[MES Forum] Dance Residency with Multimedia Artist Dege Feder - February 11–13

Fri Feb 6 13:00:00 EST 2026

MES Forum, we will be hosting multimedia artist Dege Feder on campus next week. She’s our first speaker with the Multi-ethnic Cultural Reproductions in the Middle East (MCRME) project and we are really excited about the conversations and activities with her about creative process, dance, culture, and more. Please join us! The details are below.

[Feder_headshot_small.png][Feder-BImaSheli_small.png]

Dege Feder is a choreographer, dancer, and musician. Feder joined “Eskesta” dance troupe in 1999 as a dancer and performed in many international festivals in Germany, France, Columbia, Croatia, South Africa, USA (New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago) and more. In 2013 she became the artistic director and choreographer of the Beta Dance Troupe. With Beta, she has performed in various venues, including in Ethiopia, where she was invited to teach workshops at the Ethiopian National Theater. She performed in 2018 in Jacob’s Pillow festival and taught dance workshops in the USA. Feder is the recipient of several awards, including the Israeli Ministry of Culture Prize for Young Dance Creators. In addition to her artistic work, she teaches dance as a means of empowerment for women and young girls in the Ethiopian-Israeli community.

Music, Movement, and Meaning (Lecture)<https://meltoncenter.osu.edu/events/music-movement-and-meaning-conversation-dege-and-tal-feder-part-2026-dance-residency-program>

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

10:20–11:15 a.m.

N120 Timashev Family Music Building, 1900 College Road North

Join Dege and Tal Feder as they will reflect on their creative work with their music fusion group Lela.

Creative Processes in Dance and the Practice of Working with Non-Dancers (Lecture)<https://meltoncenter.osu.edu/events/creative-processes-dance-and-practice-working-non-dancers-part-2026-dance-residency-program>

Thursday, February 12, 2026

8:30–10:00 a.m.

225 Sullivant Hall, 1813 N. High Street

This talk will present how Dege Feder approaches dance composition as a medium of expression in the personal, cultural, and community levels. Drawing on experience from multiple creative projects, she will outline her view of the artistic process from the initial creative idea to a fully realized stage performance. A central focus of the talk is the practice of working with non-dancers and the methods she developed to help them discover the unique physical and spiritual qualities of their movement. The talk will be accompanied by excerpts from her original dance works from different periods.

B’Ima Sheli: An Evening with Dege Feder (Performance)<https://meltoncenter.osu.edu/events/bima-sheli-evening-dege-feder-performance-and-conversation-main-event-2026-dance-residency>

Thursday, February 12, 2026

6:00 p.m.

Barnett Theater, Sullivant Hall, 1813 N. High Street

This performance of Dege Feder’s dance B’Ima Sheli showcases her signature style of Ethiopian contemporary dance. Following the performance, join us for a question-and-answer session and conversation moderated by Associate Professor of Dance and Melton Center Director Hannah Kosstrin about Feder's creative process, artistic influences, and the stories that inspire her work.

Ethiopian Contemporary Dance (Dance Master Class)<https://meltoncenter.osu.edu/events/dege-feder-dance-master-class-ethiopian-contemporary-dance-part-2026-dance-residency-program>

Friday, February 13, 2026

10:20 a.m.–12:00 noon

Barnett Theater, Sullivant Hall, 1813 N. High Street

Experience Dege Feder’s distinctive approach to movement in this master class focused on her practice of Ethiopian contemporary dance. You are welcome to take or watch class.

Dege Feder and Momar Ndiaye in Conversation on Contemporary African Diasporic Dance (Moderated Conversation)<https://dance.osu.edu/events/dege-feder-and-momar-ndiaye-conversation-contemporary-african-diasporic-dance>

Friday, February 13

12:00–12:45 p.m.

Barnett Theater, Sullivant Hall, 1813 N. High Street

Join Dege Feder and Assistant Professor of Dance Momar Ndiaye for a conversation about contemporary African diasporic dance within global artistic exchange.

Many thanks to the sponsors of this residency:

Melton Center for Jewish Studies

Middle East Studies Center

Center for Ethics and Human Values

Global Arts + Humanities | Cross-Disciplinary Research Exchange

Department of Dance

School of Music

Follow the MCRME Project: https://go.osu.edu/mcrme

Hannah Kosstrin, PhD

Director, Melton Center for Jewish Studies

Associate Professor, Department of Dance

and Department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures by courtesy

Affiliate Faculty: Center for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies; Mershon Center for International Security Studies

The Ohio State University

kosstrin.1 at osu.edu<mailto:kosstrin.1 at osu.edu>

https://dance.osu.edu/people/kosstrin.1

https://meltoncenter.osu.edu/

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