The Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Suzanne Dellal Center for Dance and Theater is the largest and most prestigious center for dance in Israel
, located in Neve Tzedek
, Tel Aviv
.
The Suzanne Dellal Center was established in 1989 with a large grant from the Dellal Family
Foundation, based in London
, England
, in honor of their daughter, Suzanne, who died at a young age. Additional support for the establishment of the center came from the municipality of Tel Aviv
, the Tel Aviv Foundation, and the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Education
who are still primary funders of the institution.
, the Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollack Dance Company, and Orna Porat Children's Theater.
The Suzanne Dellal Center's campus consists of four performance spaces. The Suzanne Dellal Hall is the primary performance space with a capacity of 386 seats. Yerushalmi Hall contains 224 seats. The Inbal Theatre, home of Inbal Dance Theater
has a capacity of 150. Varda Studio, the main rehearsal space for the Batsheva Dance Company
, is also used for performances.
The center contains several additional rehearsal studios, a fine-dining restaurant and a casual café that surround the wide plazas. During the summer, the center hosts outdoor events and performances throughout the center's grounds.
in the neighborhood of Neve Tzedek
, one of the first established communities of newly-founded Tel Aviv
.
The Yechiely Girls School was built in 1908 at the initiative of Hovevei Zion
. On the eve of World War I
, it already had four hundred and fifty pupils, in ten classrooms. Opposite the Yechiely Girl's School stood the Alliance School, which was also built in 1908. The façade of the original building was preserved and renovated into the Suzanne Dellal Hall. In 1913, the Seminar Lewinsky, a teacher seminary, was founded nearby and its activities continued at that location until 1939.
During the British Mandate for Palestine, Neve Tzedek was engaged in uneasy and violent relations with its neighbors and was subsequently abandoned by most of its inhabitants. Neglect settled over the neighborhood and lasted nearly half a century until the establishment of the Suzanne Dellal Center.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, located in Neve Tzedek
Neve Tzedek
Neve Tzedek is a neighborhood located in southwestern Tel Aviv, Israel. It was the first Jewish neighborhood to be built outside the walls of the ancient port of Jaffa. For years, the neighborhood prospered as Tel Aviv, the first modern Hebrew city, grew up around it...
, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
The Suzanne Dellal Center was established in 1989 with a large grant from the Dellal Family
Jack Dellal
Jack Dellal is a London-based property investor reportedly worth GBP £480 million in 2009. It was £580 million in 2008. These recent figures were significantly lower than a 2005 estimate by The Evening Standard, which ranked Dellal as a billionaire...
Foundation, based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in honor of their daughter, Suzanne, who died at a young age. Additional support for the establishment of the center came from the municipality of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, the Tel Aviv Foundation, and the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Education
Ministry of Education (Israel)
The Israeli Ministry of Education is the branch of government charged with overseeing public education institutions in Israel. The political head of the department is the Minster of Education, currently Gideon Sa'ar....
who are still primary funders of the institution.
Venues and events
The Center presents a year-round calendar of Israeli and international contemporary dance companies as well as festivals that highlight regionally specific companies and dance styles, such as flamenco, classical Indian dance, and traditional and contemporary dance from China. Resident companies include the renowned Batsheva Dance CompanyBatsheva Dance Company
The Batsheva Dance Company is an internationally acclaimed dance company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was founded by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva De Rothschild in 1964....
, the Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollack Dance Company, and Orna Porat Children's Theater.
The Suzanne Dellal Center's campus consists of four performance spaces. The Suzanne Dellal Hall is the primary performance space with a capacity of 386 seats. Yerushalmi Hall contains 224 seats. The Inbal Theatre, home of Inbal Dance Theater
Inbal Dance Theater
Inbal Dance Theater is a dance group operating in Israel. The subject matter and materials the group deals with derive from Jewish tradition and heritage, and from the folklore of the various ethnic groups in Israel – Jewish and non Jewish – such as the Yemenite, Moroccan, Persian and Kurdish...
has a capacity of 150. Varda Studio, the main rehearsal space for the Batsheva Dance Company
Batsheva Dance Company
The Batsheva Dance Company is an internationally acclaimed dance company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was founded by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva De Rothschild in 1964....
, is also used for performances.
The center contains several additional rehearsal studios, a fine-dining restaurant and a casual café that surround the wide plazas. During the summer, the center hosts outdoor events and performances throughout the center's grounds.
History
The grounds on which the Suzanne Dellal Center sits was the site of the first education center built outside of the walls of JaffaJaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
in the neighborhood of Neve Tzedek
Neve Tzedek
Neve Tzedek is a neighborhood located in southwestern Tel Aviv, Israel. It was the first Jewish neighborhood to be built outside the walls of the ancient port of Jaffa. For years, the neighborhood prospered as Tel Aviv, the first modern Hebrew city, grew up around it...
, one of the first established communities of newly-founded Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
The Yechiely Girls School was built in 1908 at the initiative of Hovevei Zion
Hovevei Zion
Hovevei Zion , also known as Hibbat Zion , refers to organizations that are now considered the forerunners and foundation-builders of modern Zionism....
. On the eve of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, it already had four hundred and fifty pupils, in ten classrooms. Opposite the Yechiely Girl's School stood the Alliance School, which was also built in 1908. The façade of the original building was preserved and renovated into the Suzanne Dellal Hall. In 1913, the Seminar Lewinsky, a teacher seminary, was founded nearby and its activities continued at that location until 1939.
During the British Mandate for Palestine, Neve Tzedek was engaged in uneasy and violent relations with its neighbors and was subsequently abandoned by most of its inhabitants. Neglect settled over the neighborhood and lasted nearly half a century until the establishment of the Suzanne Dellal Center.
Awards
- In 2010, the Suzanne Dellal Center was awarded the Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
, for its contributions to dance.
External links
- Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre - http://www.suzannedellal.org.il/
- Batsheva Dance Company - http://www.batsheva.co.il/
- Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollack Dance Company - http://www.inbalpinto.com/
- Inbal Dance Theatre - http://www.inbalethnic.co.il/
- Orna Porat Children's Theatre - http://www.porat-theater.co.il/
- Israel Prize official website - History of Suzanne Dellal Center (in Hebrew)