Ehud Krauss

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Ehud Krauss, 70, beloved Palo Alto dance teacher and Founder and Artistic Director of Zohar School of Dance passed away at his home on October 15, 2016. 

Ehud Krauss was born and raised on a Kibbutz in Israel. Ehud was a member of the Israeli Olympic Volleyball team when a back injury led him to discover his passion for dance. Ehud studied dance with Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, Robert Joffrey, Gus Giordano, and Luigi in New York, and performed as a soloist and principal dancer in Europe, Canada, and the United States.  An accomplished performer and choreographer, Ehud has been a fixture in the bay area dance community for over 35 years. 

Ehud started teaching in local high schools and community colleges and founded Zohar School of Dance in Palo Alto in 1979. A gifted choreographer, Ehud’s innovative jazz works inspired and moved audiences with their beauty and range. Always forward thinking and wanting to bring the dance community together, he began Dance Mosaic, an annual summer dance festival bringing all dance forms together on a single program. It was during this time that Ehud’s true vision of making dance available to all that he began the outreach program IndepenDANCE for children in East Palo Alto that had no afterschool programs. That program, which began with 30 middle school-aged girls being bussed to Zohar’s dance studio on California Avenue, soon expanded to 6 elementary schools in East Palo Alto with Ehud building a dance studio with sprung-wood floors at each site.  At its peak, IndepenDANCE was at 3 high schools, 2 middle schools, and 10 elementary schools and included 4 instructors with classes in East Palo Alto, Redwood City and San Jose. Never shying away from a challenge, Ehud worked with the most serious offenders in Juvenile Hall and taught Juvie Jazz at both Santa Clara County and San Mateo Juvenile Halls. His influential work led to the development of a course at Stanford University entitled “Dance in Prisons” and provided graduate students with first hand exposure to the Hall, teaching dance to youths that have never had formal dance lessons, and hearing about their stories. 

With his constant desire to grow as a teacher, Ehud taught children with special needs. He had a special gift of making everyone feel as though they could dance. No matter what the disability… sight, hearing, wheelchair-bound, Autism or Downs Syndrome, Ehud would work his magic and make even the observer participate. These programs exemplify Ehud’s vision and commitment to serving the community through dance and sharing the splendor of dance. 

Zohar Dance Studio under the direction of Ehud and his wife Daynee, has brought the joy, artistry and spirit of dance to the community through classes in jazz, ballet, and modern dance in Palo Alto since 1979. The studio continues to offer adult classes with the Bay Area’s finest teachers committed to providing professional dance instruction and the opportunity to perform. Students range from beginning aspiring artists and dedicated amateurs to professional dancers all enjoying the splendor that dance brings. 

In his spare time, Ehud loved to fish, bike and spend time with Daynee and their daughter, Maile. Ehud is survived by his wife, Daynee and daughter, Maile. And in Israel his mother, Yehudit, sister, Michal Sadur and brother, Nir.