Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak at Joyce Soho

by Karen Krolak

If I didn't have plans already to see my favorite French Horn player, Anne Howarth, perform with the Radius Ensemble this weekend at MIT, I would be seriously tempted to dash down to NYC to see Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak at the Joyce Soho.

Deb Friedes' introduced me to this dynamic duo through a podcast on her Dance in Israel blog and I am truly intrigued by them. Alas, I will have to wait until they return to the States to quench my curiosity, but if you are fortunate enough to see the show, please let me know what you think.

Deb Friedes & Dance in Israel

by Karen Krolak

In 2003, Monkeyhouse Company Choreographers, Nicole Harris and Amelia O'Dowd, arranged to send me to an Improvisation Workshop at Bennington College for a week. It was an amazing present that introduced me to a gaggle of brilliant dancers as it challenged, provoked, and inspired me.

Thanks to facebook, I recently discovered that Deborah Friedes, whom I met at that workshop, has been conducting some fascinating interviews with choreographers in Israel as part for her Fulbright Fellowship in 2007 - 2008. Apparently, she has decided to stay in Tel Aviv beyond the fellowhsip to continue researching dance in Israel and has started a website on the topic.

It is always wonderful to discover someone else who shares your passion and enthusiasm for a subject and I have really enjoyed her podcasts. Having never heard of Inbal Pinto, Avshalom Pollack, or Shlomit Fundaminsky before, I am eager to track down their work now. So if you get a chance, I highly recommend poking around Dance in Israel.