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Ayalah Goren-Kadman
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Ayalah Goren-Kadman is one of the foremost teachers, choreographers, and researchers of Israeli folk and ethnic dance. Ayalah literally began dancing in the womb, since her mother, Gurit Kadman, is considered the mother of the Israeli folk dance movement.
Ayalah danced in and choreographed for the famous Dalia Dance Festivals, directed the Institute for Folk Dance Leaders in Jerusalem (1966-1975), and headed the folklore department of the International Cultural Center for Youth in Jerusalem (1979-1994). In this capacity, she directed the annual regional and national festivals for the performing arts. She also served as consultant for Israel radio and television, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and was chairperson of the Dance Committee of the Tel Aviv Foundation for the Arts. In 1987, she established the ethnic dance program of the Rubin Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem and continues to direct it.
A graduate of the Hebrew University in anthropology, folklore, and theater, Ayalah is a founder of the Israel Ethnic Dance Project which was established in 1972. In this capacity, she has undertaken extensive field work among the ethnic communities of Israel including the Arab sector. She has developed programs for the retention and revival of the folk traditions of Israel's diverse society. Together with her mother, Gurit Kadman, she has collaborated in producing a series of ethnographic films of the traditional dances of Jews from Yemen, Kurdistan, North Africa, India, Ethiopia, and Eastern Europe.
In 1988, the National Foundation for Jewish Culture brought her to the United States for a series of lectures, master classes, and workshops. Since then she has returned periodically to the U.S. to lead workshops and to lecture at dance departments at Juilliard; Teachers College of Columbia University, Barnard; City University of New York; and others. In addition, she has been invited to present papers at numerous professional dance conferences around the world.
Ayalah has been intimately involved with the annual Shorashim weekends in New York since they began in 1992.
Dances Ayalah has taught include Hayoshevet Baganim.