About The International Dance Village

The International Dance Village in Kibbutz Ga’aton, home to Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, is an unparalleled international dance center.  At any given moment in the Dance Village, 120 dancers live, train, and create, including company dancers, KCDC 2 (our second company) dancers, visiting dancers and dance students from around the world who come for training and enrichment programs. In addition, the Village hosts individuals and groups from Israel and from across the world, who, for a few hours, become an integral part of the dance experience.

The International Dance Village is a pioneering and inspiring artistic initiative with a global reputation for its unique vision. Our vision emphasizes excellence, the nurturing and promotion of high-quality, distinctive artistic creation, reaching new audiences including youth from around the world, and connecting diverse populations and sectors through movement with the aim of fostering change and making dance a vital, impactful component of community, society, and culture.

Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company is a distinguished ambassador of Israeli culture and rich artistic creation wherever it performs. From its base at the International Dance Village, the company embarks on international tours and performs at prominent festivals and prestigious stages across Israel and worldwide; in doing so it strengthens Israeli dance as an influential and a prominent force in the world of dance. throughout the year, the Village’s main theater, the Zichri Theater, hosts performances for northern Israeli residents as well as thousands of visiting individuals and groups.

The International Dance Village operates as a nurturing ground for outstanding dancers, implementing the belief that excellence in dance integrates, alongside technical skills and high physical capabilities, artistic expression and the continuous development and growth of the dancer as an individual. To transform talent into excellence, we believe that the toolkit must also include curiosity, research skills, deep observation, personal expression, perseverance, questioning, creative thinking, and the ability to cope with and overcome challenges. The Village’s framework and environment provide dancers with optimal conditions for learning and professional development with the finest teachers, body and mind therapists, and top-quality equipment and facilities. Significant resources are invested in developing the artistic-creative vision of the dancers and broadening their knowledge across various disciplines and fields of knowledge.

The International Dance Village, which attracts hundreds of dancers from Israel and around the world every year, is a crossroad that unites people from various countries, religions, and cultures. The dancers, who come to the village for duration engaging from 5-10 months, participating in its professional and highly esteemed training programs. In the relaxed kibbutz environment, they live alongside the company’s dancers, experiencing various dance techniques and styles, creating, performing, broadening their horizons, experiencing Israeli culture through trips and encounters, learning Hebrew, volunteering, and returning to their home countries as enthusiastic ambassadors of Israel and Israeli dance. The Dance Village hosts an annual summer course, offering training for a wide age range in accordance with varying skill levels. About 400 dancers from Israel and abroad reside in the village during the summer, enjoying a rich and diverse professional and social activities.

Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company is located in the geographical and cultural periphery of Israel. In line with the company’s mission and vision since its founding, substantial resources are dedicated to initiatives and activities that introduce dance—sometimes for the first time—to children, youth, and adults living in the Western Galilee and northern periphery. We believe these activities enrich the cultural world of participants and convey educational values of excellence, perseverance, and commitment to goals. The company considers it vital to integrate all populations living in the Galilee into its activities and to expose the Galilee to the rest of the country’s residents. To achieve this, the Dance Village hosts annually festivals, performances, and tour days, simultaneously combining visits to nearby tourist sites.

The Dance Village has initiated and operates a program aimed at promoting professional dance within the Arab sector in northern Israel. The project’s objective is to provide gifted students with the opportunity to enter high-level dance training programs. The company’s dancers conduct workshops and classes in various educational frameworks within the community to advance and develop the educational infrastructure there. Simultaneously, students and their families visit the Dance Village to watch the company’s performances and take part in a variety of activities.

Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company accompanies dance programs operating in the local municipalities. The project’s aim is to develop and nurture young dancers in the periphery, providing them with high-level professional tools and guidance, and exposing them, their families, and all members of the community to dance activities by attending the company’s performances.

Throughout the academic year, the Kibbutz Dance Village in Ga’aton hosts a Regional Excellence Project. The program is aimed at outstanding dance students aged 14-18 from the northern periphery, who view dance as a professional vocation. During the program, students participate in a wide variety of professional classes and explore diverse styles and an extensive repertoire.

Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company considers education in arts and culture a fundamental value and mission. Throughout the year, the company offers special performances and workshops in schools across the country, specifically designed for children and teenagers. Through these sessions, students of all ages, often for the first time, are introduced to contemporary dance, gradually building the next generation of cultural enthusiasts. Among the company’s educational initiatives is the “Peak Day” program, where school students visit the dance village for a tour, learn about the Kibbutz Dance Company, get a behind-the-scenes glimpse, and watch a live performance.

throughout the school year The International Dance Village hosts dance programs and private dance schools from all over the country. Students are introduced to the world of professional dance, participating in various high-level classes, learning the company’s repertoire, watching studio rehearsals and a full performance, and meets with Rami Be’er, the artistic director and choreographer of the Kibbutz Dance Company and other team members. The educational process extends beyond the visit, with additional repertoire lessons at their own schools, as well as opportunities to attend company performances across the country.

Youth at-risk, people with disabilities and special needs, women relocated in shelter due to domestic violence, those recovering from serious illnesses, and other unique populations are introduced to the Art of dance through guided visits to the International Dance Village. These visits include activities specially adapted to each group’s needs. In parallel, the company conducts specialized activities for diverse populations in various organizations, companies and communities throughout the country

In 1973, Yehudit Arnon founded Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. Two years later, she was appointed as the artistic director of the company, a role she maintained until 1996. Her contribution to the Israeli cultural mosaic and dance scene is profound and resonates to this day. Following her passing in 2013, all documentary materials revealing her life’s work from its early days were collected. These materials provide a rare and historically significant insight into the artistic landscape in kibbutzim during the 1950s and the artists who worked in the country at that time. Thanks to the support of the Council for Culture and Arts, we are establishing an archive to preserve her legacy. Additionally, visitors can tour Yehudit Arnon’s workspace at the Kibbutz Dance Company, which has been transformed into an open museum containing photographs, memorabilia, and personal artifacts.