The two-year Choreography Program at Kelim is unique as it functions as a space that examines the concept of choreography as a multidisciplinary concept, relevant not only in the field of dance but also as a developing and boundary-breaking knowledge domain in various other artistic fields such as theater, performance, music and sound art, puppetry, and more. Therefore, the program also allows creators outside the field of dance to specialize in choreography, and its students include theater practitioners, musicians, and performance artists alongside dance creators. The program teaches contemporary content across multiple fields: theory and critical thinking, performance, sound, contemporary dance, lighting, space, and civic-activist choreography.

 

The studies are essentially physical, with an emphasis on choreography built through bodily experience. Physical experimentation serves as an entry point for interdisciplinary engagement with additional disciplines such as visual arts, philosophy and thought, performance, lighting, costume design, and sound. The curriculum structure is based on a model of the seven stages of development of any living organism in nature: breathing, warming up, nourishment, individuation, preservation, growth, and reproduction. The body learns in various ways: through doing, closeness, experience, touch, imitation, and sensory exploration. These methods shape the learning environment and the formation of each student’s artistic process. As learning progresses, the individual artistic-research process becomes an anchor for the student as an individual and for the group as a whole, with the private process influencing the structure of the program.

 

The program combines guided study time with individual work time. Students receive studio time for rehearsals at the Kelim Center. From the transition from the first to the second year, private studio time expands, marking a phase in which the program’s resources are directed toward the independent process each student proposes. The program takes place at the Kelim Center in Bat Yam, a vibrant institution specializing in all forms of choreography at the highest professional level. It operates within a leading choreography environment in Israel, alongside performances, a dance festival, an artist residency program, and more, allowing students to experience a professional and dynamic work environment. The program emphasizes the relevance of choreography to contemporary developments in local culture and art. It connects artists with community work, critical thinking, all at a high artistic standard, guided by instructors who are active and leading artists in the local and international field.

 

At the same time, the program maintains connections with the international choreography world and enables its graduates to stay updated in the international choreography scene. Questions regarding the program can be directed to the program’s email: cp.kelim@gmail.com. The program is directed by Tami Levovitz, choreographer, dancer, teacher, and costume designer (additional information about Tami can be found on the 'Kelim Team' page). Among the instructors: Anat Danieli, Lila Ben Efraim, Kerem Shami, Ofir Yudelovitz, Tal Adler, Niv Shinfeld, Oren Laor, Yasmin Goder, Talia Kinan, Shahar Yahalom, Dror Shoval, and the Noa Eshkol group, Bat Sheva Dance Company, Itzik Juli, Tamar Or, Guy Gutman, Gabi Krichli, Gili Abishar, Dr. Chen Alon, Merav Savirski, Iris Erez, and more.