Shai Gottesman

Shai Gottesman was born in 1953 in Kibbutz Afikim.

He was a sports hobbyist as a child. After his military service, he returned to the kibbutz where he worked as field crops coordinator. In 1981, he began studying physical education at Kibbutzim College of Education. That same year, at age 27, he began studying dance and at his teacher’s recommendation joined the Karmon Israel Dance Company.

In 1982, he began training with Batsheva 2 and in 1983 joined the company at the recommendation of Nira Paaz, its artistic director. That same year, he was asked to replace a Batsheva dancer in Troy Games and was subsequently invited to keep dancing with the company. Among others, he performed in the following Batsheva dances: Inostress, This Sky, This Land, The Lost (1983); Formless (1986); and Tabula Rasa (1987). In 1986 he created his first choreography for Batsheva – Dream Different – where he also danced. In 1987 he stopped dancing with the company and became its production manager, a position he held until 1989.

In 1989 Gottesman moved to New York and danced for about a year in the Manhattan Ballet. In 1990-95 he lived in Holland and worked as a ballet teacher and freelance choreographer in various companies, including the Rotterdam Dance Theater, Pandora, Korzo Theater and Introdans, Arnhem. He established a dance association called Emparo-Dans and also established the Flex Pointe Ballet in The Hague, and served as its artistic and executive director. In 1995, he returned to Israel and served as the artistic director of several folk dancing troupes: Hora Neurim Jerusalem (1995-2002), Nez Ziona Dance Company (1997-2005), and Hora Jerusalem (2001-2012).

Throughout the years, Gottesman taught at the School of Arts in Tel Aviv (where he also headed the dance program in 2000), Katzir High School in Rehovot, and various workshops around the country.