Zvi Gotheiner was born and raised in kibbutz Mesilot in northern Israel. He began his artistic career as a gifted violinist with the Young Kibbutzim Orchestra, where he attained the rank of soloist and Concertmaster. He began dancing at 17 and soon after formed his first performance group. He joined the Bat-Sheva Dance Company after serving in the army. Zvi arrived in New York in 1978 on a dance scholarship from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and danced with the Joyce Trisler Dance Company and Feld Ballets/NY. After directing Tamar Ramle and the Jerusalem Tamar Dance Company in Israel and the Israeli Chamber Dance Company in New York, he founded ZviDance in 1989. He has created more than 25 works for his company, among them Dabke, which was named by The New York Times as one of the ten best dance works of 2013. Zvi is a highly regarded ballet teacher, described by The New York Times as the “Zen Dance Master of New York.” Most recently Zvi received distinguished teaching awards from the American Dance Festival and the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center’s Playing Field.