On November 15 EMIS students joined local schools at the Arab Jewish Community Center in Jaffa to watch the Batsheva Young Ensemble perform Kamuyot by Ohad Naharin.  The performance was captivating, as the dancers sat among the audience and even had audience members stand up to join in the performance.  The dancers not only demonstrated a deep connection with each physical movement, but they also made connections with the audience as they actively made eye contact and engaged with students.  The intimate setting of the performance enabled the audience to have a unique viewing experience, with the dancers close enough to touch at times.  Additionally, with seating on all four sides surrounding the dance floor, the dancers changed directions continually, thus allowing the audience different perspectives for each gesture and motion.

On September 26th, the Visual Arts students at EMIS went on an inspiring day trip to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  In Tel Aviv, the students had the opportunity to visit unique exhibitions in three different galleries.  First, they went to Gordon Gallery, where they saw "Pink Days/Blue Days" by Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010), one of the most prominent and influential artists of the 20th century.  They then went to the Rozenfeld Gallery, where they saw a group exhibition by Israeli contemporary artists.  The last stop in Tel Aviv was the RawArt Gallery, where they saw "Yod" (the tenth and smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet) by Ishai Shapira.  Before heading out to Jerusalem, the class enjoyed a nice picnic lunch.

Early on Tuesday morning, January 31st, the Visual Arts students of EMIS woke up for a jam-packed day ahead. With the aim of establishing an understanding of the connection between art and conflict, we were determined to, for a day, open our ears and minds to the perspectives of local artists. So, after eating breakfast and packing a lunch, we were off, headed towards the hills of Jerusalem, to the leading arts and design school in Israel, Bezalel University.