The Art of Fugue

Zvi Gotheiner (Artistic Director) was born and raised in kibbutz Mesilot in northern Israel. He began his artistic career as a gifted violinist with the Young Kibbutzim Orchestra, where he attained the rank of soloist and Concertmaster. He began dancing at 17 and soon after formed his first performance group. He joined the Bat-Sheva Dance Company after serving in the army. Zvi arrived in New York in 1978 on a dance scholarship from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and danced with the Joyce Trisler Dance Company and Feld Ballets/NY. After directing Tamar Ramle and the Jerusalem Tamar Dance Company in Israel and the Israeli Chamber Dance Company in New York, he founded ZVIDANCE in 1989. He has created more than 25 works for his Company, among them DABKE, which was named by The New York Times as one of the ten best dance works of 2013. Zvi is a highly regarded ballet teacher, described by The New York Times as the “Zen Dance Master of New York.” Most recently Zvi received Distinguished Teaching Awards from the American Dance Festival and the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center’s Playing Field.

Mark London (Lighting Designer) is proud to continue his 30+ year collaboration with Zvi Gotheiner and ZviDance. While Mark’s “day job” involves broadcast lighting his heart is rooted on the stage in both theatre and especially dance where Mark has designed for Noche Flamenca, Stars of the Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet and the Chinese Opera of Taipei. Closer to home Marks designs have included, Muna Tseng, Jeanette Stoner, Colloquium Dance, and ISO Dance as well as theatre productions at the Public Theater and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) among many other intimate downtown venues. Mark continues to draw strength from his family; Gail, Rachel and Ian, as a constant source of inspiration and balance.

Gabrielle Grywalski (Costume Designer) is an aerialist, dancer, designer and seamstress living in New York. She has been creating with her company Rosalie Dancewear for over 10 years, costuming companies such as House of Yes, Armitage Gone!, Texture Contemporary Dance, Terra Firma Dance, Kyle Marshall Dance, 10 Hairy Legs, Ballets With A Twist and Queen Inita D. Ms. Grywalski is excited to be back working with Zvi Dance for another collaboration. She first costumed Zvi Dance’s “Like” in 2018.

Scott Killian (Composer) Since 1997 Scott has created over 25 works with Zvi, including the recent Bear’s Ears, LIKE and Dabke. Other on-going dance collaborators include Joanie Smith (Shapiro and Smith Dance–over 30 works) and Cherylyn Lavagnino. His works for dance have been heard in many venues, including NY City Center, The Joyce Theatre, Jacob’s Pillow, New York Live Arts and The Apollo Theatre. In addition to his extensive work as a composer for dance, Scott’s music and sound design has been heard in many NYC and regional theatres, including Manhattan Theatre Club, Red Bull Theatre, MCC (Manhattan Class Co.), Primary Stages, Berkshire Theatre Festival (Resident Composer/Sound Designer since 1997), A.C.T. (American Conservatory Theatre), Shakespeare and Company, George Street Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre-Wash. D.C. and the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

Joshua Higgason (Video Design) is a video, scenic, lighting, and interactive media designer, creating experiences for theater, concerts, opera, and events. For ZviDance, he designed On the Road, Dancing the Bears Ears, Detour, and Like. Recent video designs include Die Ägyptische Helena and Hansel und Gretel for Teatro Alla Scala; Purcell’s King Arthur for Staatsoper Berlin and Theater An Der Wien; and Acquanetta for Bard Summerscape. Upcoming: Aging Magician (Lights and Projection) for San Diego Opera and The Enigmatist (Lights and Projection) at The Geffen. He teaches design at MIT.

Ching Ching Wong (Dancer) was born in Manila, Philippines and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Ching Ching Wong credits her lifelong teacher Alia Harlan Kaneaikala for instilling in her the love for dance. She is the recipient of Princess Grace Award in Dance (2015), was listed in Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch (2017), and is currently represented by Movement Talent Agency. Her freelance career includes collaborations with ZviDance, LED, Brendan Duggan, PARA.MAR, CARLON, Safety Third Productions, YYDC, SALT Contemporary Dance, Heidi Duckler Dance Theater, WHYTEBERG, The Assembly, Katie Scherman, Joe Kye, and Mimi Haddon. Ching Ching is assistant and répétiteur for Swiss based choreographer Ihsan Rustem re-staging his work throughout the US and Europe. She is also founder of Project Salamat, global outreach program, and The Experience, an international workshop series. For seven seasons, she danced for Northwest Dance Project in Portland, Oregon where she has originated roles in creations by Felix Landerer, Lucas Crandall, Ihsan Rustem, Sarah Slipper, Alejandro Cerrudo, Jiri Pokorny, Wen Wei Wang, Didy Veldman, Danielle Agami, Patrick Delcroix, Alex Soares, Kate Wallich, Pedro Dias, Gregory Dolbashian, Yin Yue, Loni Landon, Rachel Erdos, amongst others. Ching Ching is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine BFA in Dance Performance minoring in Education and Psychology & Social Behavior. There, she was fortunate to work with the late Mr. Donald KcKayle. She is also a certified classical Pilates instructor through The Pilates Center in Boulder, CO. Ching Ching now lives in Philadelphia, PA with fiancé Joe Reynolds.

Doron Perk (Dancer) studied in the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in Israel and received scholarships from The America – Israel Cultural foundation during the years 2003-2008. Between 2008 and 2015, Doron danced in The Croatian National Theatre Ballet (HNK) in Split, The National Dance Company of Spain (CND) in Madrid, and The Batsheva Ensemble – The Young Company in Tel Aviv. He received the Excellent Artist grant from the Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and two consecutive O1 – Extraordinary Ability in the Arts visa from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Doron has been a Gaga Movement teacher since 2015 and a dancer in ZviDance since 2016. He was listed in “Best Performers of 2016” by Dance Magazine for his work with choreographer Zvi Gotheiner and is the recipient of a Cultural Export grant from the Young Creators Foundation of the Israeli Ministry of Culture for his collaboration with pianist Danielle Friedman in the summer of 2019. Doron performed his solo work in New York City and Mexico City. His multi-disciplinary collaborations took stages in New York City, Berlin, New Orleans, Tel Aviv, London, Bern, Edinburgh, Thessaloniki, and AEJAA (an online platform). Doron keeps creating dance, alone or in collaboration, furthering the research, improving the abilities, and expanding the reach.

Matilda Mackey (Dancer) American-Italian performer and 2020 Juilliard graduate, Matilda Mackey is a burgeoning professional dance artist specializing in the sensory language of movement and choreography. Raised in Iowa, Matilda received her foundational training at the Nolte Academy and an early high school graduation led her to The Juilliard School. There, she rounded out her formal education and gained a depth of intrigue, prowess and levity within dance and media. Matilda has danced under the masterful training of Shamel Pitts, Risa Steinberg, Bobbi Jene Smith, Peter Chu, Sidra Bell, Andrea Miller, Zvi Gotheiner and Alexandra Wells, among many other greats. Beyond the scope of the physical realm of dance, Matilda has been involved in leadership as the Co-Founder of Juilliard’s first Women’s Empowerment Club, and has won awards for her poetry, the most recent being a publication in Iowa’s annual book of local poetry called Lyrical Iowa. Her recent passions include delving deeper into the world of dance-on-film, a journey of discovery which she is thrilled to embark upon. Matilda currently has the privilege of dancing with ZviDance Company in NY, alongside other freelance endeavors.

Evan Fisk (Dancer) Currently working as an Actor, Dancer and Model in New York City, Evan Fisk earned his BFA from the Juilliard School in 2017 and immediately joined the cast of PunchDrunk’s Sleep No More. He has also been a dancer for Brian Brooks Moving Company for 3 years performing around the country. At the Park Avenue Armory, Fisk was one of the “initiates” to wear Nick Cave’s SoundSuits during the Upright Ceremony, and an audience facilitator during installation hours. Additionally he also creates his own work, blending dance, theatricality and speech, often collaborating with his peer Caitlin Javech, as well as with composers and filmmakers. Alongside two of his classmates, Evan is a co-founder of Uptown Composition Club. UCC is an organization that facilitates studio time for artists in New York to expand their toolkit for choreographing and set up grounds for collaboration. This is Evan’s first project with ZviDance.

Anson Zwingelberg (Dancer) From Myrtle Beach, SC, Anson began dancing at the age of 5. In 2008, he enrolled at Coastal Dance Centre where he studied with Liza Mata. At 14, he was accepted to South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, where he began training under Stanislav Issaev and later Josée Garant, graduating in 2013. In the spring of 2017, he received his BFA from The Juilliard School in New York City, where he had the opportunity to work with distinguished faculty and perform works by Richard Alston, Merce Cunningham, José Limón, Paul Taylor, Matthew Neenan, Zvi Gotheiner, Loni Landon and Takehiro Ueyama. While at Juilliard, Anson performed at The Guggenheim Museum as part of Works and Process, as well as received additional training at Springboard Danse Montréal and Merce Cunningham Trust workshops. Anson danced for Charlotte Ballet 2017-2020, where he performed works by Johan Inger, Javier de Frutos, Robyn Mineko-Williams, Myles Thatcher, Bryan Arias, Peter Chu, Filipe Portugal, Christopher Stuart, Helen Pickett, and Christian Spuck. In April, 2019 Anson performed in the Merce Cunningham Centennial, ‘Night of 100 Solos’ at BAM in NYC.

Alison Clancy (Dancer) is an artist in pursuit of beauty and catharsis. Most days start with ballet and end with an electric guitar. She is a principal dancer with The Metropolitan Opera and the creative director for many performance and media projects. Her work and collaborations often bridge between worlds: bringing live music to galleries, concert dance to clubs, street dance to ballet. Performances integrate original music, ritual practices, dramatic lighting/video and eclectically beautiful collaborators to create otherworldly environments: lost intersections where we search for ourselves in the shadows. Alison has been a company member of Zvi Dance since 2008.

Nat Wilson (Dancer) grew up in Michigan where he first studied dance with Ballet Chelsea. He continued his training at various ballet schools around the United States before joining the Joffrey Ballet Studio Company in 2013. He danced with Visceral Dance Chicago before moving to Israel to join Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in 2016. While with KCDC, he had the opportunity to perform and teach workshops around the world, including South Korea, Colombia, and India. He moved to New York in January of 2020 where he currently works as a freelance dancer.

Caitlin Javech (Dancer) A native of Miami, Florida, Caitlin Javech attended high school at New World School of the Arts and went on to The Juilliard School, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2017. Caitlin choreographed prolifically at Juilliard and has continued to present and perform her own work as a freelance artist at various venues in NYC post-graduation. Caitlin has performed professionally at The Banff Centre, with The Cunningham Trust, for Hatch Presenting Series, The Chen Dance Center, Arts on Site NYC, 7MPR Themed Dance Theater Program, and The Higher Ground Festival. Caitlin is also a fully certified Pilates instructor and runs her own business “JavechMovement Pilates Training” and is the co-founder of “Beyond the Barre, NYC; Pilates for Dancers, by Dancers”. Caitlin has worked for ZviDance since 2020 and is currently completing her first year towards an MFA in Choreography remotely at CalArts.

The Video capturing of THE ART OF FUGUE for broadcasting was made possible by commission support from Montclair State University PEAK Plus series.

ZVIDANCE exists to share with audiences the choreographic vision and movement vocabulary of Artistic Director, Zvi Gotheiner. Each piece defines a unique set of relationships and experiences, boldly addressing the depths of the human experience. The Company is shaped by a collaborative model of creation, involving the ensemble and designers in the initial research phase, so as to constantly push the methodology and ethics of the creation process within an interdisciplinary format. ZVIDANCE also exists to engage students and enrich their appreciation of the art form. ZVIDANCE has received critical praise and significant funding for its artistic pursuits through multiple NEA Artistic Excellence grant awards and NYFA fellowships. The Company performs frequently at home in such New York City venues as BAM’s Next Wave Festival, the Joyce Theater, New York Live Arts, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors and SummerStage. ZVIDANCE has toured across North America to many venues and festivals, including the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the American Dance Festival. The Company has also toured abroad to Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Israel, Germany, Japan, Poland and Russia.

ZVIDANCE expresses its deep gratitude to Jedediah Wheeler – Executive Director for Arts and Cultural Programming, Regina Vorria – Associate Producer and all the wonderful staff and crew at Montclair State University’s PEAK Plus series. Many thanks for Peter and Sarah Finn, Pam Weisberg and Joan Oldknow from the Catskill Mountain Foundation. Special thanks to Diana Dimenna.

To Adrienne Willis and Ruth Moe at Lumberyard Contemporary Performing Arts. To Michelle Mathesius, To Gregory Cary, Bentley Roton, to Joseph V. Melillo, Amy Cassello, To Pamela Tatge at Jacobs Pillow. To Rachel Chanoff and Sue Killam at Mass MoCa. To the Dancers, Scott Killian, Josh Higgason, Mark London, Gabrielle Grywalski, Nikki Chalas, Allen Maniker,, Gail Siegal, Jacob Goodhart, Alex Biegelson, Kyle Netzeband, Annie Heath. To Anna Campbell, Kimberleigh Costanzo, Alejandra Duque Cifuentes, Milena Luna, Sam Reising, Ladan Hamidi-Toosi, Leanne Tintori Wells, Deborah Lim, Florence Packman, Wayne Adams, Don Christiansen, Lise Rode, Paul Calendrillo, Heidi Gutman, Paul Engler, Renee Schreiber, Mara Greenberg, Ivan Sygoda, Phyllis Lamhut, Doug Post, Kimberly Marcotte, Alex Goleman, Clarissa Soto, Suzy and John O’Neill, Loganne Bond and Aubrey Ball. Special thanks to Pauline Reyniak, Donya Bommer, Wendy Bromley Bodden. Todd Allen, Kuan Hui Chew, Samantha Harvey, Ying-Ying Shiau, Robert M. Valdez Jr.

ZVIDANCE wishes to express deepest appreciation to the Foundations, Corporations, and individuals for their ongoing critical support: The Dimenna Foundation, Gilman Foundation.

New Music USA, NYSCA, DCA, NEA, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Dance/NYC Dance Advancement Fund, The Bernard Stern Foundation, The Greater New Orleans Foundation, Inc. The W Trust. To Iliana & Bob Sherak, David Brosh, David Farer & Elisa King, Dianne Vapnek, Paul and Temple Engler, Don Christiansen, Scott Killian, Florence Packman, Paul Calendrillo, David Rosenbluth, Gail Siegal, Janice Lee and Stuart Shapiro, Jerry Heymann, John Carpenter, John Gilbert, Mark London,Marylou Brigham, Matt Stern, Donya Bommer, Pauline Reyniak, Serena Lese, Peter Anzalone, Seth and Sara Gertsacov, Tara Mora & Doug Beebe, Tom Spinella, Venantius Pinto, Vicky M. Virgin, Victor David, William Levay. Judith Nusinoff-Boomer, James C. Martin, Cynthia Berkshire, Mary Brophy, Ayala Marcktell, Thomas Eff, Janice Moyes, Arminda Warde, Matt Stern, Judith and Jerome Ingber.

ZviDance stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and all who are outraged and grieving the death of countless souls who have suffered due to police brutality and racist culture. There are no words to adequately express the sorrow being felt throughout the world as we face centuries of pain inflicted on black, brown and indigenous bodies. Every person has a role to play in bringing medicine to the hurt, and we are committed to finding ours individually as artists, collectively as a company and in collaboration with our broader communities.

ZviDance acknowledges Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of the land, and the enduring relationship that exists between them and their traditional territories. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced occupation of their territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse indigenous people connected to this land on which we gather from time immemorial.

ZviDance (ZGD, INC) is a not-for-profit corporation.
Visit us online at zvidance.com.

For more information, please contact Zvi Gotheiner, Artistic Director – zvi@zvidance.com
130 West 56th Street, Suite 701 New York, NY 10019
646-684-4021
Public Relations:
Michelle Tabnick
michelle@michelletabnickpr.com