Ohad Naharin is a renowned Israeli choreographer and dancer. He is best known for his innovative choreographic approach called Gaga, which has had a significant impact on contemporary dance. Born in 1952 in Mizra, Israel, Naharin began his dance training at an early age and eventually joined the Batsheva Dance Company.
During his time with Batsheva, Naharin developed his unique movement language, Gaga. Gaga emphasizes the exploration of sensations, imagery, and improvisation to enhance dancers’ physicality and creativity. It has since been taught and performed by dancers and companies worldwide.
In addition to his work with Batsheva, Naharin has choreographed for numerous other dance companies, including his own ensemble, the Batsheva Dance Company, and the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. His choreographic style often blends elements of contemporary dance with theatricality, athleticism, and emotional depth.
Naharin’s contributions to the dance world have been widely recognized. He has received several prestigious awards, including the Bessie Award, the Israel Prize for dance, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Dance Festival.
Naharin continues to create and teach dance internationally, leaving an indelible mark on the art form with his distinctive style and artistic vision.
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Naharin’s Virus is one of those performances that is ahead of its time. Even in a decade and a half after a premiere it looks stunningly ground-breaking and “different”. When I first saw a performance of “Naharin’s Virus” over a decade ago, I knew that this ritualistic, insurrectionary dance was the way my own body wanted to move, if only it could be freed from…
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Both trained at the Batsheva Dance Company under Ohad Naharin, Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber present Pit, their first creation for the Paris Opera Ballet. Born in Iowa, Bobbi Jene Smith joined Batsheva in 2005. In 2014, she embarked on a career as a choreographer, creating works for the Martha Graham Dance Company, the…
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Founded in Tel-Aviv in 1964, the Batsheva Dance Company was headed from 1990 to 2018 by Ohad Naharin, an incredible dancer with a musical training, and a true passion for movement. Through his “Gaga” technique, a choreographic vocabulary that explores the sensations and the availability of the bodies, he made his mark on the dance…
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Ohad Naharin made ‘Shalosh’ (three) in 2005. The ballet consists of three parts: ‘Bellus’ (beauty), ‘Humus’ (earth), and ‘Secus’ (this instead of that). ‘Secus’ was first performed separately in 2012 with NDT. The tripartite theological structure suggests a return to a formal, exposed, everyday foundation of dance. Virtuosity is replaced by the simple movement, by…
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In Ohad Naharin‘s YAG, Batsheva’s first production adapted especially for the screen, Naharin uses cinematic language to communicate his work both as director and choreographer. The disappearance of the stage, now replaced by the cinematic frame, creates a direct encounter with the dancers. Video artist Roee Shalti, who regularly films Batsheva, filmed and edited the…
