His kinetic expressions of sorrow eventually gave way to a powerful body of work that fused his Yemeni-Israeli heritage with an American sensibility.
It attracted the attention of Ohad Naharin, the artistic director of Batsheva, who asked him to be that company's house choreographer. He remained with the troupe until he broke a leg several years ago and the injury prompted him to return to Los Angeles.
"I'm both an insider and an outsider," he said. "But as a choreographer, I'm definitely Israeli."
Ziv, 37, offered a similar perspective.
"I can create anywhere, but it's Israel that has made me a choreographer," she said. "As an Israeli, you need to be strong, but you also have a need to escape to some shelter. The studio is my shelter."
Ziv initially studied acting but always knew there "was something between theater and dance. . . . I was told I would have to decide, but I knew that when I run, jump and exhaust myself physically, that's when I can talk."
Cohen too originally studied acting in addition to the visual arts and piano. Now 29, he also grew up on a kibbutz as one of the last generation of Israelis raised in communal quarters.
"This was both good and bad," he said. "A kibbutz is like a family, and you know how families can be."
At 19, he started taking dance classes and a year later was accepted into the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. He stayed with it for seven years before striking out on his own. "My work keeps getting dirtier and rougher," he said.
Asked what that might have to do with living in the Jewish state, he said, "Israel has depth, controversy, intensity and warmth -- and you are a part of this no matter what."
For his part, Sheinfeld, 35, observed that dance in Israel usually "isn't political."
"Everyone thinks that Israel is all about war, and it's not," he said. "But in Israel, you need to be strong and vital to survive, and I think choreographers bring this kind of energy to their work. It's a kind of urgency."
Trained as a gymnast, Sheinfeld began dancing with choreographers Liat Dror and Nir Ben Gal, who had founded a dance center in the Negev Desert. His first piece, "Borderline," won a prize and launched his career in choreography.
"I'm always looking for some kind of expression and for how to turn a movement into something practical or psychological," he said.
"I'm also looking for tenderness and comfort. My generation was born into this postmodern era, and we can be very cynical."
Echoing Ziv, Marshall noted that "there's an escapist and cathartic quality to the creation of dance in Israel."
"People are expecting much more political art. But because the politics are so ever-present, choreographers, when they get into the studio, seek to escape that. The politics is already in their bodies. This gives Israeli dance a lot of layers."
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'Bridge: Choreographic Dialogues'
Where: Glorya Kaufman Theater, UCLA campus
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Price: $20
Contact: (310) 825-2102 or www.tickets.ucla.edu
