Yaron Margolin (born June 5, 1954) (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: ירון מרגולין) is an Israeli

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

and

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

Biography

Early years

Yaron Margolin was born in Tel Adashim, Israel (June 5, 1954) to one of the founding families of the farming village. His father, Jacob, born in the village, worked on several farms. His mother, Eve, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel in her youth, danced with

Mia Arbatova Mia Arbatova () (, ; 4 March 1911 – 1990) was an Israeli ballet dancer and teacher. In Israel, she was one of the leading pioneers of classical ballet. Life Arbatova was born in the Russian Empire in 1911. She was one of three daughters of che ...

in Tel Aviv. In 2013, Margolin's sister, Shlomit Margolin-Tamir, described their mother's life in her book ''Bows.''

Dance career

Margolin began dancing at a young age and in 1968 at age 14 was accepted to study under Yardena Cohen in Haifa, the recipient of the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...

for her work as one of the founders of Israeli dance. In 1977, Margolin was accepted into the

Batsheva Dance Company The Batsheva Dance Company (Hebrew: להקת בת שבע) is a renowned dance company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was founded by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild in 1964. Its inception was inspired by Israel's growing intere ...

and debuted in the solo "Going," in the dance "Rooms," choreographed by Anna Sokolow. In 1979, Margolin left the Batsheva Dance Company and joined teacher and choreographer Flora Cushman in The Jerusalem Dance Workshop. He also created his first recital, "Yaron Margolin Dance Recital," which toured Europe in 1980. At the same time, Margolin founded his first dance company, Katamon Workshop of Movement, in which both Anna Sokolow and Flora Cushman served as artistic advisers and guest teachers. In 1982, as part of an Israeli duet program, Margolin toured throughout Mexico performing alongside Mexican dancer Rebecca Sitt to live music by the Bitran brothers. The premier was attended by composer

Mario Lavista Mario Lavista (April 3, 1943 – November 4, 2021) was a Mexican composer, writer and intellectual. Life and career Lavista was born in Mexico City. He enrolled the Composition Workshop (Taller de Composición) at the National Conservatory in 19 ...

who came to watch the "Etude Con Sillas" duet that was choreographed to his music. In 1987, Margolin established in Jerusalem the Yaron Margolin Dance Company, which debuted the same year at the

Israel Festival The Israel Festival ( he, פסטיבל ישראל) is a multidisciplinary arts festival held every spring in Israel. Its center is Jerusalem. The festival operates as a non-profit organization. Some of the shows are offered free. Street performance ...

Jerusalem. Anna Sokolow choreographed for this production "Poem" inspired by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

's "Alone"; music by

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

. Several independent choreographers experimented in dance theater which Margolin was a part of. In 1999, Margolin also founded the Multicultural Dance Company, an amateur troop that sought participation of youth at risk from disadvantaged neighborhoods, including Jews and Arabs, immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, and Palestinians from refugee camps around Jerusalem. Margolin created the suite "The Dances of Shem's Sons," which went on two rounds of performances throughout Europe. Yaron Margolin Dancing

Margolin Method

Margolin developed a dance language that develops a dancer's flexibility and movement. His techniques were adopted by several of his students who also use the Margolin Method as part of their work as healers/therapists.

Personal life

Margolin married in 1981 and divorced in 1985. He lives in Jerusalem. Works as a healer and has two children Tamer and Yuri.

Works

Cursed Women

Margolin's first famous dance production Cursed Women (1987, Music by César Franck), inspired by four poems of

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poetry, French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticis ...

, was controversial because it marked the first time in Israel that fully nude men and women danced on stage. The debut took place at Tzavta Tel Aviv instead of his hometown Jerusalem for fear of ultra-Orthodox demonstrations to prevent the debut.

Davidbundlertanze

As a guest to the Noverre Institute, the Davidbundlertanze recital (1989, Music by

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

) made a pre-premier appearance at the home of the

Stuttgart Ballet Stuttgart Ballet is a leading German ballet company. Dating back to 1609, then the court ballet of the dukes of Württemberg, the modern company was founded by John Cranko and is known for full-length narrative ballets. The company received the L ...

in Germany. Margolin's second recital premiered at the

Other

Inferno (1992, Music by

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

) A duet inspired by the

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

. Margolin appeared alongside his dancer and student Yael Harmati. Consolation (1992, Music by

) Fire of Envy "Nur al Ira" (1996, Arabic music by Mohammed Abdel Wahab) Persian Dance (1997, Music by Modest Mussorgsky). A solo he worked on for 10 years created for his dance student Gal Chen. Oriental Fantasy (1997) A three-hour show that premiered in the

Jerusalem Theater The Jerusalem Theatre ( he, תיאטרון ירושלים, The Jerusalem Centre for the Performing Arts) is a centre for the performing arts in Jerusalem. The theatre opened in 1971. The complex consists of the Sherover Theatre, which seats 9 ...

. It included several of Margolin's dance pieces that he created for his students and the top belly dancers of Israel. Tango on the Edge of a Stool (1998, Music by Alfred Schnittke) The Dancing Serpent (1999, Music by César Franck). This piece, inspired by

's poem, Margolin considers the highlight of his work.

Publications

The Splendor of Movement

Published in 1980, Margolin describes the body as the basis of dance through the

Kabbalistic Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...

concept of The Tree of Life. The quality of the muscular flow illustrates the dancer's spirit and the existence of a soul. Margolin used this theory in his body training method as a dancer and as a teacher. "The Splendor of Movement" was reviewed in the German newspaper Berliner Morgenpost, which described it as a new philosophy of dance.

The Independent Dance. Essence, Creation and Interpretation

1999 Co-written with philosopher Nicu Horodniceanu (pen name: Naftali Ironi).

Various

In the 1990s Margolin was a dance critic for The Jerusalem Newspaper and Radio. He published articles in various magazines and websites and worked as an editor and contributor for the IsraelDance.co.il Website. Can One Teach Choreography? (1984) Israel Dance Annual Problems of the Coda (1986) Israel Dance Annual Problems of the Beginning (1987) Israel Dance Annual and (1996) Folk Dance Supplement Dances From the Olympus - The "Landscape Dances" of

Sara Levi-Tanai Sara Levi-Tanai ( he, שרה לוי-תנאי; c. 1910 – 3 October 2005) was an Israeli choreographer and song writer. She was the founder and artistic director of the Inbal Dance Theater and recipient of the Israel Prize in dance. Prizes and ...

(1989) Israel Dance Annual Is an Open Mind Dangerous to Dance? (1994) Israel Dance Quarterly The Fighters of the Streets of New York (1996) Israel Dance Quarterly Daddy, I'm Dancing Nude (1997) Israel Dance Quarterly Flourishing Talent Portrait - About Orna Kugel the Ballerina of the Israeli Ballet (1998) Israel Dance Quarterly

Awards

1977

Gertrud Kraus Gertrud Kraus ( he, גרטרוד קראוס; 5 May 1901 – 13 November 1977) was an Israeli pioneer of modern dance in Israel. Biography Gertrud Kraus was born in 1901 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. Her father, Leopold Kraus, and her mother, Olga ...

Scholarship from the

America Israel Cultural Foundation The America-Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF) is a non-profit American foundation that supports cultural projects in Israel. History The America-Israel Cultural Foundation was established in 1939 to support the growth and development of a Jewish ...

1980-81 Scholarship to Maurice Béjart's Mudra School in Brussels 1993 Honors Award for Choreography presented at the Brasov Dance Festival. 2000 Recognition Certificate from the Jerusalem Municipality for his contribution in the Advancement of Youth in Jerusalem.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Margolin, Yaron 1954 births Living people Modern dancers Israeli Jews Israeli male dancers Israeli choreographers