Orot Israel College Holds Tribute for Renowned Choreographer and Dancer Mrs. Oshra Elkayam

On Tuesday, 4 Nissan 5775 (March 24, 2015), Orot Israel College hosted a tribute to renowned choreographer and dancer Mrs. Oshra Elkayam at our Elkana campus. An Orot dance and movement instructor, Mrs. Elkayam was recently awarded the Ministry of Culture’s prestigious Arik Einstein Prize for her contributions to Israeli culture at a gala ceremony held at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
The tribute began with a greeting from Orot’s President Rav Professor Neria Guttel. Next, the audience was treated to a video presentation, which included short clips and photographs from some of the dances Mrs. Elkayam choreographed for the Batsheva Dance Company, the Kibbutz Dance Company, the Inbal Dance Company, and others. Mrs. Tziona Shabtai, an Orot alumnus who wrote her thesis about Mrs. Elkayam, shared several excerpts from Mrs. Elkayam’s notes about her work “I Walked Then.”
Oshra Elkayam studied under the tutelage of Martha Graham, who was known as “the high priestess of dance,” in New York and then attended the elite Juilliard School during the early 1960s. After returning to Israel, she began choreographing for all of the major dance companies, and her professional achievements are considered to be a significant milestone in the history of Israeli dance.
In honor of the tribute, Many Orot alumni, students, and faculty members wrote heartfelt letters to express their appreciation. For instance, one student wrote:
“Besides the professional knowledge, you taught us about humanity, creativity, and a love for dance and everything that surrounds us.”
Another student added:
“At various occasions, we heard people talk about you, and little by little, we realized that we are privileged to study under one of the dance world’s most respected and major figures. But with your typical modesty, you tried to keep this information from us.”
Orot Israel College extends our best wishes to Oshra and wishes her many more years of creativity and contribution to Israeli culture.

Orot Israel College’s Noga Dance Company Performs at Bar Ilan University

The Noga Dance Company recently performed at Bar Ilan University’s Midrashah for Women. The well-received program included a beautiful performance, a fascinating panel discussion with the choreographer and the dancers, and an interactive dance workshop.
Every Rosh Chodesh, the Midrashah at Bar Ilan organizes a special event focusing on a different branch of the arts. The Noga Dance Company was asked to appear as a fitting tribute to Miriam HaNeviah, who famously sang “with drum and dance.”
Garnering loud applause from the audience, the dancers performed two dances. The first, “Naftulai” by Tziona Shabtai, portrays one woman’s inner world and its inherent contradictions, and the second, part of a new production by Avital Ben-Gad, revolves around the concept of prayer.
Following the performance, the dancers spoke about Orot Israel College’s one-of-a-kind dance program and discussed some of the personal and halachic challenges involved. The enchanted audience was very interested to learn how the dancers are able to incorporate both faith and art into their lives.
Finally, the Bar Ilan students were treated to a dance workshop led by Sharona Florsheim, the dance company’s artistic director. She demonstrated how one can communicate and express oneself via movement and dance.
The entire evening received rave reviews. The Bar Ilan students later described the event as a profound, meaningful, and joyous experience, and Dr. Ruth Ben Meir and Mrs. Yael Schlossberg of the Midrashah sent a lovely thank you note to the members of the dance company:

“The performance made a deep impression on us. You performed before an audience for whom dance is not their ‘mother tongue,’ but nevertheless, you managed to break the language barrier and touch our hearts. We were able to become part of the struggle, the escape, the
return, the search, the tension, the longing, the yearning, and the prayer, which you expressed with such talent. Meeting young religious artists - who face the tension and the connection between creativity and faith and who choose to express themselves while living halachic lives - added depth and meaning to the encounter.”

Thanks to the generous support of Mifal HaPayis’s Council for Culture and Art and the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Noga Dance Company is currently working on a children’s dance by Avital Ben-Gad.

Dance Track Hosts Honored Guests

Dr. Talia Perlshtein,
Head of the Dance and Movement Track,
Orot Israel College, Elkana Campus

Orot Israel College proudly boasts that it houses the only college for advanced dance education under Orthodox auspices in the world. Over the past few years, Orot's dance program has been attracting attention across Israel for combining dance and movement education with firm adherence the values and principles of Torah.
Orot Israel College Elkana Campus recently hosted Prof. Janis Ross, the president of the History of Dance Research Association in the U.S., and head of the Dance Department at Stanford University. She was accompanied by Dr. Michal Golan, head of the Mofet Institute, and Prof. Rami Yogev, head of the Mofet Institute Intercollegiate Research Authority.

The guests met with Orot Israel College President, Harav Prof. Neriya Gutel, who reviewed the college's academic activities, the successful merger with the Moreshet Yaakov College in Rehovot, and the many "products" of the college – including its graduates, publications, academic conventions, etc.

Prof. Ross had come to the campus to learn about Orot College's Dance Track – the only Torah observant framework in Israel to provide a B.A. degree and Teacher's Certificate for preparing dance teachers for school children from kindergarten to twelfth grade; as well as the "Noga" Dance Company – a unique professional framework for Torah observant choreographers and dancers.

The tour began at the library where Mrs. Maggie Moran, pointed out the extensive databases and academic resources available at the college. Afterwards Prof. Ross met the Noga Dance Company's choreographers, Ziona Yehezkel, Efrat Nachman, and Avital Ben-Gad. Prof. Ross watched videos of the company's performances and discussed the works with the choreographers. Prof. Ross expressed that the original dance creations moved her deeply.

At noon College President Rabbi Prof. Neriya Gutel joined the guests for a special dance performance by the local Elkana elementary school students, which were taught by student teachers from the Dance Track as part of their training as dance teachers. The young girls demonstrated understanding and internalization of what they had learned, and danced with real joy and connection to creative movement. Later, the Dance Track students themselves presented selections from their classical ballet repertoire, and some original compositions as part of their choreography studies. The performance was warmly received by the visitors.

Professor Ross expressed her deep appreciation for the work of Talia Perlshtein, head of the Dance and Movement Track, noting how moved she was to see how the Dance Track is setting the new benchmark for the renaissance of Jewish-Israeli culture. She praised the program's openness in creating a connection to art in general and to modern dance in particular.

Dr. Golan and Professor Yogev concluded the day by meeting with Harav Prof. Gutel. Their attached letter speaks for itself.

“Srugim at Orot”: A Meeting with Scriptwriter Mrs. Hava Divon

By Dr. Yaron Katz,
Communication Department Head

Students of the Communication and Dance departments met with Mrs. Hava Divon, the creator and scriptwriter of the popular Israeli television series "Srugim". During the meeting they screened her movie "Happiness", as well as a section from the series "Srugim". After the screening, she spoke with the students and presented some of the dilemmas she faces as a religious creator in the secular Israeli media.
She described various considerations the series creators’ grapple with in the process of producing her show, including the selection of actors, production and filming challenges, as well as halachic dilemmas and how she deals with them. Many of Orot’s students questioned the inappropriate behavior which clearly violates halachah, present in the series. Mrs. Divon explained that these scenes demonstrate the complexity of the series and reflect reality, including many of the doubts, dilemmas and the situations that religious youth encounter in their lives.
During the discussion, the students wondered whether, despite the accurate portrayal of reality, if it is appropriate for a religious producer to depict personal stories that illustrate non-halachic male-female relationships. Different students articulated a wide range of views on the issue during a lively and important debate. Dr. Dvori Hendler, co-director of the Communications Department said that only halachic boundaries can determine whether the script falls within the framework of Jewish law. She pointed out that she expects the producer to deal with her work from a religious perspective and find solutions within halachic boundaries.
The students asked Mrs. Divon if she could not have coped with the reality within the framework of halachah by finding creative alternatives to portraying prohibited behavior. Mrs. Divon replied that she didn't hide and didn't cover up reality, and that is actually the complexity of the series. She pointed out that while she lives in a religious society, doesn't have non-religious friends and is cut off from the non-religious world, it is important to her to show the reality as it is. Mrs. Divon claimed that the whole script is based on real situations and that the series describes only a small part of what happens in reality. She described the halachic dilemmas that occurred during the filming, including cases in which she turned to rabbis and asked for their advice how to present certain dilemmas.
Student reaction was mixed. Some felt that because the debate mainly dealt with halachic dilemmas, there was not enough time for the guest to explain the professional considerations in editing the series. Others felt that the meeting with a religious producer was in itself very important in order to understand the challenges she faced and how she copes with them.
After the meeting, the students continued the discussions independently, but added that they hoped for additional input from rabbis and spiritual leaders in order to learn how to cope with such dilemmas for themselves in the future.