Amit abend
Dancer, choreographer and podcaster
"It’s like watching a movie in a different language. In the beginning, you are aware of the strange sounds, and the effort it takes to read the subtitles. But then, when you dive deeper, you forget all about the words. What is left is the experience, the emotions, and the sensations within you. As counterintuitive as it may sound, that’s exactly what I want people to experience when they watch my pieces: I want them to forget all about dance. Movement is my primary language, but in the end, it’s just a signpost on our path to connect more deeply to our human experience on this planet."
CV
Amit Abend is an Israeli dance artist currently based in Dresden. She studied dance professionally at the Jerusalem high- school Academy for Music and Dance. At the age of 18, Amit was accepted into the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company II. Additionally, she was one of twenty dancers in the country to receive the “Excellent Dancer” recognition from the IDF; a title that allowed her to continue developing her professional dance career during her mandatory service in the Israeli army.
In 2017, Amit moved to Turin, Italy, to attend Nuova Officina Della Danza, an international three-month contemporary dance internship program. Later on, Amit was accepted to Ephemera Dance Company, a female-only company based in Berlin. At that time, she was also introduced to the Berlin freelance scene and had the privilege of working with various choreographers, including the late Yaara Dolev (Batsheva Dance Company), Svea Schneider, and Dina Senhauser. In 2018, Amit was accepted to the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater Görlitz-Zittau, where she danced for 3 seasons. During that time, Amit was already creating solos that were included in the various company performances.
In 2022, Amit collaborated with renowned artist Sandro Kopp, on several art pieces presented at Ebensperger gallery in Berlin and Graz, the Mannheimer Kunstverein, and Milford Galleries in New Zealand. Amit returned to Görlitz as a guest choreographer, creating a solo called “Fenstersprache” for the dancer Dieke De Gent. The solo premiered in Görlitz as part of the dance company’s “VivaVivaldi” evening. Later on, it was performed in Görlitz and Zittau several times and showcased at Zukunftsvisionen Festival. Amit created, performed, and directed the short dance film “Stav,” with the support of Theater Görlitz. The choreography was also adapted to a solo that premiered in the “St. Marienthal” monastery, performed by Amit. The film debuted in April 2023 as part of the “Constructed Sight Dance Film Festival” (Pittsburgh, PA), followed by screenings at the “Mafra Dance Festival” (Portugal), “Dance Days Chania” (Greece), “Quinzena de Dança de Almada” (Portugal) and “vision:danceable” (Germany).
Amit Abend was granted a four-week research residency in September 2023 as part of the “TANZPAKT in residence” program at the historic villa\wigman in Dresden, the former domain of dancer and choreographer Mary Wigman.
The result of Amit’s research was the solo piece Wayfaring Stranger, an exploration of identity and belonging. The piece premiered in October 2023 at villa\wigman. It was also featured in vision:danceable at Societätstheater and had a successful return to the villa as part of Solo².
©Sandro Kopp
Amit is also passionate about event production and contributing to the art scene and dance community. In 2016, she independently produced, curated, and ran an art fair called “Shoshana’s Dane” in Tel Aviv, in which all proceeds went to the participating artists. Since 2021, Amit is also the creator and host of a podcast called “Inside Contemporary Dance'' where she interviews dance artists in various stages of their careers. The podcast’s mission is to create an open and honest space to talk about topics that are not frequently discussed in the dance world, strengthen and support our dance community, and remind dance artists all around the world that they are not alone.
podcast
Since 2021, Amit is the creator and host of a podcast called “Inside Contemporary Dance'' where she interviews dance artists in various stages of their careers. The podcast’s mission is to create an open and honest space to talk about topics that are not frequently discussed in the dance world, strengthen and support our dance community, and remind dance artists all around the world that they are not alone.
Wayfaring stranger | tanzpakt in residence
Amit Abend was granted a four-week research residency in September 2023 as part of the “TANZPAKT in residence” at the historic villa\wigman in Dresden, the former domain of dancer and choreographer Mary Wigman.
©André Wirsig
During her residency, Amit delved into the theme of home. She reflected on her personal origins, the place where she lives, and the effects of moving abroad and returning home - physically, mentally, and kinesthetically. Amit sought to uncover the deeper layer of connection with people, one that went beyond time and space. Her main motivation was to find out how to make those connections visible, how to weave those links with the power of movement.
The result of Amit’s research was the solo piece Wayfaring Stranger, an exploration of identity and belonging. The piece premiered in October 2023 at villa\wigman. It was also featured in vision:danceable at Societätstheater and had a successful return to the villa as part of Solo².
Concept, choreography & performance: Amit Abend
Original music: Thomas Bewernick
Wood artwork: Or Rozenberg
Fabric sack: Tamar Arava
Costume & general support: Naama Arava-Abend
Trailer: Simon Garbe
"I can genuinely feel that no matter how confusing my sense of home and belonging might be, my body always was and always will be my first home. And even more than that, it is always available for me to return to, no matter where I am in the world.“
©Pawel Sosnowki
fenstersprache
Choreography: Amit Abend
Dancer: Dieke De Gendt
Original Music: Hugo Trump
Premiered in Görlitz as part of the G-H-T’s “Viva Vivaldi” evening. Followed by various performances in Görlitz and Zittau, and at Zukunftsvisionen Festival\2022
The piece is inspired by the short time I spent living in an apartment building where we could all see clearly into each other’s houses. Every evening, in our brightly lit living rooms, we all involuntarily became watchers, witnessing half-spoken stories, fractions of our neighbor's realities. We were isolated from each other, but the fact that we were all in there, having our own human experience, was also the invisible thread that connected us and made us feel a little less alone. Throughout the piece, we slowly become acquainted with a mysterious woman portrayed by dance artist Dieke De Gendt. Starting with her back turned towards us, we, as an audience, only get to see glimpses of who she is. But as the solo evolves, she slowly sheds her layers and we are invited to go on a journey with her. Through this solo, I hope to invite the audience to get lost in her story. I want to use the humanity and vulnerability of the movement to evoke a sense of connectedness; through observing her, we get a glimpse into our own lives as well.
Stav
A short dance film created, performed, and directed by Amit Abend.
Created for the Viva Vivaldi project of the wee dance company of the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater Görlitz-Zittau / 2021, artistic directors: Marko E. Weigert, Dan Pelleg.
The film debuted in April 2023 as part of the “Constructed Sight Dance Film Festival” (Pittsburgh, PA), followed by screenings at the “Mafra Dance Festival” (Portugal), “Dance Days Chania” (Greece), “Quinzena de Dança de Almada” (Portugal) and “vision:danceable” (Germany).
“The secret that our poets and philosophers have been trying to tell us for centuries, is that our longing is the great gateway to belonging.”
― Susan Cain, Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
“Stav” is an ode to imagination.
It's the bitter-sweet feeling of longing.
An intimate moment of subdued sorrow from which a surprising joy and softness can arise.
Collaboration with SANDRO KOPP
In 2022, Amit and renowned artist Sandro Kopp embarked on an exciting artistic collaboration facilitated by the virtual realm of Zoom. Their work together consisted of a short meditation session from which Amit would initiate deliberate, unhurried movements—often close to the ground—transitioning seamlessly between fluid postures. These movements introduced varying muscle intensities, emotional resonance, effort and release, contraction and expansion, and complex shapes and silhouettes created by the entanglement of body parts. Sandro would react instinctively and paint his impressions. The result was stunningly sophisticated body web drawings.
Zoom Body Web Session. The painting was exhibited at the Mannheimer Kunstverein
Painting of Amit dancing by Sandro, hanging at “jil Rooftop Drink&Dine” in Heidelberg
In winter 2022, Amit and Sandro embarked on their biggest collaboration yet. This time they met live in Berlin to create the central piece for Sandro’s exhibition, The Rosenthaler Suite, at Ebensperger gallery.
The Rosenthaler Suite is a series of paintings by Sandro that came to life during and after the filming of Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” for which he created the entire oeuvre for one of the film’s protagonists: the pioneering artist Moses Rosenthaler.
The creation of the central piece challenged the two to use all they had learned from past collaborations and test their endurance and perseverance. Using mixed media on panel, the result was a massive painting measuring 280cm by 700cm. During this session, photographer Ruediger Glatz accompanied them while musician Thomas Bewernick provided live music. The painting was first shown at Ebensperger Berlin and then exhibited again at Ebensperger Vitrine in Graz.
