User:Danceimprovisation/ Yankalle Filtser

Yankalle (Yaacov) Filtser (Hebrew: יענקל׳ה (יעקב) פילצר, born August 2, 1993) is an Israeli choreographer, dancer, movement director, actor, model, and artistic director. He developed the choreographic method known as "Open Source Choreography."

Early life
Filtser was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Jerusalem. He studied dance at a non-Orthodox studio while attending an Orthodox all-boys school in the city. The tension between his religious upbringing and his passion for dance is reflected in his choreographic works.

In interviews, Filtser has shared that this tension led him to hide his kippah during dance classes. He also had to walk for hours to attend performances held on Saturdays due to the Jewish Sabbath prohibition on driving.

In 2000, he began studying and dancing with the Mehola Dance Ensemble in Jerusalem. From 2006 to 2010, he served as the house dancer at "Café Tav" in various festivals, including the Israel Festival in Jerusalem.

In 2007, he left Orthodox Judaism and devoted himself to dance studies. In 2011, he graduated with honors from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance high school. Coming from a low-income immigrant family, he relied on scholarships to fund his studies. After completing high school, he funded his further professional training by working as a street dancer. Alongside his high school studies, Filtser initiated a project called "Art in the Street," which included spontaneous art events around the country.

In 2012, as part of the project, he was filmed without his knowledge by photojournalist Ilyan Marshak in a video that gained attention online and was exhibited at the "Local Testimony" exhibition at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv.