with support from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

Through corporate and private donations, the federation last month established a program to help bring Israeli arts to Cleveland, working with the city's more › academic and art venues.

So far it has helped bring the following artists from Israel: singer Yasmin Levy, who performed at the Cleveland Museum of Art; the Alon Yavnai jazz quintet, which performed at Severance Hall; and novelist Amos Oz, who lectured at Oberlin College and Case Western Reserve University.

In March, the Cleveland International Film Festival will feature films from Israel.

"We want to let our neighbors know that Israel is a very culturally vibrant place," said federation President Stephen Hoffman. "It's not just about the headlines you see about the conflict."

For ticket information on the Israeli dance troupe, call the PlayhouseSquare box office at 216-241-6000 or 1-866-546-1353.

pdisraelartsconnectionpreview.pdf

Michael O'Malley
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/12/jewish_federation_helping_to_b.html

RELATED COMPANY: Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company (Israel)

Monday, December 12th, 2011 2:00 PM

In U.S., Israeli art isn't just for the JCC anymore

NEW YORK (JTA) -- Cleveland has gained an unlikely new patron of the arts: the local Jewish federation.

As part of a new project to help showcase Israeli artists, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland is helping to facilitate Israeli performances at some of the city's major museums, concert halls and theaters. The program launched earlier this fall aims not just to boost Israel but the Israeli arts with the message that more › Israeli culture isn't just for the JCC anymore.

"The mission is to project Israel as a source of world-class art and culture," said Erica Hartman-Horovitz, an art appraiser who co-chairs the program, the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection. "When most people think of Israel they're thinking of the conflict, maybe the incredible efforts that Israel goes through to survive. We want to illustrate the Israel arts and culture world as something that is more than that for those who might not be interested in Israel for other reasons."

Made up of volunteers from the Cleveland arts, performance, music and literary communities, the program's committee has helped bring Ladino singer Yasmin Levy to the Cleveland Museum of Art; brought the Alon Yavnai jazz quintet to Severance Hall, the home of the Cleveland Orchestra; supported a sold-out performance of "My Name is Asher Lev" at the Cleveland Play House; and sponsored talks from Israeli novelist Amos Oz at Oberlin College and Case Western Reserve University.

In March, the Cleveland International Film Festival will feature films from Israel.

The program to boost Israel is unusual both for its partnerships with non-Jewish institutions and its ambition to bring Israeli culture to a city with a relatively modest Jewish population of about 80,000 and few Israelis.

"You don't need to do this in New York because New York -- and probably L.A., Washington and Miami -- has regular presentations, and because you have a large Jewish and Israeli population and these things can play there successfully even competing against other cultural options," said Stephen Hoffman, CEO of the Cleveland Jewish federation. "But once you leave the largest Jewish population centers, you have to work at it. Some of these performers might come to Cleveland anyway, some might not, but some need more help."

The help includes funding of $50,000 in corporate and private donations, as well as manpower help from the federation. Among the components of the program is a part-time Israeli scout for talent who comes to Cleveland every couple of months to suggest collaborations with particular artists or groups.

Meanwhile, non-Jewish venues in Cleveland are turning to the committee for help.

Pam Young, the executive director of DANCECleveland, said she had wanted to bring the Israeli Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company to the city a few years ago to perform its new work at the time, "Oyster," but to do so would have been cost prohibitive.

When Young heard recently that the dance company would be reprising "Oyster" during a U.S. tour, she turned to the federation and the shidduch was made. In late January, the Israeli company will perform for two days at PlayhouseSquare, the country's second-largest performing arts center after New York's Lincoln Center.

"Federation leadership was essential," Young told JTA. "It gave us confidence to move forward with the project."

She said performances like these are a great way for non-Jews to learn about Israel.

"The arts transcend a lot of things: They transcend age, race, they transcend stereotypes," Young said. "Israeli artists aren't always making art about Israeli experiences or Jewish experiences, but they're making work, interesting work."

Attempts to bring Israeli culture to secular venues haven't always gone smoothly. In 2009, the Toronto International Film Festival came under fire for including Israeli movies. But in Cleveland, organizers say they haven't encountered such opposition.

Young said bringing Israeli artists to town may be heartwarming for Jews, but it also gives non-Jews an opportunity to enjoy great art -- it just happens to be from Israel.

"There are going to be non-Jews in the audience," she said of the upcoming dance performance. "They'll be the first ones on their feet."

jtainbalpinto.pdf

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/12/3090694/in-cleveland-israeli-art-isnt-just-for-the-jcc-anymore

RELATED COMPANY: Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company (Israel)

Thursday, November 17th, 2011 9:00 AM

DANCECleveland Receives $25,000 NEA Grant

DANCECleveland receives $25,000 NEA grant to support presentations of Pinto and Pollak and Ballet Memphis

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman today announced that the agency will award 863 grants to organizations and individual writers across the country. DANCECleveland is one of the grantees and will receive $25,000 to support upcoming performances. The 863 grant awards total $22.543 million, encompass 15 artistic disciplines and fields, more › and support projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

DANCECleveland will receive $25,000 to support presentations of Israeli dance company Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak on January 28 and January 29 and Ballet Memphis on March 10 and March 11, 2012. Funding from the NEA allows DANCECleveland to expand our engagement of these two companies to include matinee performances and extensive educational offerings. Area dancers will have access to free master classes and residency activities during which company members work with local dancers.

"Art Works is the guiding principle at the NEA," said agency Chairman Rocco Landesman. "And I'm pleased to see that principle represented through the 823 Art Works-funded projects included in this announcement. These projects demonstrate the imaginative and innovative capacities of artists and arts organizations to enhance the quality of life in their communities."

DANCECleveland Executive Director Pamela Young said, "Support from the National Endowment for the Arts enables us to continue presenting world-class modern and contemporary dance in Northeast Ohio."

In March 2011, the NEA received 1,686 eligible applications for Art Works requesting more than $84 million in funding. The resulting funding rate of 49 percent of eligible applications reflects both the significant demand for support and the ongoing vitality of the not-for-profit arts community despite current financial challenges. Art Works grants are awarded based on the applications received by the NEA and how those applications are assessed by the review panels.

For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA web site at arts.gov.

DANCECleveland is one of a handful of presenters nationally that are dedicated solely to the presentation of modern dance. The centerpiece of DANCECleveland's programming is its annual performance series that is always surrounded by an array of educational outreach events designed to break artistic boundaries and provide community access to the dance aesthetic and dance luminaries that DANCECleveland brings to northeast Ohio.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: DANCECleveland educational and outreach programming includes master classes, residency programs, student matinees and pre-performance lectures and post performance question and answer sessions.

Visit www.dancecleveland.org or call 216.991.9000 for more information.