Team | dafi-dance-company

Performers

Yankalle Filtser

is a dancer, a young choreographer, a dance teacher in Israel and abroad and a certified teacher

of Gaga. Worked as a dancer with the Batsheva Ensemble, Inbal Company and various choreographers.

A graduate of The Maslool Training Program in Tel Aviv, the Academy High School for Music and

Dance in Jerusalem and the Danceweb Scholarship Program in Vienna. A recipient of scholarships by

America-Israel Foundation, Tel Aviv Municipality, Clore Foundation, the Jerusalem Academy for Dance and more. A certified practitioner of the ILM movement method and works as a model for leading fashion brands.

Nitzan Moshe

Nitzan Moshe was born in Israel ’94.

In 2013, she accomplished a one-year internship with the BatSheva Ensemble Dance Company, where she worked with choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Daniel Agami and Sharon Eyal. As a freelancer, Nitzan danced in pieces of several independent Israeli choreographers, among them acclaimed “Girls'', by Roy Assaf.

Since 2014, Nitzan has been a member of Vertigo Dance Company, performed works by Noa Wertheim and Sharon Friedman, and worked as an assistant choreographer of Noa Wertheim. In 2019 she relocated to Berlin and since has worked with Kenan Dinkelman, Sita Ostheimer Dance Company and Yotam Peled & the Free Radicals.

Ilan Golubovich

started dancing for Dafi Dance Group in 2019. He is a guest dancer at the Jerusalem Ballet. In the past he danced for Fresco Dance Company, Kamea Dance Company where he took part in productions

by: Nacho Duato, Itzik Galili, Tamir Ginz and Oz Mulay. He Created “Nice 2 Meet” for The Fringe

Theatre in Beer-Sheva (2017). He taught company’s workshops for Kamea Dance Company and

was a guest teacher at Bat-Dor Beer-Sheva Dance School (2016-2017).

Olivia Court Mesa

Olivia Court Mesa is a Chilean-Israeli independent dance artist. Devoted to performance art for the

past 20 years, performing, choreographing, improvising and working for other creators

as well. In 2017, she received Israel’s Ministry of Culture Award for “Best solo performer”.

She studied contemporary dance and teaching at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, Germany. After graduating she worked in Germany with Vera Sander Art Connects and Angulo Alterno (Mexico) companies. She joined the companies MSschrittmacher in the Theater of Oldenburg and then Marco

Santi Tanztheater in the Theater of Osnabrück, where she worked with Guy Weizman & Roni Haver, Martin Stiefermann, Marco Santi and Luc Dunberry among others.

Since 2010 she has been based in Tel Aviv dancing as a freelancer with various choreographers.

She is a Vipassana meditator, studied Ilan Lev method and is a member of the contact improvisation community in Israel.

She was born in Santiago, Chile in 1980. She is a Chilean Israeli independent dance artist.

At 17 she moved to Germany and studied contemporary dance and teaching at the Hochschule

für Musik und Tanz Köln.

She was awarded scholarships to visit the annual summer academy in Kyoto

and from Vivianne Wood (DV8) to finish her studies. After graduating she worked in Germany with

Vera Sander Art Connects and Angulo Alterno (Mexico) companies. She joined the companies MSschrittmacher in the Theater of Oldenburg and then Marco Santi Tanztheater in the Theater

of Osnabrück, where she worked with Guy Weizman & Roni Haver, Martin Stiefermann,

Marco Santi, Luc Dunberry, Massimo Gerardi, Verena Weiss and Antje Rose, among others.

Since 2010 she has been based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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Yochai Ginton

After completing the Dancers' workshop in Kibbutz Ga'aton, and The Bikkurei Ha-itim Dance School,

Ginaton began working with choreographers: Sally Ann Frilndr, Nima Jaakoby, Sharona Florsheim,

and Dafi Altabeb.

He has also collaborated with the Cameri Theatre and Klipa Theatre in the play Badenheim.

" He was a member of the Octet Dance Improvisation Group" and participated in the Improvisation

project with Beijing Dance Company.

Roni Bransteter

Dancer & choreographer, Roni has spent the last 3 years in Germany and the Netherlands working

with leading dance companies. Currently based in Tel Aviv, Israel, her recent projects

include choreography for the Orna Porat Theater as well as an original work premiering January 2013.

Alon Karniel

is a dance artist, rehearsal director and teacher based in Tel Aviv, Israel. He holds a BA in art

and English literature from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. After completing his studies at the

Haifa School for Dance, he went on to dance with Vertigo Dance Company, Noa Dar Dance Group

and a range of independent choreographers including Dafi Altabeb, Gil Kerer,

Efrat Rubin, Shahar Dor, Anat Yaffe, Leo Lerus and Anat Cederbaum. Karniel is a certified practitioner

in the Feldenkrais Method® and has studied anatomy and biomechanics in the context of the

Axis Syllabus.

Shaked Leibzirer

Shaked was raised in Tivon, Israel. He trained at the school for dance in Kiryat Tivon and at

the department of dance in "Reut" school in Haifa. A recipient of the Keren Sharett scholarship for

dance between the years 2004-2010, he also participated in international summer programs including

those at Juilliard in New York and NDT in Holland.

Shaked served in the army with the status of an excellent dancer, and he danced with

Batsheva Ensemble

from 2011-2013. He is currently a master student in the department of mathematics at the Technion in Haifa.

Korina Fraiman

Born in St. Petersburg in 1989, started dancing Ballet at the age of 6 At the age of 7, she started exercising artistic gymnastics and participated in national competitions until the age of 14 at the same
time as studying dance.
Danced and studied with Tamara Mielnik and joined the "Masloos" dance
program in 2006 .
She started working with Dafi Altabab in 2007 and in 2008 she joined the young Kibbutz Dance troupe. After a year she continued to the main Kibbutz Dance company (KCDC) where she danced for 6 years from the works of Rami Baer, Itzik Galili, Idan Sharabi and more.
In the years 2014-2017 she danced for BatSheva Ensemble, where she danced for choreographers Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, Daniel Agami and more.

At the same time she worked with the choreographers Bosmat Nosen and Gil Karer.
In 2015, began teaching Gaga (movement language developed by Ohad Naharin) for people and professional dancers.
In 2016 she joined the group "Playground" - an improvisation group
that combines musicians and dancers.
In the years 2021-2017 danced for Vertigo Dance Company with the
artistic director Noa Weirthaim.
Today, Corina dances and collaborates with independent choreographers - Elad Schechter, Gil Karer, and Dafi Altabab. Corinna also continues to teach Gaga and repertoire of Vertigo ,
teaches at the Vertigo dancer training workshop, and stages pieces of Vertigo around the world
In addition, Corina is a certified Ilan Lev and Shiatsu therapist.

Ahinoam Chai

was born in 1998 in Israel.

On 2016 she graduated from Thelma Yellin High-School of Arts.

On 2018 She graduated from The Maslool - Professional Dance Program directed by Naomi Perlov

and Ofir Dagan.

Since 2018 Ahinoam is a dancer in Dafi Altabeb’s Dance group. In addition, Ahinoam is a dancer

in Avshalom Pollak Dance Theater, and preformed in Talia Beck’s piece “Colonia” in Curtain up festival and international exposure 2018.

Ahinoam serves in the IDF as an Outstanding Dancer

Sharon cohen

Sharon Cohen is a creator dancer and contemporary dance teacher with an emphasis on floor

work and improvisation abilities. Deals with creation as an impulse and the urge to create.

Graduate the dancers training program of vertigo dance company. Working as a dancer with

vertigo dance company and independent choreographer

like Dafi Altabeb , Oded Ronen, Shlomi Biton, and more.

Ofir Yannai

Graduated from the The "Maslool" Professional Dance Program under the artistic direction

of: Naomi Perlov, Offir Dagan, While serving the IDF with the “Excellence Dancer” award.
Worked with the choreographers Noa Shadur and Niv Sheinfeld & Oren Laor. Between

2015-2018 she was a member of the “Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company”.

Today Ofir works as a “freelance dancer” with: Rachel Erdos, Inbal Pinto, Avshalom Pollak

Dance Theater and Dafi Altabeb.

Daniel Costa

Born in Porto, Portugal, Daniel began dancing at the age of 17. In 2006, he graduated from Codarts, Rotterdam Dance Academy and continued to establish his career in The Netherlands as a dancer with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel, and Dansgroep Amsterdam, working alongside esteemed choreographers such as Ed Wubbe, Krisztina de Châtel, Stephen Shropshire, and Itzik Galili. He came to Israel in 2010 as rehearsal director for the re-staging of Pulse by Krisztina de Châtel with the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, joining the company later on as a dancer where he worked with Rami Beer, Idan Sharabi, and Eyal Dadon. In August 2015, Daniel joined the Vertigo Dance Company, under the direction of Noa Wertheim, where he danced until August 2022.

Along these years, also worked as a rehearsal assistant for Eyal Dadon and Gil Kerer.

For the season 2022/23, Daniel worked as rehearsal director at The Maslool, Tel Aviv.

During the Spring of 2023 Daniel re-staged (with Korina Fraiman) Leela of Noa Wertheim with the CIA Jovem Bolshoi, Brasil.

Currently, Daniel teaches dance companies, schools and studios; and is dancing as a freelancer with Elad Shechter, Dafi Altabeb and Orly Portal.

Alongside his dancing career, Daniel is graduated in Ilan Lev Method and Shiatsu massage (Chinese Tradicional Medicine), treating regularly.

Musicians

Niko Hafkenscheid

Hafkenscheid (1977) is a musician, composer and a performance artist from Brussels. He creates music for films, theater and contemporary dance pieces. Hafkenscheid performs all over Europe and has collaborated with the American choreographer Meg Stuart. He has spent the last two years exploring the meaning of music and its relationship to contemporary performance art.

Yoav Ilan

Pianist, Composer.
Composes original music for Theatre, Contemporary Dance and Films. Currently Touring Europe

as a concert pianist. Released 2 Solo Piano Albums:

2012 “Intimate Preludes For Piano” (An Album of improvisation, inspired by Contact Dance)
2013 “Stories Without Words” Creator of the “Yoav Ilan Piano Method” for learning and improvising the Piano. Based on releasing the mind and finding a simple connection to our natural musicality,

our imagination, body, inner Rhythm, our breath.

Reut Yehudai

a singer and musician who has released several albums and is regularly featured on Israel’s most popular national radio stations. Yehudai has collaborated with some of Israel’s leading musicians including Arkadi Duchin, Shlomit Aharon, David D’Or, the Greek singer Glykeria, and many others. She has composed and edited music for several choreographers, including Roy Assaf (“Six Years Later,” “Girls,” “Boys,” “Girls & Boys,” “The Hill”) and Dafi Altabeb (“It's Now. It's Never”). Yehudai regularly performs with various ensembles in Israel and abroad. One of her greatest hits is “Dvash hakol dvash.” Reut is also a respected professor at the prestigious Rimon School of Music, and works as a musical producer in her home studio.

Light Designers

Uri Morag

Stage Director and Lighting Designer.

Born in Israel, Uri Morag graduated in 1996 in Drama and Production at the Kibbutzim Seminar,

in Israel, where he became a teacher in lighting design from 2003 to 2009.

Since then Uri has worked in all the Israeli venues and Festivals.

He has designed for numerous shows and events from Musical to Opera, Drama, Dance, Multidisciplinary Performances, Architectural Designs, Cinema, Special Projects, etc.

Productions in Israel include among others: Symphony of Light-SOL, Spring Awakening, Company, Zorro, Oliver Twist, Avenue Q, Narnia, Blood Brothers, Cats, Cabaret, Sound of Music,The Rubber Merchants Mr. Green, Tuesdays with Morrie, Chapter B, Shaker for Inbal Pinto Dance Group,

Labyrinth, Deus-Ex-Machina, The Italian Straw Hat, The Place I Came From, Rite Of Spring with the Israeli Philharmonic and Magic Flute and Sound of Music for the Israeli Opera.

Works outside of Israel include La Divina Comedia with Devero; Zorro the Musical at the Oriental Art Center in Shanghai, Parade through Macau Latin City – 12th Anniversary of the Macau Handover, Reflections- Macau Arts Festival 2013.

As a Stage Director Uri conceived, designed and directed Man Woman Reflections for the

Israel Festival 2009.

Wrote and Directed Good Intentions in 2000 and directed and designed the lights for The Trap of Freedom, at Acco Festival in 2002. Israeli Awards include "Lighting Designer of the Year 2009/10" and "Lighting Designer of the Year 2008/9", awarded by the Stage Lighting Design Award for Children and Youth.

Omer Sheizaf

Born in Tel Aviv 1982, graduated Tel Aviv University in Literature and philosophy.

Light designer, working in Israel and aboard for dance, theater, visual and performance art.

Won the Israeli fringe prize for 2009. Since 2009 touring with Israeli companies as a technical manager and light designer.

Amir Castro

Working since 2008, executing a veraiety of roles in the stage professions:

2008-2009: Stage hand for the Cameri theater of Tel Aviv

2009-2010: Freelance stage hand and sets builder

2010-2012: Light technition for Tmuna theater in Tel Aviv

2012: Tmuna theater's producer

2012-2014: Light designer and technition for various artists and shows

2013-2014: tech maneger for dance artist and festivals

Alon Porat

Stage Lighting Designer, with extensive experience in Israel and abroad. Creates stage and lighting programs mainly in the field of dance, in close cooperation with the choreographer. Skilled in using lighting as a tool to express the creative idea, and integrating it as an integral part of the show. Works with the "Vertigo" and "Fresco" bands. , the opera "The Vocal Connection", "Beit Avi Chai" and more.

Rehearsal Managers

Rehersal Managers

Noa Rosenthal

B.ed at the Seminar Hakibutzim College

Performed in the Bat Sheva ensemble, Galili Dance, Coax, Inbal Pinto dance compay and other independent projects.

Worked as a rehearsal director for Galili dance, Inbal Pinto dance company and Anat Danieli.

Since September 2011 working with Dafi Dance Group as a rehearsal director and a stage manager.

Alon Karniel

is a dance artist, rehearsal director and teacher based in Tel Aviv, Israel. He holds a BA in

art and English literature from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. After completing his studies at the

Haifa School for Dance, he went on to dance with Vertigo Dance Company, Noa Dar Dance Group

and a range of independent choreographers including Dafi Altabeb, Gil Kerer,

Efrat Rubin, Shahar Dor, Anat Yaffe, Leo Lerus and Anat Cederbaum. Karniel is a certified practitioner in the Feldenkrais Method® and has studied anatomy and biomechanics in the context of the Axis Syllabus.