Chamber Dance Group – Founded by Noa Eshkol | Homework – Gestures

Homework – Gestures includes a selection of Noa Eshkol’s dances from various suites, composed from the 1960s to the 1990s.

“…In the absence of precise definitions of genre in the field of dance, I find [chamber dance] to be a name that fits its character. ‘Chamber dance’ is ‘mono-medial’ and does not intend to create a staged illusion of any sort. Thereby it differs from “dance theatre” which is multimedial, calling upon means external to movement in order to fabricate a theatrical experience.” (Noa Eshkol, 1993)

“…Each dance belongs to a suite of dances. A suite of dances encompasses variations on a movement theme or themes. A movement theme can be defined only by movement notation, and cannot be defined by a story.” (Noa Eshkol, 1979)

Noa Eshkol was a multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, and the creator of the Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation. She was born in Kibbutz Degania Bet in 1924 and died in Holon in 2007.

In the early 1950s, together with her student Avraham Wachman, she created Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation (EWMN), which in addition to its role as a tool for research and documentation of movement and dance, is also offered as a tool for composing. Eshkol continued to examine and develop the EWMN throughout her life, and it is recognized as one of the three most important movement notations in the world.

Eshkol founded the Chamber Dance Group in 1954, which, under her guidance, performed the dance compositions which she had composed employing the notation. The chamber dance group continues to perform – in various casts – in Israel and around the world ever since.

In 1973, on the outbreak of Yom Kippur War, Eshkol began creating Wall Carpets from scraps of fabric. The textile works have since been exhibited in many exhibitions in Israel and around the world.

Chamber Dance Group Dancers:

Racheli Nul-Kahana – A graduate of the Jerusalem Academy, a dancer in the Chamber Dance Group since the 1960s, and a lecturer at Seminar Hkibbutzim College. She is currently the group manager.

Mor Bashan – Graduate of the Jerusalem Academy (MA), teacher of movement and movement notation. Member of the Noa Eshkol Foundation archive team. Teaches Noa Eshkol dances in various settings in Israel and around the world.

Noga Goral – a graduate of the Jerusalem Academy. Teacher of dance and movement notation. Lecturer in the Department of Movement at the Jerusalem Academy.

Dror Shoval – Graduate of the dancer training workshop in Haifa. Graduate of the Department of Ceramic Design at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. Member of the Noa Eshkol Foundation archive team. 

Photo: Natasha Shakhnes