Shimon Braun

Shimon Braun (1938-2025)

Born in Poland, he immigrated to Israel with his family at age 11. He went to high school in Kibbutz Mizra and became an outstanding athlete. He trained in Wingate Institute and at age 17 won the Israeli Artistic Gymnastics Championship. At the advice of his gymnastics trainer, he began studying dance in Kibbutz Yagur with Katya Delakova. Upon his discharge from the IDF, he studied gymnastics in Wingate Institute as well as modern dance with Arie Kalev, Rina Shaham and Rena Gluck, and Jazz with Ruth Harris. Upon his graduation from Wingate, he danced with Anna Sokolow’s Lyric Theater, in the company’s last program, as well as in Giora Godik’s musical theater production. In addition, he also created jazz choreographies and performed in Jaffa’s Theater Club.

In 1963, he joined Batsheva together with other dancers from the Lyric Theater, including Ruth Lerman, Galia Gat and Ehud Ben-David, as part of the company’s first founding members. He danced with Batsheva in 1964-1968, including in Luna Park / An Excursion, Celebrants, Fun & Fancy, and The Pass (1964); Adam & Eve, The Mythical Hunters, Tent of Visions, Nocturne, and Diversion of Angels (1965); David & Goliath and The Betrothal (1966). In 1968, he choreographed and designed the costumes for Batsheva’s Sport. At the same year, he also choreographed for the Cameri Theater for the first time, in Princess Turnadot.

In 1967, at Martha Graham’s behest, Braun moved to New York for a year, where he studied Jazz with Eugene Louis “Luigi” Faccuito, Matt Mattox and Jack Cole. In 1969, he returned to Israel and established the Jazz Plus Company, which was joined by many former Batsheva dancers, including Galia Gat, Anthony (Danny) Binstead, and Ruth Lerman. The company performed throughout Israel and worldwide as well as on TV shows and festivals and became very popular. At the same time, in the early 1970s Braun choreographed for films (including Kazablan), theater plays, TV shows, advertisements and fashion shows.

In 1974 Braun moved to the US. He was active for five years in Santa Fe where he created a jazz dance company. In 1979, he was invited to teach at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and was one of the founders of the Jazz Dance Center. He performed with his company in the US and Europe, and often visited Israel to teach artist classes and workshops in the Tel Aviv Dance Center Bikurey Ha’itim, Wingate Institute,  Kibbutzim College of Education and the Jerusalem Music and Dance Academy.