Amir Kolben

Amir Kolben was born in 1954 in Kibbutz Ramat HaShofet.

Kolben started dancing at a young age in the Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek Dance Studio with Ofra Achmon and Hermona Lynn. After his military service, he continued his dance studies in the Bat-Dor Studio.

In 1977 he joined Batsheva 2. After about a year, he joined Batsheva under Paul Sanasardo’s artistic direction, and danced in Dreams, Scenes from the Music of Charles Ives (1978); Stravinsky Dance Circus, Daughters of Shiloh, and Wilderness, Swamps and Forest (1979). In 1979 he left the company for an 18-month stay in New York, where he continued his dance training with teachers such as Margaret (Maggie) Black, Zvi Gotheiner, Merce Cunningham and others, and performed with the Elisa Monte Dance Company. In 1981, he returned to Israel and rejoined Batsheva as a dancer and teacher. He danced in Ties, Images, Rhapsody, and Cantigas (1980); Living Games (1981); and The End of Innocence, The Foreigner and Between Two Worlds (1982). In 1982, he was invited by Batsheva dancer Ofra Doudai to co-choreograph Issa Mytlilkizby (A Story Like a Tale) together with musician Ahmad Masrie. This work won the Yair Shapira Award. Although Batsheva dancers created it and danced in it, this dance was not included in the Batsheva repertoire.

In 1983, Kolben left Batsheva to cofound Ramla Dance Theater (Hebrew acronym: TAMAR), which was later based in Jerusalem. Kolben was the company’s artistic director (1987-1992) and choreographed for it until 1992. In 1985, he joined the Israeli Ballet Company as a solo, and in 1985-87 danced as a solo in the Ballet Freiburg in Germany. In 1996, he founded the Kombina Company, renamed Kolben Dance in 2006. Kolben choreographed more than 20 pieces for his company, performed in Israel and worldwide. He also choreographed for other companies in Israel and worldwide including the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company (KCDC) and the Israeli Ballet.
Throughout the years, Kolben taught in KCDC, in the School of Visual Theatre and in the Kibbutzim College of Education, and was invited as a guest teacher in academies and dance studios throughout the world. Since 1988, he has been regularly teaching in the Jerusalem Music and Dance Academy, where he headed the dance department in 1997-2000.