Corinne Chochem (December 16, 1907 – September 18, 1990) was an American choreographer and dance teacher of
Russian Jewish
The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...
descent. In her late life she became a painter. She is recognized for her impact on Hebrew folk dance. She published two books on Jewish dances and recorded several albums of music for
Israeli folk dances accompanied with dance notations.
[Pauline Koner]
Corinne Chochem 1905–1990
/ref>[ Ruth P. Schoenberg and Ruth R. Goodman]
"Israeli Folk Dance Pioneers in North America"
/ref>
She is credited with the idea for '' A Survivor from Warsaw''.
Corinne Chochem was born in Zwanitz (the Yiddish name for Zhvanets
Zhvanets ( uk, Жванець) is a village (a ''Village#Ukraine, selo'') in Kamianets-Podilskyi Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) of Khmelnytskyi Oblast in Western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Zhvanets rural hromada, one of the hroma ...
), Russian Empire to Esther (née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Gendelman) and Mendel Chochem. In 1920 the family emigrated to the United States.[
In 1950, while studying in Israel, she met Yehoshua Kovarsky (1907-1967), a painter, and married him. At that time she started studying painting. In her later life, after her husband passed away, she herself became a painter and had several exhibitions under husband's surname Kovarska.][
]
Books
*1941: (with Muriel Roth) ''Palestine dances!'' ()
*: The book contains detailed instructions, musical scores, and lyrics for 17 folk dances.[Emily Alice Katz, ''Bringing Zion Home: Israel in American Jewish Culture, 1948-1967'']
p. 54
*1948: ''Jewish holiday dances'' ()
References
Further reading
*Pauline Koner, "Obituary of Corinne Chochem Kovarska", '' Dance Magazine'', January 1991. p. 30
1907 births
1990 deaths
American women choreographers
American women painters
American choreographers
American painters
Dance teachers
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
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