About

In 2014, the 50th anniversary of Batsheva’s founding, the company launched an archive documenting its activities over five decades. This initiative laid the groundwork for documenting and preserving Israeli dance, and for dance research in general. The jubilee year became a turning point: alongside the intense activity of the present, a historical consciousness emerged—an awareness of a “disappearing world.” This consciousness is part of a broader discourse in the cultural and artistic world, stemming from the understanding of dance as a cultural reference point, infused with social, political, and economic ideas and movements, maintaining reciprocal influences with them.

This unique project, in which materials of the company were collected from its founding in 1964, carried a deep sense of responsibility for the company’s history. It included comprehensive research and documentation of the company’s repertoire, its international tours, and the registration of all individuals who took part in the company since its inception. The collected archival materials were digitized and deposited in the Israeli Dance Archive at Beit Ariella, which preserves the collection according to international archival standards for conservation and documentation. These materials are accessible to the public, while respecting copyright, commercial rights, and personal privacy.

In addition, the company chose to make the extensive materials collected through this project publicly accessible on its website as never before. This includes the full repertoire list with official photographs, a list of Batsheva members throughout the years, a list of international tours, photographs and graphic materials, and unofficial behind-the-scenes and daily life materials of the company.

Batsheva’s Archive Founding Team: Iris Lana (Project manager), Hagar Cygler (Research Assistant)