Around the time I was in the 7th or maybe 8th Grade, an amateur folk dance company was formed in my hometown, Tiberias. The ‘guide’, as we referred to him, was a seasoned folk dancer named Mori, who came to our town twice a week to work with us and teach/choreograph the pieces which were to be performed in social gatherings around town, as well as for tourists who came to the hot springs resort hotel near Tiberias called “Ganei Hamat” (rough translation: Hot Spring Gardens). For performances to the tourists, I also formed a vocal trio with 2 school mates. We made our own vocal arrangements. I would play the guitar and together we sang a medley of beautifully harmonized Israeli songs. I loved (and still love) singing and this was such a wonderful outlet and an opportunity to sing in front of happy tourists (needless to say they were not too critical…).
Youth Folk Dance Troupe
Igal Perry
Igal Perry, Founder and Artistic Director of Peridance Center and Peridance Contemporary Dance Company in New York, is a world-renowned choreographer, ballet master, and dance educator.
Born in Israel, Igal Perry began his professional dancing career with Karmon, a folk dance company. He later joined Bat Dor Dance Company, where he worked with leading teachers and choreographers including Inesse Alexandrov, Richard Gibson, Alvin Ailey, Benjamin Harkarvy, John Butler, Rudi Van Dantzig, Paul Sanasardo, and Lar Lubovitch. Upon arriving in the United States, Perry joined Dennis Wayne’s Dancers as ballet master and choreographer. During that period, he staged John Butler’s work for the NYC Opera, the Opera of Munich, Caracas Ballet, and Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where he also directed the world premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki’s opera Paradise Lost. From 1981-1982, Perry headed the ballet department at Jacob’s Pillow. In 1983, he established his dance school, Peridance Center, now one of New York City’s leading dance institutions. A year later he founded Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, for which he has choreographed over 70 works, with performances at BAM, The Joyce Theater, City Center, and Peridance’s own KnJ Theater.
As part of his affiliations with schools and dance companies nationally, Perry has served as guest faculty / choreo grapher at Juilliard, Jacob's Pillow, The Ailey School, Marymount Manhattan College and Juilliard, where he staged his Intimate Voices and Mourning Song. His international engagements include Batsheva and Bat Dor dance companies (Israel), Scapino Ballet and Het National Ballet (Holland), Laterna Magica and the National Ballet (Prague), Architanz (Tokyo), The Royal Ballet of Sweden and BalletMakademien (Sweden), the National Ballet of China, and Kwang-Ju City Ballet Company (Korea).
Mr. Perry's elegant choreography, often in collaboration with contemporary composers, has been described as "blessedly inventive" (Jennifer Dunning, NYTimes). His works have been set on prestigious companies and performed at renowned festivals including Florence Dance Festival and Invito Alla Danza (Italy), Tel Aviv Dance and Karmiel Dance Festival (Israel), Ailey II, Milwaukee Ballet, San Jose Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet (USA), Companhia de Danca de Lisboa (Portugal), Alberta Ballet (Canada) and more.
In 2007, Perry was inducted into the Dance Library of Israel Hall of Fame.
