About
Israel Ortiz
SUNSHINE COAST / CUBA
Israel is a master of Cuban contemporary and folkloric dance and his energetic & easy-going attitude brings a lightness and a sense of fun to his audiences.
A professional Dancer, Teacher and Choreographer born in Santiago de Cuba, Israel has danced most of his life. He started his journey at a specialised dance school at the age of 11 and went on to graduate from the prestigious National School of Art in Havana.
Upon graduating, he worked for different modern dance companies in Cuba before being awarded a position in the Internationally acclaimed dance spectacular ‘Havana Night’. He travelled the world, performing in more than 9 different countries throughout Asia and Europe, before finally settling in Australia in 2003 and creating his own Cuban Dance Company.
Israel also co-founded Afrekete in 2012 with Cuban culture expert and dancer Christina Monneron along with Cuban master performer & teacher Adrian Medina Scull.
Israel continues the legacy of promoting authentic Cuban culture through teaching and performing Cuban traditional, folkloric and contemporary dance all over Australia & New Zealand.