What is Ohad Naharin All About?

"I like to watch trees grow. I meditate all the time. You know, I don't sleep much - it's a known fact that sleep is required more for the brain than the body because the brain needs sleep to dream. But I dream all the time. I dream when I'm awake, when I create work, with my eyes open. So who needs sleep?"- Ohad Naharin

Ohad Naharin rehearsing Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet for "Decadance"

So what is the true meaning behind Ohad Naharin and his work? I think that if you asked him this question, he would say "whatever you want it to be." I believe that Naharin does everything that he does so that everyone involved, including dancers and non-dancers, can be open to "pleasure." As a dancer myself, this is why I think Ohad Naharin is so important to dance today- because he narrows all of the hard work, or "effort" of dance down to the most significant element, which is pleasure. That is the reason why people dance, because they find pleasure in it. Naharin's theories of dance  and it being full of pleasure are so important, because he reminds everyone that pleasure is the source of all that we do- why else would we do everything in life? 

I also believe the significance behind Naharin is to remind the world to keep testing limits and pushing past boundaries. After all, it was due a back injury that led to Naharin's discovery of Gaga. Instead of letting his injury hold him back, he allowed it to reveal new boundaries and ways of dancing. It is this kind of discovery, or "research" as said by Naharin, that is the core of  all movements.  Ohad Naharin has shown me that I can discover new possibilities in myself everyday.

To get a better idea of Ohad Naharin's outlook on dance, watch the following "BAM Next Stage" Video: http://www.bamnextstage.org/#/intro/ohad-naharin

"I move to survive."- Ohad Naharin

Naharin's Impact on the Dance World

"As a spectator, when I watch a performance, I don't think there is a barrier or wall. We all share one space, just different roles."- Ohad Naharin

Without a doubt, the content and substance of Ohad Nahrin's work has made a hugely significant impact on the world of dance as we know it. At the core of Nahrin's work is, as previously stated in older posts, is Naharin's desire to push past boundaries in dance, both physically and mentally. This desire translates into Naharin's gaga technique, which allows a template of vocabulary through which people and dancers alike can research their bodies while moving. All of these ideas make up the true essence of Ohad Naharin and the content of his work. 

Justified with many awards such as the  2009 Samuel H Scripps American Dance Festival Award as well as the 2009 Dance Magazine Award, Ohad Naharin has indeed impacted the world of movement. Besides pledging a completely new and innovative technique of his own, Ohad visually delighted all audiences worldwide with his clever and masterful choreography. One of the ways in which Naharin has made a great impact on dance is by influencing and inspiring others to look at dancing in a different way than it has always been looked at, such as the up-and-coming Lauri Stallings, who took Ohad's thoughts and ideas and made them her own to give a fresh outlook on site-specific movement. 

Not only has Naharin impacted dancers and their art all over the world, but he has also made a great impact on non-dancers everywhere, especially in his home country of Israel. Naharin is one of the only world-renowned choreographers to open weekly gaga classes to the non-dancing people around him that he himself often teaches. Naharin believes that dance is for everyone, allowing anyone with the desire to move to get involved. Personally, this is one of the reasons that I am very moved by Naharin and his work, because he makes it available for everyone.

Batsheva Dance Company's "Telophaza"