Tell us about your early roots in your practice of choice.

I was always attracted to the stage, to storytelling, and fantasy, but never thought of myself as a dancer. Dance happened for me by chance when I auditioned at age 12 for a Jerusalem dance company. I then spent my high school years at the Jerusalem Academy of Music & Dance. After high school, I spent seven years with the Batsheva Dance Company, under artistic director Ohad Naharin where I was also certified as a Gaga instructor.

What inspires you in your practice?

Marathon runners have a term called “the wall,” which is a point close to the end of the marathon where you feel like you literally hit a wall and can’t go any farther. What happens in the space between “hitting the wall” and the “finish line” is most interesting to me. In my practice, I aim to get to “the wall” as soon as possible and to constantly push that pinpoint further and further.

What are valuable lessons learned from your training?

The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that by “letting go” we make room for new energy and give it potential to flow through. In the sauna, you have a choice: you can try and fight the heat or you can surrender to it. When you let go and surrender, enduring the heat becomes much more rewarding and you can push through your limits to discover your actual mental strength.

What are some other classes you enjoy at Rise?

SAUNA SESSIONS with Jonatha; he is a master of diversion and guides you in a way that allows you to let go and be in the moment, without quite noticing the passing of time.

What does social wellness mean to you?

I see that when people come together and allow themselves to connect beyond the verbal, they’re free to be who they really are. Rise is a space that generates this kind of interaction, where people can come together and enjoy a connection that transcends their words.