Ori Flomin is an independent choreographer, dancer, dance and yoga instructor and a Shiatsu therapist. Originally from Israel Ori has been based in New York City since 1989.
He discovered dance at a local dance studio in his hometown in Israel and started with jazz at age 14. Later on he shifted into contemporary and Ballet and studied at the Bat-Dor school in Israel.
After finishing military service in Israel he appeared in the musical Peter Pan, his first professional job as a dancer. In 1989 he went to fulfil a long time dream and go to study dance in New York City and pursuit a career as a professional dancer.
While getting some work as a free lance dancer an audition in February 1991 led to his joining the Stephen Petronio Dance Company, where he was a featured dancer for eight years. Later, in 2005, he rejoined the company as assistant to the artistic director until 2009 and until present day he still re-stages Petronio’s work on many company’s and schools.
Over the years Ori also had the pleasure of dancing in works by Maria Hassabi, Neil Greenberg, Molissa Fenely, Tim Feldman, Michael Clark, Helena Franzen and Kevin Wynn, among many others in NYC as well as in Denmark and Sweden.
As a Choreographer in 2002 Flomin’s first piece, Comfort Zone 1, was selected to be performed as part of Dance Theater Workshops (DTW) Fresh Tracks series. That work led to an ongoing relationship with DTW, where he has since presented two more pieces (2003 and 2009). Flomin was also selected as the New York representative for the US/Japan Artist Exchange Project, through which he collaborated with four artists from the United States and Japan and toured his solo (the end.) in both countries in 2005.
Ori’s work has also been performed in NYC at Movement Research at the Judson Church, Dance New Amsterdams In the Company of Men series, and through the Dance Now Downtown Festival at Joes Pub, among other venues.
Since 2002 Flomin has created eight original pieces at Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD). In 2008, he choreographed “Significant Moments”, a full evening of work performed by all 120 students in the school, in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of SEAD.
As sought-after dance and yoga teacher, Flomin has taught extensively for acclaimed schools, companies and festivals in New York and around the world for the past 15 years. Some of his teachings include: Impulstanz Festival (Vienna), Sasha Waltz and Guests (Berlin) , PARTS (Brussels), Culberg Ballet (Stockholm) , Ballet de Lorraine (Nancy), London Contemporary Dance School (London), School of Modern Dance Denmark (Copenhagen), Ials (Rome) , Dance Ireland (Dublin), Henry Jurriens Foundation (Amsterdam), National School of Dance (Athenes), UVAgrapes festival (Catania), National Ballet of Marseille (Marseille) and many more.
In New York City area he has been a guest faculty at SUNY purchase, Rutgers College, Barnard College, The New School and a faculty member at Movement Research.
When did you come in contact with dance for the first time?
I was always dancing… since I was a little kid maybe 4-5 I remember my dad playing records and I was always dancing to the music, if it was classical or pop I was always making dances and “performing” in our living room. A friend of my parents saw me dancing once and suggested that they take me to take dance classes… I went to jazz class and loved it form the very first moment. Later they sent me to Ballet class and then I was really bored, I couldn’t appreciate the benefits of studying ballet, I was 10 or 11 and the form really bored me and I took a break from dance classes until I was 14 and then discovered it again , form Jazz to modern and ballet and at 14 I was hooked and I think I knew then that it was it, and that is what I will always do.
What is it that prompted you to pursue this passion and to make it such an important part of your life?
I think I just knew that there is nothing else that I want to do more then dance. I tried acting a bit in school but it was not giving me the same satisfaction and wonderful feeling as when I was dancing. also in the local studio I was the only guy and I was getting a lot of attention and encouragement form my teacher, it made me feel really good and happy with myself. When I moved to NYC I gave myself some time to study and see how it goes. After a year I felt that I am only beginning to see what is possible and what are the options. I really wanted to be in a dance company and tour and travel. I auditioned for everyone, sometimes I was very close and almost got the job but then they took someone else. I though I will stay for 6 more month and then see if I get a job or not and then I auditioned got Petronio and fell in love with his moment style and way of working. I got the job and a month later I was on tour. it was super exciting. The more I stayed in the company the more I felt like I truly found my place!
What are the most beautiful experiences and the greatest satisfaction that dancing has given to you?
There has been so many great experiences along the way over the years that its hard to name a few.
Always after a long process of creation with all the struggles and hard times of a long process the moment I arrive on stage and perform and feel the joy of losing myself on stage. Always reminds me why all the hard work is worth its while. In one show the body and mind can forget months of hard work.
Over the years as I go more into my teaching. I take great satisfaction from seeing dancers who have studies with me dancing with great companies and doing great works. Somehow knowing that I might had something small to do with it makes me feel very proud.
As a dancer I remember performing with the Stephen Petronio Company at summer stage in central park, NYC. the piece started with a long solo of mine which was incredibly challenging with lots of leaps twists and falls to the floor. I started the solo running on stage into a grand-jete. I remember coming out and like in slow motion watching the huge crowd that came out over a beautiful clear summer day, then behind the crowed i could see Central Park and the skyline of Manhattan behind it. I got such an adrenaline rush from this fantastic view and gave one of my best performances. As I was going through the solo I thought to myself – “wow remember this moment, it probably won’t get much better then this…” indeed I remember this moment so vividly as one of my highlights…
As a Choreographer – I got my first chance to make a piece at SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) in Salzburg, Austria. Susan Quinn the Director got my name as a recommendation and asked me to come and make a piece on the 3rd year students. I told her I never made a piece before and she said – well here is your first chance. I am forever grateful to her for giving me this chance and believing in me. Being in the studio with the eager dancers and creating movements and patterns together was a new thrilling satisfaction to me that opened my desire to be more creative. Eight years later in 2008 Susan invited me to create a full evening length piece to celebrate the 15 anniversary of the school. she asked me to use all 120 students of the school. We worked for a month from morning to night, rehearsing with groups and then a big finale with the whole school on stage. It was a crazy month with little sleep and a lot of worry how it will all come together? We only had one show at the beautiful Republic theater in Salzburg and it was incredibly thrilling to see all the pieces come together. At the moment all the students were on stage together in the finale there was so much energy and power on stage it could have lit a whole football stadium. It was fantastic. I could proudly say that I knew all of them personally and by name and when I came on stage to bow with everyone I felt so moved and proud.
As a teacher – I have been working with Sasha Waltz Company for about 12 years, coming as a guest to give company classes about once a year. During the creation of “Nobody” I was invited to join the company for a week of rehearsals in Avignon in preparation for their performances there. Since it was so hot in the outdoor theater we started class around 5pm in the evening and they rehearsed through the night. The class was on the outdoor stage of Palais de Papes. Working with the amazingly talented dancers of the company on that wonderful stage as the sun was slowly setting , was quite a fantastic moment and definitely felt like a highlight in my teaching. When I still talk to some company member, now 12 years later, we all remember those classes and the time in Avignon as a special time.
Besides this “big” moments that feel like highlights in my career there are many satisfying moments along the way – when I make a new movement phrase that I really like, when a dancer tells me how much they learned from my class and how they understand their own dancing much better, or when someone tells me they were touched by my performance or choreography.
All this little moments always feel like big moments as well and touch me and remind me why I do this.
How is to work in New York and what this city is giving to you?
New York is always a great source of inspiration for me. When I first arrived I was amazed by how many dance performances are listed in the dance section of a newspaper. I couldn’t believe that so much is going on every weekend. From performances in huge theaters to small galleries installations. weather all the performances are to my taste or not is one thing but the fact that there is so much creative drive in the city is always giving me great support and energy. Also as a dancer and teacher there is so much that is offered in terms of classes and workshops it could be overwhelming trying to chose what to do. Besides the dance world the city itself with the diversity of population and clash of cultures always offers so much to see and do and I love that about the city.
With that said there are also many struggles and frustrations living and creating in the big apple of course the main one is the financial situation. support for the art is very limited and as there are so many artists looking for that little support the competition is strong and one has to stay at the top of the game and keep applying for grants , residencies etc and not be discourage when not receiving any support… the same applies when an artist is looking for a theater to present the work. It is very difficult to find the support and even when a theater is offering to produce a show the artists still have to raise most of the money to finance the show.
Also as a dancer – most dancers can not live from their dance jobs alone and everyone juggles their lives between different dance jobs (performing or teaching ) and many other skills to pay the rent. There is a lot to struggle with but I believe that once you accept the reality and make it work into your life , it is what it is and one can not stay bitter about it, otherwise the frustration will get bigger then the satisfaction.
I was able to make a name for myself as a dancer dancing in a New York based company which led me to many jobs outside New York as a teacher and Choreographer but the best paying jobs I get are from outside of New York in Europe and around the US. It’s always a bit of a paradox to me but it works and that reputation of coming from NYC definitely helps. But in NYC itself I always face the struggles to make a living but despite that I would never replace living in NYC as a working artists, being able to see all the shows I can see meet and work with wonderful artist and be inspired.
What are your project and what about your future in the dance?
Right now I am working on two main projects. The first one is my first full evening piece to be presented in NYC. I was commissioned to have the piece presented at Dance New Amsterdam in NYC in Spring 2014 but unfortunately the theater was closed in the fall of 2013 because of financial issues. I did get my first grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Counsil for this project and also had the opportunity to show a work in progress at Movement Research Judson Church in March 2014, but still haven’t been able to find a new theater that will support me and present the work.
The second project is a duet in which I am collaborating with Swedish Choreographer Helena Franzen who has been a good friend over the past 20 years. We have been working on this Duet titled “Meeting you” over the last two years whenever we had time to meet, and now we have been getting support from Sweden and are set to premiere the piece in Fall 2014 in Gnesta as well as shows in January 2015 in Stockholm. We are also looking to tour the piece in Europe and have shows in NYC.
For the near future during the summer I will be teaching in Munich at Joint adventures festival http://www.jointadventures.net/en/news.html from July 29 to August 9 and at ImpulsTanz , Vienna http://www.impulstanz.com/workshops/2014/schedule/week4/ from August 11-16
The dance is…
I know this sounds like the typical cliche but dance for me is my life, it’s what I do and I don’t know or want to do anything else. It is a way of expression and communication to bridge over cultures and connect to other artists and people. when I see great dance it touches me like no other art form. When I am dancing my body and spirit feel happy and complete.
