Barak Marshall
Barak Marshall
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Barak Marshall is the son of acclaimed dancer, choreographer and musician Margalit Oved. Since his accidental entrance into dance in 1995, Barak established himself as one of Israeli dance’s most innovative and unique voices. His first work, Aunt Leah, won first prize at the Suzanne Dellal Centre’s Shades of Dance Choreography Competition. In 1998, his work Emma Goldman’s Wedding was chosen to participate in the Bagnolet International Competition in Paris where it swept the awards -winning first prize, the Prix d’Auteur, the Bonnie Byrd Award and the ADAMI Award. His company went on to tour extensively throughout Europe, including performances at Lyon’s Bienale de la Danse, Paris Theatre de la Bastille and Berlin’s Haus der Kulturen der Welt.
In 1999, Barak was invited by Ohad Naharin to become the Batsheva Dance Company’s first-ever house choreographer; he created several works for both the junior and senior companies before severely breaking his leg in 2001 and leaving dance completely. In 2008, Barak the Suzanne Dellal Centre invited Barak to return to Israel to created Monger—his first work in seven years. Following the success of Monger, in 2009 Barak was co-commissioned by the Suzanne Dellal Centre and the Israeli Opera to create Rooster, a work for twelve dancers, an opera singer and Margalit Oved.
Both Monger and Rooster works have toured throughout Israel, Europe, Asia and the United States including performances at the Montepellier Festival, Dance Umbrella UK, Jacob’s Pillow Festival, Switzerland’s STEPS Festival as well as in China, Spain, Romania, Italy, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and South Korea. Barak’s latest work for Suzanne Dellal premiered in November 2011. In 2012 Rooster was presented at Lyon’s Maison de la Danse as well as at the Holland Dance Festival. This year Barak created a new work for BODYTRAFFIC as well as new works Les Ballets Jazz du Montreal, and Cisne Negro Dance Company In Sao Paolo, Brazil. He was also commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Centre to create a new work for the opening show of the season.
Barak is also a singer of Middle Eastern and classical music and has performed as a soloist with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project. In 2011 his work received first prize at the Joyce Foundation’s A.W.A.R.D. Show held in Los Angeles. He is the recipient of a Creative Capital Grant for music production with Margalit Oved and Tamir Muskat of the Balkan Beat Box. Barak studied social theory and philosophy at Harvard University. He splits his time between Tel Aviv and Los Angeles.
