ABOUT OUR STAFF
Lorraine Posner Arcus is nationally recognized for her work in the field of
Israeli dance for children and teens as well as in Judaic curriculum for Early
Childhood. For more than thirty years Lorraine Posner Arcus has been
leading Israeli dance groups, teaching Judaics to young children, and
instructing others on teaching techniques. Her passion for Israeli dance was
ignited in her teen years while dancing with Fred Berk in Israel and at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. While earning her
Master's degree in Special Education in 1976, Lorraine
began her nationally acclaimed program of Israeli Dance at Temple Israel
in Albany, NY . For over twenty years sponsorship by
Temple Israel and the Board of Education of the United Jewish Federation of
Northeastern New York has enabled Lorraine to encourage a recognition of
Israeli Dance as an important part of Jewish culture and has resulted in the
production of scores of experienced dance teachers who have, themselves, gone
on to teach folk dance at their colleges and in communities around the country.
As Director of Israeli Dance at Temple
Israel, Albany, NY ,
she is also Artistic Director of Tzamarot, a 50 member teen performing group,
as well as coordinator of Israeli dance classes and performing groups for teens
and adults. Author of Z'man Lirkod - A Manual for Teaching Israeli Dance,
Lorraine
conducts leadership training programs locally and nationally. Lorraine teaches Judaic kindergarten at the Bet Shraga Hebrew Academy
in Albany, NY. Her book, Torah Alive!, recently
published by URJ Press, is reflective of her innovative and original curriculum
for young children. Lorraine
is a 2001 recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award for Outstanding Creative
Jewish Educators.
Ruth Goodman began her dance studies at the Metropolitan Opera
School of Ballet and the Ballet Russe School of Dance. Involved with the
annual Israel Folk Dance Festival since 1969, she succeeded Fred Berk as its
director. She is the founder and director of the Parparim Ensemble of
Israeli Folk Dance and Song a versatile company that has performed for diverse
audiences, holiday celebrations, regional and national events throughout the United States and Israel. Ruth conducts
workshops and seminars throughout the Americas, including teachers
workshops for the Board of Jewish Education and for CAJE. She has
participated in numerous tours to Israel where she has performed,
directed and observed Israeli music and dance. Ruth is an author of the
article, "Israeli Folk Dance Pioneers" published in Jewish Women in America, an
Historical Encyclopedia and an editor of the international Hebrew/English
publication, Rokdim-Nirkoda magazine. She is co-director, with Danny
Uziel, of the Israeli Dance Institute, a comprehensive resource and information
center that offers professional guidance to teachers, community leaders,
performing groups and Israeli folk dance enthusiasts, and of the Jewish Dance
Division of the 92nd Street
"Y," which offers a broad range of courses and special events,
including a weekly Israeli folk dance session. Ruth holds a Master of
Arts degree in Dance Education from Columbia
University Teachers
College.
Silvio
Berlfein has been teaching Israeli
dance since he was 17 having begun with a youth leadership course in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dancer, teacher
and choreographer, Silvio served as Director of the Dalia Dance Festival
in Argentina.
He also was one of the creators of the Kineret Dance Festival in Venezuela.
For eighteen years, Silvio has been residing in South
Florida
where he has taught students of all ages and directs the
Hora Israeli Dance Troupe. Together with his wife Sandra he has
created an original repertoire of dances for children. Throughout the Americas, Silvio has given
workshops for teachers in local and national conferences, and has staged and
choreographed for festivals. With a
background in Physical Education and Recreation, Silvio incorporates many of
his games, techniques and unique sense of fun into the teaching of dance. This provides a wonderfully delightful learning experience for children, adults and observers.
Iris Vachnoon Cohen was born in Israel where she began her dance
career at age 12 under the tutelage of Zvi Gotheiner. She received a
Bachelor of Dance degree from the Rubin Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem and Teaching Certification from the Ministry of
Education in Israel.
Iris has taught in community centers, private studios and high schools and
established her own dance group in Ashdod,
Israel.
Iris came to New York
in 2001 and joined the Parparim Ensemble as a dancer and choreographer,
choreographing performances for the annual Jewish Heritage Day at Shea
Stadium. Since 2002, she has served as assistant to the director of the
Israel Folk Dance Festival and Festival of the Arts, choreographing and staging
the Opening and the Finale for all 300 festival performers at each annual
event. Iris directs the dance program at the Ramaz Upper
School, has taught ballet at the American Dance and Drama Studio
and established the "Iristeps Israeli Folk Dance
Ensemble." Iris collaborated with composer Hanna Levy to develop an
educational module for children, "Bo'u Nivneh Po Gesher," comprised
of songs, dances, and creative movement.
Osher Cohen, born in Israel, started
ballroom dancing when he was 18 years old. He taught for Yaron Meidan who specialized and
popularized Israeli line dancing for teenagers. Osher moved to the United States
in 2000 and participated in the professional dance program at Dance Space Studio
in NYC where he worked with Jana Hicks and Jennifer Archiblle. Osher has
taught in summer camps in the United
States and now choreographs line dances that
reflect his own energetic style. Osher holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting
from Baruch College.