Rena Gluck was born in New York where as a child, she studied creative dance with Blanche Evan and later continued her studies at the school of the New Dance Group and High School of Performing Arts. She performed solo dances of her own choreography on professional stages in New York. Ms. Gluck graduated from the Juilliard School in the first class of 1954, where she studied with Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Antony Tudor and Louis Horst. Upon graduating, she immigrated to Israel and established the Rena Gluck Dance Studio and Dance Company, and co-founded Bimat Mahol (Stage For Dancers), with Rina Shaham and Naomi Aleskovski. Ms.Gluck was one of the leading teacher of the Martha Graham Technique in Israel.
In 1963, Martha Graham and Batsheva de Rothschild asked Ms. Gluck to teach the modern dance class at the audition for selecting the future Batsheva dancers.
In 1964, Ms. Gluck was one of the founding members of the Batsheva Dance Company. Between 1964- 1980 she was a principal dancer, choreographer and teacher, as well as a rehearsal director and acting artistic director. Ms. Gluck danced leading roles in Herodiade, Celebrants, Daughters of the Garden (1964); Diversion of Angels, Tent of Visions, The Mythical Hunters (1965); Cave of the Heart, Shore Bourne (1967); Rehearsal!… (?), The Road of the Phoebe Snow (1968); Baroque Concerto No. 5, Moves (1969); Martha’s Vineyard (1971); Trek (1973); Dream, Journey to Nowhere (1974).
Gluck choreographed six dances for the company: Women in a Tent (1966), Reflections (1967), Time for Waiting (1970), Journey (1973), Games We Play (1975), Images (1980). Together with Rina Shaham, Gluck cofounded Batsheva 2 and served as its artistic director from 1976 to 1980.
Upon retiring from Batsheva in 1980 she was invited to join the faculty of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and served as a chairwoman and Head of the School of Dance. She served three terms as chairwoman and Head of the School of Dance, and from 1991-1996 she served as the dean of the Faculty of Dance. In 1995, Ms. Gluck was appointed Professor of Dance.
Throughout the years Ms.Gluck was invited as a guest lecturer, consultant and choreographer at leading dance schools and universities around the world, including UC Berkeley, The California Institute of the Arts, American University of the District of Columbia, Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, Prague Conservatory, Beijing Dance Academy, and Rotterdam Dance Academy.
Her book The Batsheva Dance Company, 1964-1980: My Story was published in 2006 in Hebrew and later in English. It reviews the history of the company’s first 16 years from her personal viewpoint. In 2005 Ms. Gluck initiated, and since then directs the oral history project “Conversations on Dance in Israel”, which documents on camera the narratives of Israel’s leading dance personalities.
In 2007, Gluck received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Ministry of Science, Culture and Sports. In 2013, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Israeli Union of Performing Artists (IUPA).
Gluck passed away on January 2023.
Repertoire
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Images
Rena Gluck
1980 -
1979 -
Wings
Anna Sokolow
1979 -
The Creation of a Dancer
Rina Shaham
1978 -
Desert Dreams
Ruth Eshel
1978 -
The I Within Me
Miri Magnus
1978 -
Accumulated Details
Heda Oren
1977 -
More Fields
Rachel Cafri
1977 - Load More
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Precipice
Sharon Pinsley
1977 -
Song of Myself
Rina Shaham
1977 -
Mudras
Ronit Land
1977 -
Sense of Flight
Laurie Freedman
1977 -
Games We Play
Rena Gluck
1975 -
Trek
Norman Morrice
1975 -
Apocalypse
Oshra Elkayam Ronen
1975 -
The Language of Dance
Judith Brin Ingber
1975 -
Dream
Martha Graham
1974 -
Journey to Nowhere
Oshra Elkayam Ronen
1974 -
Friendship
Anna Sokolow
1973 -
Journey
Rena Gluck
1973 -
Martha’s Vineyard
Brian McDonald
1971 -
Time for Waiting
Rena Gluck
1970 -
Baroque Concerto No.5
Norman Walker
1969 -
Moves
Jerome Robbins
1969 -
Rehearsal!…(?)
Norman Morrice
1968 -
The Road of the Phoebe Snow
Talley Beatty
1968 -
Reflections
Rena Gluck
1967 -
Shore Bourne
Pearl Lang
1967 -
Cave of the Heart
Martha Graham
1966 -
Women in a Tent
Rena Gluck
1966 -
The Betrothal
Norman Morrice
1966 -
The Mythical Hunters
Glen Tetley
1965 -
Sargasso
Glen Tetley
1965 -
Saraband (from
1965 -
Diversion of Angels
Martha Graham
1965 -
Tent of Visions
Robert Cohan
1965 -
Daughters of the Garden
Donald McKayle
1964 -
Herodiade
Martha Graham
1964 -
Celebrants
Robert Cohan
1964
Photos
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Rena Gluck and the company | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck, Avner Vered, Yair Vardi | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck, Nurit Stern, Linda Hodes, John Jones rehearsal | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck, Nurit Stern | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck, Nurit Stern | Photo: Yacov Agor -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Yacov Agor -
Rena Gluck, Moshe Efrati | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck, Yair Vardi | Photo: Yacov Agor -
Yair Vardi, Nurit Stern, Rena Gluck | Photo: Yacov Agor -
Yair Vardi, Rena Gluck, Derek Linton | Photographer Unknown -
Yair Vardi, Nurit Stern, Rena Gluck, Derek Linton | Photo: Yacov Agor -
Rena Gluck, Danny Binstead, Roda Antman, Dalia Dvir, Yacov Sharir, Nurit Stern, Moshe Romano, Lea Levin | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Yacov Agor -
Rena Gluck, Moshe Romano | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Ruth Lerman, Moshe Romano, Rina Schenfeld, Rena Gluck, Moshe Efrati, Ehud Ben David | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck, Moshe Efrati | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck, Moshe Efrati | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Moshe Efrati, Rahamim Ron, Nurit Stern, Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Moshe Efrati, Rena Gluck, Yacov Sharir | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rina Schenfeld, Rena Gluck, Galia Gat, Moshe Efrati | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rina Schenfeld, Rena Gluck, Galia Gat, Moshe Efrati | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rina Schenfeld, Rena Gluck, Galia Gat, Moshe Efrati | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rina Schenfeld, Rena Gluck, Galia Gat, Moshe Efrati | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rina Schenfeld, Rena Gluck, Galia Gat, Moshe Efrati | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Alex Benraf -
Rena Gluck, Galia Gat, Moshe Efrati | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rina Schenfeld, Rena Gluck | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Right: Rena Gluck | Photo: Yacov Agor -
Rena Gluck, Rina Schenfeld, Yacov Sharir, Moshe Romano, Rahamim Ron, Gideon Avrahami | Photo: Alex Benraf -
Rena Gluck, Dani Karavan | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck, Rahamim Ron | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck, Galia Gat, Rahamim | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck, Rahamim Ron | Photographer Unknown -
Rahamim Ron, Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck, Rahamim Ron | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Rahamim Ron, Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Rahamim Ron, Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck, Rahamim Ron, Galia Gat | Photographer Unknown -
Nurit Stern, Moshe Romano, Rena Gluck, Rahamim Ron, Galia Gat, Danny Binstead, Ahuva Anbari. In the center: Shimon Braun, Ruth Lerman | Photo: Jacob Agor -
(With the back: Danny Binstead, Galia Gat) Rahamim Ron, Rena Gluck, Ruth Lerman, Ahuva Anbari, Moshe Romano, Nurit Stern | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Left: Galia Gat, Nurit Stern, Danny Binstead, Shimon Braun, Ruth Lerman, Rena Gluck, Rahamim Ron, Ahuva Anbari | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Ruth Harris, Moshe Efrati, Oshra Elkayam Ronen, Glenn Tetley, Danny Binstead, Rena Gluck, Ehud Ben David, Ruth Lerman, Rahamim Ron, Galia Gat | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Oshra Elkayem Ronen, Moshe Romano, Rena Gluck, Moshe Efrati, Galia Gat, Glenn Tetley, Ehud Ben David, Ruth Lerman, Rahamim Ron, Ahuva Anbari | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Moshe Romano, Rena Gluck, Ehud Ben David, Ruth Lerman | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck, Linda Hodes | Photographer Unknown -
Oshra Elkayam Ronen, Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Rena Gluck, Laurie Freedman | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck, Laurie Freedman | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck, Laurie Freedman | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck, Laurie Freedman | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck, Laurie Freedman | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck, Laurie Freedman | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck | Photo: Mula Eshet -
Rena Gluck, Galia Gat | Photo: Arik Dichne -
Rena Gluck | Photographer Unknown -
Rina Schenfeld, Ruth Lerman, Ahuva Anbari, Rena Gluck, Galia Gat, Oshra Elkayam Ronen | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck, Rahamim Ron, Dassi Hadari, Galia Gat, Ehud Ben David | Photo: Marion Valentine -
Judith Wahl, Galia Gat, Rina Schenfeld, Oshra Elkayam Ronen, Ahuva Anbari, Rena Gluck | Photo: Jacob Agor -
Rena Gluck, Rina Schenfeld, Moshe Efrati | Photo: Jacob Agor
