AVSHALOM LATUCHA WAS BORN IN ASHDOD IN 1987. FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE HE WAS NOT A DANCER. FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE HE DID NOT EVEN CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF DANCING.

At class parties from the years 1997 to 2000 he could be found standing next to a wall eating a mixture of Bamba and Beesley Grill out of a plastic cup, refusing to participate in any dances except the slow ones. At his Bar Mitzvah he was led into the event hall by two female dancers his parents had hired; each of them held his hand and executed a series of backbends and belly shakes while Avshalom stood very still and tried to figure out where to look. The party progressed and all his guests danced around him, while his feet remained glued to the floor and he managed only to clap his hands somewhat rhythmically. As his senior graduation approached, Avshalom joined the group that prepared the dance for the evening. He decided to give it his best effort and even worked on the moves with Sophie, who took Jazz classes, in their free time. The choreographer put Avshalom in the front row and they danced ‘I Need a Hero’ like no one had danced it before. From that moment on, the writing was on the wall– if only Avshalom would have noticed it, because from that moment he entered a year of community service followed by three years and four months of Army service as a combat soldier in the Nachal, imagining the rest of his life sharing his income under one roof with the 10 other members of this commune. But that graduation event left a mark, and immediately upon finishing his military service he sought out every dance program he could lay his hands on. He didn’t care where it was as long he could dance – in Mirit’s group in Yavne, at Ha’Kvutza’s studio on Mandas Frace Street, at the old Studio Naim on Salame, at Liat and Nir’s hangar in Mitzpe Ramon, and in the end at the Haifa Dance workshop. There he met Ada Orni, who thought he was dancing like a grasshopper but still believed in him, Yael Can’ani who taught him not to be so efficient all the time, and rising choreographer Roy Assaf, who didn’t choose him for the dance he was making. At this point, there are conflicting versions of the story. Roy claims that Avshalom didn’t say hello when seeing him on the stairs, while Avshalom doesn’t remember this incident. What is certain is that from that moment on a fruitful and complex dialogue began between Roy and Avshalom which takes many forms and continues until this day. Nowadays, Avshalom is occupied with planning his next meal and feeling as much freedom as he can with each and every step of his life.