University of Florida Performing Arts

There will be a post-performance discussion with the company immediately following the show.

 To read an interview with creators Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak, click here.

To read a review of Shaker, click here.

Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak’s newest dance-theater piece takes its inspiration from the snow-filled glass globes that fill with snowflakes when shaken.  The world inside the shaker is magical and enchanted, but not necessarily happy – it has both good and evil, joy and sadness.  Accompanied by a musical score that features classics by Chopin alongside Swedish folk music and fifties-era tunes performed by Japanese pop artists, Shaker weaves fantasy, drama and comedy together for a mesmerizing and enthralling experience. 

About the Inbal Pinto Dance Company
The Inbal Pinto Dance Company is one of the leading Israeli contemporary dance groups.  Headed by founders/creators Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak, the company has been presenting innovative, imaginative and highly professional dance productions since 1994.  The uniqueness of the creators is evidenced in all the performances’ details including choreography, costume design, set design and lighting.

The Inbal Pinto Dance Company is comprised of 11 dancers and two actors.  Guided by Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak, who are the choreographers, directors and designers of IPDC’s productions, the company members focus on the creation of new productions, to be presented both in Israel and around the world, in a constant effort to contribute to dance lovers and culture seekers’ audiences.  The different productions of IPDC are motivated by the wish to learn, develop and make connections among the various art forms onstage.

In addition to international acclaim and awards granted to the IPDC and the creators, the company is very often invited to represent the State of Israel in important festivals and cultural centers around the world.  The company’s travels bring Israeli culture to many corners of the world and contribute substantially to the development of Israel’s cultural ties with the world at large.

Inbal Pinto (Artistic Director/Choreographer/Director) was born in Israel in 1969, and began her formal dance training at age 13.  She studied graphic arts at the Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem, and worked as a graphic designer for her army service.  As a dancer, she first joined the BatSheva Ensemble and was promoted to the senior BatSheva Company.  In 1990, she began her career as a choreographer.  She was invited to the American Dance Festival to take part in its International Choreographers Program in both 1997 and 1998.  In 2000, she won a Bessie – the New York Dance and Performance Award – for her creation Wrapped.

Pinto also created the choreography for theatrical works such as The Chairs and Romeo and Juliet.  In 2000, she was given Israel’s Ministry of Culture Award for Dance and the Tel Aviv Municipal Award for artistic achievements.

Avshalom Pollak (Artistic Director/Choreographer/Director) was born in Israel in 1970.  The son of well-known Israeli actor Yossi Pollak, he spent time observing his father from backstage, developing an understanding early on of the commitment and drive needed to create a high-quality theatrical experience for an audience.  He was trained as a classical actor and graduated from the Nissan Nativ Drama School in Tel-Aviv.  He has acted in a large number of films and television programs as well as many theatrical plays at the Habimah National Theater, the Cameri Theater, Gersher Theater and the Haifa Municipal Theater.  Roles have included Romeo in Romeo and Juliet; Cassio in Othello; Valere in The Miser; Tuzenbach in Three Sisters; Phillips in Orpheus; and many others.

Supported by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel and the Consulate General of Israel, Philadelphia.

The Susan Dallal Center, headed by Mr. Yair Vardi, is the home base of the company.  The company creates and works at the center which hosts most of its performances in Israel.